Director: Tilman Singer
Screenplay: Tilman Singer
Starring: Hunter Schafer, Jan Bluthardt, Marton Csokas, Jessica Henwick and Dan Stevens
Country: United States and Germany
Running Time: 103 min
Year: 2024
One of my most anticipated films of last year was Cuckoo, the first film to be led by Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer, an actress that’s great in practically everything I’ve seen her in. Typically, a film needs a little more of a hook for me, but given that Cuckoo was her first leading performance, after usually being relegated to side characters in other films and TV series, I was interested to see how it would turn out. I ended up checking the film out a few months into 2025 and when I was offered the opportunity to see it on 4K UHD for Blueprint: Review, there was no way I could turn that chance down.
Cuckoo follows Gretchen, an American teenager who’s forced to live with her father in Germany after the tragic passing of her mother. After getting settled and meeting her father’s boss, Herr König (played by the always delightful Dan Stevens), she begins noticing strange things happening around town, her new job and more. It’s a fun horror premise and one thing that I really admire about Cuckoo is director Tilman Singer’s confidence.
The film has issues, but from the opening scene until the last, you completely get the vibe that Tilman has put his all into crafting something that showcases his influences, his love of genre cinema, while still retaining a style that feels unique, with the potential for greatness in the future. Unfortunately, I can’t say that I was head over heels for Cuckoo, but to describe why would result in spoiling elements of the third act.
The general hook of the film, while initially intriguing, leads to a place that didn’t quite work for me in the ways I was hoping for. Still, I think the first half of the film borders on greatness, and even when certain reveals happen, it’s never phoned in by the cast of crew whatsoever. The biggest thing I came away from Cuckoo feeling was excitement for whatever Tilman has up his sleeves next. If he can stick the landing on whatever twisted ideas he has for his next feature, I can easily see him creating a new genre classic one day.
Again, the influences on Cuckoo are great places to pick from, Argento’s Phenomena (and shades of his giallo work too), as well as De Palma’s Dressed to Kill in particular are some of the standouts, but if it wasn’t evident from his commitment to shooting Cuckoo on 35mm, he’s a fan of cinema.
The performances across the board are pretty solid too, with a handful of side characters that push it a little too far for me, but given how ridiculous elements of the film get, I can see it working wonders for most people. As it stands, Cuckoo is a fun thrill ride that I had a good time with, even if it didn’t fully work for me and it’s undeniably messy. Still, the passion is there, the performances are good, it’s well made and worth a watch for those who seem interested by its premise.
Film: 
Cuckoo released on 4K UHD Blu-ray via Dazzler Media on April 14th in the UK. The film was previously released on DVD and Blu-ray from Dazzler, and the release features a HDR colour grade for the 4K presentation. No Dolby Vision, but the HDR grade is pretty excellent across the board, adding more vibrancy and depth to the colours on display. There’s a range of bright, exterior shots during the day and a range of sequences at night and they all benefit greatly from the 4K presentation, which is a nice improvement over the Blu-ray release. Audio wise, there’s two tracks, English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and a 2.0 LPCM mix. I tested both and they both sound solid, although the LPCM mix might have worked better for my setup. All in all, it’s an impressive 4K presentation. The following extras are included:
Making Of
Interview with Hunter Schafer
Interview with Production Designer Dario Mendez Acosta
Interview with Frauke Firl
Trailer
In terms of the extras, they’re a little on the light side, with a short five minute making-of featurette that briefly features the cast and crew discussing what the film is about and other typical EPK elements.
The three interviews included are decent, running for around 23 minutes in total. Starting with Hunter, she describes her unusual relationship with chairs, what type of film Cuckoo is, the genre of the film, her experiences reading the screenplay and more. It’s a fun piece, even though some of the footage was recycled for the previously mentioned making-of featurette. The interview with production designer Dario Mendez Acosta is a little more technical than Schafer’s but briefer, running for five minutes and features Acosta detailing his time crafting the world of Cuckoo. Finally, the interview with Frauke Firl focuses on the costume design of the film, designing Gretchen’s outfit and more. All in all, they’re decent interviews, although I would have loved to hear from the director himself in some form.
A theatrical trailer is included.
The release comes with a nice slipcover, showcasing the film’s artwork and will please home media enthusiasts.
All in all, Cuckoo is a pretty good film with a pretty good 4K UHD release. The transfer and audio are great, the extras are okay. If you missed this one last year, the 4K release is the way to go over the Blu-ray (which isn’t bad, by any means, but it’s a nice upgrade overall). Recommended for fans or those interested!
Disc/Packaging: 
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