Melbourne International Film Festival Review - Cuckoo

 

“Why is there nobody working the reception after 10pm?”

Strange, tense and shrill, Cuckoo suffers from keeping its central mystery too distant for too long, but does thrive because of the fantastic performances from Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens in an effectively unique horror thriller with some great sound work and a twisting story that doesn’t fully work but does thoroughly entertain.

Discussion Points: 

Had me going “nah nah” multiple times throughout as the tensions ramps up, and jump scares linger. A super messy but thoroughly entertaining horror thriller. Has so many ideas and convoluted plot threads that it’s trying to explore, and suffers from underdeveloped characters and concepts. However, Hunter Schafer gives a great leading turn with plenty of plot armour to keep things interesting and Dan Stevens is so ominously charming that you most certainly know he’s up to no good. Really effective sound work, some great scares and solid technical skill, but just can’t overcome its messy structure and plot. Audience laughed at points that they probably shouldn’t have laughed at when the film gets a little too incredulous but also gasped and squirmed when they were meant to and a few jokes did land. So overall Cuckoo rises above its inconsistencies to deliver an effective thriller thanks to its performances and production value.