Hunter Schafer Teases the Bonkers Horror of ‘Cuckoo’

The marketing thus far behind upcoming horror movie Cuckoo, from NEON and director Tilman Singer (Luz), has been refreshingly enigmatic so far, giving only the barest hints of its plot. New plot details have emerged in a recent Variety interview with star  Hunter Schafer (“Euphoria”), and they sound absolutely bonkers.

Cuckoo is coming to theaters on May 3, 2024.

In Cuckoo: “Reluctantly, 17-year-old Gretchen leaves her American home to live with her father, who has just moved into a resort in the German Alps with his new family. Arriving at their future residence, they are greeted by Mr. König, her father’s boss, who takes an inexplicable interest in Gretchen’s mute half-sister Alma. Something doesn’t seem right in this tranquil vacation paradise. Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and bloody visions until she discovers a shocking secret that also concerns her own family.”

Dan Stevens (The Guest), Jessica Henwick (Underwater), Marton Csókás (Freelance), Greta Fernández (Santo) and Jan Bluthardt (Luz) also star in Cuckoo.

The above premise doesn’t give away much, so Spoiler Warning: stop reading here if you want to avoid knowing much about Singer’s latest before it arrives in May.

“It’s really a freaky thing that that’s just in nature and birds are just out here being complete dicks to other birds and giving them their own babies to raise,” Schafer told Variety. “Are you kidding? That’s psycho!”

What exactly is Schafer referring to here? That’s where it gets very interesting. Variety expands on the threat tormenting Schafer’s character: “Also scary is the film, which sees Schafer face off against a mysterious bird-like monster with a scream-like call who seeks to impregnate women with her evil spawn. The story, written by Singer, is based off the lore of the cuckoo bird, some of which are brood parasites, meaning they lay their eggs in the nests of other species.”

Suddenly, Cuckoo just became way more intriguing than it already was.

While the monstrous motive sounds wild, expect the film to lean more into psychological horror. Schafer told the outlet, “It came down to identifying a feeling of being sort of alone and a bit lost and disoriented by your surroundings,” Schafer says. “Even with her dad and family, she was just really in this completely isolated headspace, and that sort of elevates all of these really terrifying conspiracies that are happening around her.”

The film made its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival yesterday. Singer’s new horror film will make its International Premiere next month at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. Be sure to keep eye out for Bloody Disgusting’s coverage of the fest, Cuckoo included.