Fantasia International Film Festival 2024 – With films like Longlegs and Immaculate this year, distributor NEON is becoming an even bigger player in indie horror, giving A24 major competition. The company’s latest, Cuckoo, is an off-the-wall feature with two stellar performances by Hunter Schafer as Gretchen and Dan Stevens as the malicious and creepy Herr Konig.  Though everything in the film doesn’t quite make sense, it’s impossible to look away from this nightmare.

Written and directed by Tilman Singer, the film follows the troubled and isolated 17-year-old Gretchen. Still grieving and reeling from the loss of her mom, she moves to a remote German resort with her dad Luis (Marton Csokas), her stepmom Beth (Jessica Henwick), and her mute younger stepsister Alma (Mila Lieu). Having saved wads of cash, Gretchen is determined to return to America. Her grief is so profound that she calls home just to hear her mom’s voice on the answering machine.

It’s unclear why Luis moves his family to the resort, owned by Herr Konig. Everything about it feels sinister, even if the rolling mountains look beautiful. From the get-go, something isn’t quite right. Singer drops viewers into this strange location and doesn’t give many answers immediately. Gretchen, meanwhile, decides to take a job at the front desk of the resort, which has serious Overlook Hotel vibes. Once she starts working there, Gretchen hears screeching sounds and spots women wandering around in the lobby or outside the door. One even chases her.

From there, the high-concept film grows stranger and stranger, though some of its symbolism is obvious. Eventually, the film morphs into a statement about reproduction and male control over a female’s body. It doesn’t always work, however, and there’s also the fact that the odd women who screech have the ability to cause time loops. The explanation for this, when it sort of arrives, proves befuddling.

Despite the movie’s uber weirdness, Schafer and Stevens’ performances are exceptional. Schafer manages to make Gretchen deeply wounded, but eventually fierce and resourceful. Yet, her grief feels very real and palpable and provides an emotional anchor in an otherwise totally bizarre film. She evolves from a moody teenager to a woman of action and agency who wields a switchblade with total confidence.  Stevens’ flute-playing villain, meanwhile, is frightening. There’s something unsettling about him from his very first scenes. Did I mention he plays the flute? Even that becomes hair-raising. Gretchen just might be my favorite horror protagonist of the year, while Herr Konig is my favorite villain of the year.

The film’s main faults lie with its plot holes, from the time loops to the purpose of the resort. Still, despite all of that, there’s something downright unnerving about this movie. The properties Herr Konig owns, which also includes a hospital, create an eerie atmosphere. It feels like there’s no escape. Additionally, the sound design is bloodcurdling, especially the constant screeching and the pumping of arteries. This is countered with a sludgy, grungy soundtrack due to the bands Gretchen likes.

NEON has released some of the most stellar horror movies of the year. They’re becoming a brand. Their films push boundaries and have a visceral edge. Not everything about Cuckoo makes sense, but Stevens and Schafer offer outstanding performances, while the atmosphere sucks you in.  This is the wildest, most baffling horror movie I’ve seen this year. It’s blood-soaked and bonkers.

Following the Fantasia International Film Festival, Cuckoo will have a wide theatrical release on August 9.