Underrated Horror Film ‘Cuckoo’ is a Streaming Hit

Among a top 10 list mostly populated by holiday films, this year’s Cuckoo has claimed the fourth position on Hulu‘s most-viewed feature list. The horror landed on the streamer on December 17. The underrated flick, starring Hunter Schafer (Euphoria) and Dan Stevens (Legion), follows 17-year-old Gretchen (Schafer) who moves to the German Alps to live with her estranged father, Luis (Marton Csokas), and his young wife and their child. Once there, Gretchen realizes nothing is as it appears and soon finds herself ensnared in a dangerous game — one that often seems like a mind-bending nightmare — orchestrated by her father’s boss, Mr. König (Stevens).

Cuckoo is a blend of psychological horror, family drama, and body horror, exploring themes of family, identity, and autonomy. Directed by German filmmaker Tilman Singer (Luz), the NEON film failed to impress at the box office, grossing only $6.7 million against a $7 million budget, but fared fairly well with critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the surreal horror holds a 79% rating, falling slightly lower for audiences with a score of 59%.

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A reliably ludicrous Dan Stevens also highlights NEON’s latest boundaries-pushing retro-frightfest.

Critics praised the feature’s stellar performances — particularly Schafer and Stevens. In our review, MovieWeb‘s Will Sayre writes that Schafer, “solidifies her leading-lady Hollywood status in this mind-bending treat” and also applauds Csokas, who shines as the mysterious and complex Luis:

“The real standout — apart from Schafer and Stevens, of course — is character actor Marton Csokas, whose past, reliably villainous demeanor has stolen the show in throwback flicks like ‘XXX’ and ‘The Bourne Supremacy.’ Here, however, the talented performer is given a more vulnerable, delicate persona to tackle, an aging dad trying to give the whole starting-a-family thing a second go-around.”

The Problem with ‘Cuckoo’

Despite its impressive cast, Cuckoo has its faults. Some critics (including some who commend Schafer, Stevens, and the rest of the Cuckoo cast) find the story underdeveloped and confusing. Roger Ebert’s Christy Lemire, in a two-star review, writes:

“Trying to comprehend the hows and whys of this twisted mystery creates a distraction from which the film never recovers. Either we needed to know more, or we needed to know less. Ambiguity actually would have been preferable; Singer creates such a foreboding mood, it would have been enough to hold us in its spell. Instead, we go from ‘Whoa’ to ‘Wait, what?'”

Despite its narrative issues, Cuckoo has gained a strong following among genre fans and arthouse film lovers, who are drawn to Singer’s surrealist imagery. Cuckoo stands out among Hulu’s Top 10 movie list, which is currently dominated by holiday cheer. At the top of that chart is the Will Ferrell-led comedy Elf, followed by holiday features The Polar Express, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, The Christmas Break, A Sudden Case of Christmas, Christmas with the Kranks, the Hulu exclusive Nutcrackers, and Fred Claus. Cuckoo is the list’s only horror feature, with the only other non-Christimas-centered flick being the survival thriller No Way Up (which currently sits at the number three spot).

Cuckoo, starring Schafer, Jan Bluthardt, Csokas, Jessica Henwick, and Stevens, is streaming on Hulu.

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Cuckoo

Seventeen-year-old Gretchen reluctantly leaves America to live with her father at a resort in the German Alps. Plagued by strange noises and bloody visions, she soon discovers a shocking secret that concerns her own family.

Release Date

August 9, 2024

Director

Tilman Singer

Runtime

1hr 42min

Writers

Tilman Singer

Studio

Fiction Park, Neon, Waypoint Entertainment

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