By John Corrado

The sophomore effort from German writer-director Tilman Singer, Cuckoo is an intentionally bizarre horror movie that draws upon the metaphorical symbolism of the titular cuckoo bird to reimagine genre tropes through Singer’s more unique vision.

Our heroine is Gretchen (Hunter Schafer), a 17-year-old girl who travels to Germany with her father (Marton Csokas) and his new family. She has a somewhat strained relationship with her stepmom (Jessica Henwick) and younger half-sister (Mila Lieu), and would rather be back with her own mother.

They are staying at a luxury resort owned by Mr. König (Dan Stevens), who gives Gretchen a job as a receptionist. But Gretchen begins to realize something is off when women around her start having bizarre convulsions and vomiting, and she starts experiencing what seem to be terrifying visions of a woman following her at night.

Singer, who made his feature debut in 2018 with the horror film Luz, now strives for something even more ambitious with Cuckoo, which blends elements of pulpy, B-movie thriller with something that feels more arthouse and esoteric. Singer’s film begins as a slow-burn thriller, and at times plays more like a hazy mood piece as we try to make sense of what exactly is going on.

The plot does takes a little too long to reveal itself, which can make the pacing feel slightly wonky in the first half. The film is also a bit hard to follow at times through all of its convoluted plot developments, with a central mystery that can feel too vague. But Cuckoo operates on a sort of nightmare logic, driven by maternal themes and avian metaphors. Singer relies on the general feeling that something is “off” to build tension, and it’s a pretty successful gambit, as he delivers a few jump scares and some particularly eery sound design.

Meanwhile, Paul Faltz’s 35mm cinematography adds to the unsettling, quasi-retro feel of the film, delivering some stark and creepy imagery. Schafer does solid work in her first leading role, portraying Gretchen as more resourceful than the usual scream queen. The film also features another charismatic supporting turn from a German-accented Stevens, who, between this and Abigail, is on a roll delivering delightfully demented, scenery-chewing performances. Their performances keep us leaning in, as Singer builds to an entertaining, suspenseful finale.

Film Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)

Cuckoo opens exclusively in theatres as of August 9th. It’s being distributed in Canada by Elevation Pictures.