Cuckoo (2024)

Source: NEON

Horror has been inconsistent this year, but it’s clear that indie studios have been putting more effort and time into their offerings than their contemporaries. I was excited about this from the get-go, and I’m glad I got to see it before the theatrical run ended because it did not disappoint. In what is sure to be August’s horror highlight, Cuckoo may seem plain at first glance, but like an intriguing bird, it slowly becomes more erratic and unique as time passes. 

For starters, Cuckoo uses a variety of techniques to scare audiences. Awkward framing, heretic sound design, and delusional mentalities contribute to an eerie atmosphere that is always on edge. It’s almost frightening how perfect the buildup is in this, and the concept reveals itself to audiences fairly quickly to keep constituent tension and shock value present throughout. 

Hunter Schafer’s Gretchen is a flawed teenage lead whose initial absent-mindedness and isolation from familial motivations make her character growth feel natural and progressive. Despite giving great performances in many films before this, it’s clear that this is her character to mold and transform, not held back by messaging or blockbuster premises. Because of this, she’s able to be bold, tense, and gripping with a metamorphosing psyche. 

I thought that there wasn’t any way that Dan Stevens could be odd after his Aussie scene-chewing performance in GxK, but this no doubt proves that he has excellent range. Insane, unpredictable, and deranged, his strange and unexplainable performance eventually turns him into a menacing and diabolical villain. His monologues were easy highlights of the film for me, and the lack of sympathy and twisted connection to nature make his character a memorable and frightening presence. 

Even if it can’t claim to be a deep ideological study or an anomaly in the horror genre, Cuckoo is traditional horror done phenomenally and logically, with great performances and atmosphere making it a shock that’s sure to please horror fans both new and old. 

My Rating: 8/10 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

Now playing in theaters

A NEON RELEASE