PREMISE
A 17-year-old girl is forced to move with her family to a resort where things are not what they seem.
THE GOOD STUFF
HUNTER SCHAFER- You know, some actors are just built for the horror genre. It’s difficult to explain, but certain actors just fit the aesthetic and general mood of the types of horror films that exist, such as this one. A quirky, twisted, demented little picture such as this requires an actor who embodies certain traits while having the ability to be in every scene and carry things accordingly. This is an absolutely great scream queen-type performance.
DAN STEVENS- Dan Stevens has quite possibly become a grandmaster of playing d-bags. He has artfully and emphatically portrayed a wide range of cinematic douchebaggery of the highest order. This is no less than the second horror movie of 2024 in which he’s played a douchebaggy villain. But unlike the d-bag he played in the movie ABIGAIL from earlier this year (which is the top 10 movie of the year, IMO), this guy is well-spoken, intelligent, and almost likable. And because Dan Stevens plays him, you quickly realize that this is the villain of the film; it’s just a question of what kind of d-bag-inducing trickery Stevens will surprise us with next.
He’s been one of the more entertaining actors to watch over the past decade or so and he almost makes me want to start watching DOWNTON ABBEY just because he’s in there.
ATMOSPHERE- CUCKOO is a movie that does not rely on stereotypical American horror film cliches. This is not a movie where things just kind of jump at you from around a dark corner. In fact, I won’t really call CUCKOO a scary movie.
However, it is undeniably creepy and genuinely uncomfortable a lot of the time. You’ll be watching a scene, and then something in the background will ease itself into the screen, slowly building the tension until it becomes a part of the scene. The way this movie uses things like shadows and close-ups makes it a very entertaining film on top of everything else.
THE BAD STUFF
WORLD BUILDING- This film is called CUCKOO for a reason, and it’s not because some of the characters here are flat-out crazy. There is a rather complicated reason as to why this story is so twisted. It also introduces elements out of left field that you really don’t see coming and doesn’t explain why those things exist. Is it necessary for horror films to explain every facet of its environment? No. But many horror movies don’t have to do that because many of them are very ABC.
I wouldn’t go so far as to call this an original concept, but it is an inventive way to present the kind of things that we haven’t seen all that much before. But it’s all presentation and no explanation. I personally do not like when that happens in a horror movie, no matter how good it is. This might just bother me and me alone.
THE ENDING- This film cost 7 million to make. Unfortunately, it suffers the fate that many inventive low-budget horror films tend to suffer: the lack of an emphatic ending. Films like this one, no matter how good they are, just tend to end abruptly.
And if the film is really good, it’s not like you come away from things feeling upset about it. But you do come away from it, feeling like there could have been so much more. Cuckoo is a film that gives you a satisfying ending, but one done in the most bare-bones sort of way.
THE UGLY STUFF
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This is the type of horror film that I appreciate. Not just because it’s low-budget or anything like that; plenty of horrendous low-budget horror films are out there. CUCKOO , though, is well-written, wonderfully acted, and a somewhat immersive kind of a film. It’s a film that could have been made in a previous decade just the same way and would have had just as much effect.
It’s a movie that takes itself seriously but doesn’t lean into the drama in the way that some pretentious horror films tend to do to try and prove to the audience that it’s more than just something really entertaining to watch. I really appreciate this movie, and I cannot recommend it enough.
CUCKOO is in theaters now
