‘Cuckoo’: A Stylish Nightmare with a Wonderfully Sinister Dan Stevens

Let’s begin by admitting that I didn’t fully understand everything that occurs in “Cuckoo,” a new indie horror film hitting theaters this Friday.

This might be more of my issue than a fault in the storytelling, but numerous strange events take place at this Alpine resort. The establishment is managed by a bespectacled German hotelier named Herr König, portrayed with an unsettling menace by Dan Stevens.

Some occurrences are underexplained, while others are underexplored. Herr König appears particularly concerned with activities happening after dark. However, guests staggering into the reception and general store in a daze and vomiting seem to bother him less. Are they intoxicated? Ill? Should someone assist them? All we get is a nonchalant “It happens.” The hospital is also eerily empty. Sonic vibrations frequently ripple through the area, causing scenes to repeat until they culminate in a violent crescendo. No one seems to listen or care about anything that 17-year-old Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) says, regardless of how injured she becomes. The quick escalation of her injuries, paired with her father’s increasing indifference, nearly borders on comedic.

Ambiguity can be beneficial for mystery and worldbuilding; it can also be frustrating. Often, detailed explanations can diminish the intrigue. “Cuckoo” delves into all these aspects. Despite this, the film remains undeniably fascinating, original, and occasionally fun in a twisted, deranged way where laughter becomes an involuntary response to something horrifying. Schafer delivers a captivating lead performance, enduring significant physical and emotional trials.

The film also features Stevens in tiny, rimless glasses, sporting sinisterly scandi-cool monochrome outfits, and a screaming ghoul donning Hitchcockian glamour in a hooded trench and white-framed oval sunglasses. Leaning into style is rarely a wrong move for a horror film, and “Cuckoo” does so wholeheartedly.

The film is the creation of German director Tilman Singer, but credit is also owed to his predecessors: the works of David Lynch and Dario Argento. Gretchen is an unwilling resident in an idyllic, modern home with her detached father (Martin Csokas), stepmother (Jessica Henwick), and mute half-sister Alma (Mila Lieu). She leaves increasingly desperate messages on her mother’s answering machine back in America.

The film is an exaggerated yet apt depiction of a new family where remnants of the old family are treated like a nuisance. When Alma starts having seizures during the vibrations — which no one but Gretchen seems to recall or acknowledge — the parents’ attention shifts entirely to the young girl. They barely seem to care about Gretchen’s miraculous survival of a terrifying car accident; Alma is hospitalized because of the episodes.

As with many horror films, the major revelations were somewhat underwhelming — a strained attempt at a unifying theory for this peculiar place that ultimately doesn’t add much. Nevertheless, the emotional connection to Gretchen and her complex relationship with Alma pays off in unexpected ways.

Dan Stevens deserves special recognition for his role in “Cuckoo.” He’s an actor who could have easily settled into blandly handsome leading man roles but is instead transforming into one of our great character actors. He consistently stands out in whatever he’s part of due to his sheer commitment, be it his Hawaiian shirt-wearing titan veterinarian in “Godzilla x Kong,” his Russian pop star in “Eurovision,” or any number of his deranged horror characters. Both Stevens and Schafer, always a compelling presence, make “Cuckoo” very much worth watching. They fit far too comfortably in this dreamy, nightmarish world envisioned by Singer, which is definitely worth experiencing.

“Cuckoo,” a Neon release, opens in theaters Friday. It is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for “language, brief teen drug use, bloody images, violence.” The film has a running time of 102 minutes and has been rated two and a half stars out of four.

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