The underrated horror film “Cuckoo” is a streaming hit

This year’s film is in the top 10, which mostly consists of holiday films cuckoo took fourth place Huluis the most viewed feature list. The horror landed on the streamer on December 17th. The underrated flick with the lead role Hunter Shepherd (euphoria) And Dan Stevens (legion), follows 17-year-old Gretchen (Schafer) as she moves to the German Alps to live with her estranged father Luis (Marton Csokas) and his young wife and child. There, Gretchen realizes that nothing is as it seems and soon finds herself caught up 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 mix of psychological horror, family drama and body horror and explores themes of family, identity and autonomy. It was directed by German filmmaker Tilman Singer (Luz), the NEON film failed to impress at the box office and only grossed $6.7 million on a budget of $7 million, but was well received by critics. To Rotten tomatoesSurreal horror is at 79% and is slightly lower at 59% for audiences.

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A reliably ridiculous Dan Stevens also illuminates NEON’s latest boundary-pushing retro frightfest.

Critics praised the feature’s outstanding performance – particularly Schafer and Stevens. In our test report MovieWeb‘s Will Sayre writes that Schafer “cements her status as a Hollywood leading lady in this stunning treat” and also applauds Csokas, who shines as the mysterious and complex Luis:

“The real star – aside from Schafer and Stevens, of course – is character actor Marton Csokas, whose reliably villainous demeanor in the past in throwback films like “XXX’ And ‘The Bourne Supremacy.’ But here the talented actor has to deal with a more vulnerable, delicate personality, an aging father trying to give the whole family-building thing a second try.”

The problem with “cuckoo”

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

“Trying to understand the how and why 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. Indeed, ambiguity would have been preferable; Singer creates such an ominous atmosphere, it would have been enough to captivate us. Instead, we go from “Whoa” to “Wait, what?”

Despite its narrative problems cuckoo has gained a strong following among genre fans and arthouse film lovers drawn to Singer’s surrealist images. cuckoo stands out from Hulu’s top 10 movies list, which is currently dominated by holiday cheer. At the top of this list is the Will Ferrell-directed comedy Eleven, followed by holiday features The Polar Express, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, The Christmas Break, A Sudden Case of Christmas, Christmas with the Kranksthe Hulu exclusive nutcrackerAnd Fred Claus. cuckoo is the only horror film on the list, the only other flick that isn’t centered around Christmas is the survival thriller No way up (which is currently in third place).

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

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

Release date

August 9, 2024

director

Tilman Singer

Duration

1 hour 42 minutes

writer

Tilman Singer

studio

Fiction Park, Neon, Waypoint Entertainment

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