Cuckoo

In cinematic storytelling, there’s a balance of a film knowing what it is versus being self-aware. They seem like the same concept but they’re actually a bit different. A film that knows what it is and why it is will play its genre cards with some twists and turns and maybe hit a few heavy beats for thematic resonance. A self-aware film is constantly waving to the audience drawing attention to its insider trade of references and/or callbacks playing off of familiarity rather than originality. Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo falls on the former side of that balance as a creature feature wrapped in the disguise of body horror wrapped up in a family drama thriller that steadily ramps up the bonkers plot to a wild final act. Whether or not the audience goes along with it, that’s a different issue (I dug the hell out it).

For our film, we find Hunter Schafer as Gretchen who is trapped traveling with her estranged father Luis (Martin Csokas) and his new family; wife Beth (Jessica Henwick) and daughter Alma (Mila Lieu). They’re deep in the German Alps arriving at their new home at a secluded resort where Luis will oversee the development of the resort’s expansion. The owner Herr Konig (Dan Stevens) is a bit aloof, a little too intrusive, but he seems nice. As Gretchen tries to cope with being away from America and stuck in this new situation, she soon discovers there is something far more nefarious about Konig and the resort. 

Catching this film in theaters, I had a blast. It’d seem the audience I was with did too as we collectively shrieked at the scary bits and howled at the bonkers plot twists. If the trailers didn’t tip the hat already, the film is absolutely a creature feature, but it's smarter than surface-level bloody horrors. What Writer/Director Tilmand Singer did with cunning acuity is redress this plot as a family drama thriller. Like the cuckoo, Gretchen is not in the next she belongs in. She barely knows her father, stepmother, or her half-sister. She has nothing to tie her to them other than the genetics of her father. This on its own could have been a solid story, but this flick is also out to have a good time and the plot runs like a rollercoaster. 

Now I saw some pretty wicked backlash to this film online, and I have no idea what movie those people saw, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Perfect? By no means, but it’s damn fun. Some folks took issue with how the story might stretch its plot, but if you’re paying attention to what is being said, by who, and how, the twists aren’t so outlandish. On second viewing it's actually quite easy to spot what's coming around the corner. But at the first viewing, right about when things started to come together in the second act, it hit me that if Cuckoo and its signature creepy crawler was conceived about 30 years ago, this beast could have made for one hell of a great X-Files monster-of-the-week episode! 

And with fellow horror entries Immaculate and The First Omen, Cuckoo nests nicely as another solid entry in 2024’s very interesting run of Female Autonomy Body Horror. Schafer anchors the film with an impressive performance capturing the fragility of an angsty teen in a bad situation along with the strength of a true survivor. The interplay between Jessica Henwick and Martin Csokas as seemingly indifferent parents adds to the tension while Dan Stevens gets to add another creepy nutty turn to his already wild 2024 slate of performances. 

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray 
Neon and Decal Releasing conspire to hatch Cuckoo onto 1080p Blu-ray in a single-disc set. Pressed on a Region A BD50 disc, the disc is housed in a standard case. Our review copy didn’t include a slipcover, so don’t know if there will be one. The disc loads to trailers for other Neon releases before arriving at a standard main menu.

Considering the scenic location and how immaculate the film was shot, it’s a shame Cuckoo isn’t securing a 4K release outright - but it does make for a damn fine Blu-ray. In 1080p the 2.39:1 image holds up beautifully. Fine details in the mountainous location, the space decor of the house, the drab little love shacks throughout the resort, all are on display. Fine lines in facial features, makeup, and costuming all get their time to shine. Colors are bright and bold with healthy primaries - reds and blues see a lot of attention in that regard. Black levels and shadows are spot on for some nice creepy deep black areas for crazy critters to lurk. Whites are well-balanced without unintentional blowouts or blooming. 

On the audio side, we have a very excellent DTS-HD MA 5.1 track to enjoy. Now, admittedly, given this film’s interesting sound design, I would be most curious to hear an Atmos mix, but I can’t deny this 5.1 mix does the trick too. Dialog is clean and clear - which is important because even casual phrases are important for some of the big reveals. The mix plays things very subtly for long stretches. It doesn’t like to call too much attention to itself until it counts. When the big beats drop the mix is well spread for an active and immersive soundscape.

On the bonus features side, this disc offers a fairly decent assortment of extras to pick through. A lot of the interviews and making-of materials are pretty basic EPK-style content, but the individual interview segments hold a few more notable morsels to chew on. Sadly, nothing that really gets deep into the making of the film, but still better than nothing. The deleted scenes are interesting extensions and cuts, nothing that dramatically changes the film, but some cool character beats. 

• The Making of Cuckoo (HD 5:34)
• The Cuckoo Video Diaries (HD 7:35)
• On-Set Interviews:
• Hunter Schafer (HD 10:14)
• Frauke Firl (HD 7:49)
• Dario Mendez Acosta (HD 5:01)
• Deleted Scenes:
• Henry’s Arrival (HD 2:52)
• Beth & Alma (HD 1:08)
• Gretchen in the Dark (HD 1:33)
• Gretchen & Henry (HD 00:46)
• Alma & Bonomo’s Technician (HD 00:42)
• Henry’s Dream (HD 2:05)
• Teaser
• Trailer 

I thought Cuckoo was a wild ride. I had a blast at the theater chowing down and XL popcorn and enjoyed it again at home with a nice snifter of cheap bourbon. Even after repeat viewings it holds up, even as I spent more time noticing little clues I’d missed before. While I’d love to see this one drop on 4K (come on Germany don’t let us down!), I have to tip my hat to Neon and Decal Releasing for giving us a solid 1080p disc to enjoy. Image quality and audio are excellent and the bonus features might be on the skinny side, they’re still an interesting look into the film. At the end of the day, I’m calling this creepy creature feature Recommended