Cuckoo – Review

While it doesn’t quite live up to its premise, Cuckoo is a pretty solid horror thriller with some interesting plot ideas and creepy moments. After a creepy and odd opening with a girl trying to escape something, we find our setting. Ah, the Bavarian Alps, where every young girl wants to spend her life.

As Gretchen (Schafter) tunes out her family with music, her father Luis (Csokas) drives along winding roads with her step-mother Beth (Henwick) and her step-sister Alma (Lieu) towards their new destination. Gretchen can’t help but wonder if she’s made a mistake being there.

The family is headed towards a resort which is under renovation, however still operating. This offers Luis work, and even nets Gretchen a front desk job. They settle into their new temporary abode, and deal with an odd inhabitant in Herr König (Stevens) who is the director of the current project and hotel.

Not only is König somewhat of an oddball, but events are tough to reconcile at times, as odd mysterious shrieking noises lead to varying results, and some people around are acting strangely including vomiting hotel guests. As noises intensify, behaviors get even crazier, and a new horrific threat is introduced, as well as a detective (Bluthardt).

As Cuckoo proceeds to spin its tale, some traditional horror and psychological elements are present, however the plot itself is a pretty interesting idea and the resulting execution has some interesting visual manifestations. Overall, I liked a more of this than I didn’t but I think the idea did not go far enough and was not explored enough. It’s still a fairly cool little horror film, with slick direction and a good group of actors in its parts.