CUCKOO

Surrealist horror films that have a unique cinematic vision have been few and far between in the past 30 years. This sub-genre was suspensefully crafted in the 1960s' by master filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock and Mario Bava. It may have peaked in the late 70s' and 80s' with Kubrick, Lynch, and Argento, before it gave way to exhausting sequels and major film studio blockbusters that relied heavily on computer generated gore, jump scares, and pseudo found footage with motion sickening shake-cams. 

Similar to The Shining (1980), Cuckoo revolves around a winter hotel resort, but in the Bavarian Alps, and is a psychological suspense thriller. Imagine The Overlook Hotel if it were in Twin Peaks. Gretchen, played by Euphoria actress Hunter Schafer, sucks us in with her tragic situation after the loss of her mother. She's brought to a foreign environment that may as well be a different planet with her father, stepmother, and voice impaired step sister (that communicates with a voice box) who all seem like aliens to her.

After witnessing strange occurrences and odd behavior from inhabitants in town, she is chased by some unknown creature in a scene that is reminiscent of the beginning of Suspiria (1977). It leads to the unravelling of a secret that explains why the property's overseer brought her family there and raises a profound question. Can any species defy it’s solitary survival instincts and care for anyone else with mutual empathy. 

Tilman Singer is the German director of Cuckoo, who debuted with the supernatural horror film Luz (2018) and used some creative filming techniques to show disorientation and body horror inside and out. Looped sequences of seemingly meaningless dialogue entrance viewers into a hypnotic cage. The soundtrack is carefully poignant and includes “Inside Out” an obscure Cold Wave gem from French Electro artist Martin Dupont. 

Director: Tilman Singer

Cinematography: Paul Faltz

Music: Simon Waskow

Studio: Neon 

US Release Date: August 9, 2024

DAVID CHRISTIAN - AUGUST 13, 2024