Berlinale 2024: Tilman Singer’s ‘Cuckoo’ is More Horror Excellence
by Alex Billington
February 17, 2024
It’s only February and two of the best horror films of 2024 have already premiered. The first is the Sundance Midnight horror hit It’s What’s Inside (my review) which many other critics listed as one of the best films from the Sundance Film Festival. The second is the German horror film Cuckoo, which just premiered at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival. This one honestly should’ve been playing in the usually impressive Sundance Midnight line-up as well, but as a German production from a German filmmaker, it’s obvious why the film ended up premiering at Berlinale instead. Cuckoo is another super fresh, wholly original, entirely engaging, suspenseful, highly entertaining, decidedly campy horror creation that is likely to go on to become an iconic film in the horror genre. The confident filmmaking choices, the villain(s), the lead character, the mountain resort setting, all of it is so unique & exciting in this excellent genre creation from filmmaker Tilman Singer.
Cuckoo is the second feature film written and directed by German filmmaker Tilman Singer, following his feature debut Luz from a few years back (which is already a cult fave among horror fans). His follow-up is Cuckoo and he has an even bigger playground to play in this time with more financial support. It’s produced & developed by the US indie distributor Neon, with Fiction Park and Waypoint Entertainment. With their support, Singer has overcome the sophomore slump to rock us with another distinct horror movie. Hunter Schafer stars a young woman named Gretchen, who is stuck traveling around Europe with her father – now dating a new woman after her mother passed away a year prior. They drive to a strange, mysterious, old resort in the German Alps to spend a few days. Her father knows the owner of this place and is meeting with him to finish some business before they go off and start their own resort. Something strange is going on and it doesn’t take long for things to get super weird – other guests puking randomly, peculiar people coming & going, and odd noises at night. Obviously there’s something more going on here up at this mountain resort…
This film is packed with the kind of impressive, confident directing that I am always excited to see. The eerie atmospheric mountain resort setting, incredible use of shadows (a few eerie shadow shots are unforgettably awesome), a creepy screaming sound used throughout, freaky characters, and a vintage look and feel to the whole film. I have a few minor issues with some story choices but overall the film is a blast! It’s one of the best new horrors I’ve encountered so far between Sundance and Berlinale – and I have a good feeling many moviegoers are going to flip for this once it hits theaters. It’s something brand new yet it feels instantly iconic in the genre already, especially the “screamer” women – the concept is awesome and sets up a bigger mystery behind what is going down. It’s not a supernatural story of someone possessed and that’s it. There’s more going on! There’s a few good twists! There’s an unsettling undercurrent of “WTF is happening here” throughout! To work all this into one film is not an easy task, yet Singer is more than capable, proving he is on the path to becoming as acclaimed as other modern horror filmmakers like Ari Aster and Jordan Peele.
Part of the genius of this film is how campy and amusing it is, without being cheesy or ridiculous, which is what makes it such a blast to watch. There’s even a creepy cuckoo clock in it, not that it matters much, but this is an example of Singer knowing how to make terrific horror cinema that makes you laugh and scream. The best part about Cuckoo is the performance from Dan Stevens – with another brilliant, brilliant role that no one will ever forget playing a strange German man (also see: I’m Your Man). What a legend! Hunter Schafer is also impressive, taking on challenge a role that evolves over the course of the film’s 102 minutes. I really loved watching this film with an audience, and I’m glad almost everyone else was buzzing about it as well. It slays! This is what modern horror should aspire to be – clever and assured, thrilling and enjoyable, eschewing derivative ideas for something that’s singular and prominent. And don’t forget your switchblade.
Alex’s Berlinale 2024 Rating: 9 out of 10
Follow Alex on Twitter – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing
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