Horror is a wonderfully diverse genre. Our streaming tip on Amazon Prime today proves with a very special detail why this is so and how to really instill fear.
There is hardly a genre in which independent filmmakers let off steam as gloriously as in horror. They take all the liberties they need to create a unique and as eerie an experience as possible. What is sometimes forgotten is the attention to detail in areas beyond the explicit images. But sometimes a movie also plays to all of its audiovisual strengths.
In his small but very fine horror experiment Cuckoo, German director Tilman Singer has incorporated a few details that give you goosebumps in a very unique way. Against a picturesque Alpine backdrop and with a fantastic cast, he teaches us to be afraid in a way that gets under our skin in a wonderfully unpleasant way. You can currently stream the result of his ideas on Amazon Prime.
Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) hates everything that is going on right now. She leaves the US because the ghost of the past and the memory of her deceased mother are lurking there. Now she is sitting here in a luxurious holiday resort in the German Alps. Her father is supposed to be working here on the structural extensions, on behalf of the somewhat pushy Mr. König (Dan Stevens).
As beautiful as it appears to be here, Gretchen is unhappy. Her father’s new wife makes no secret of the fact that Gretchen is not her daughter. This is in stark contrast to Gretchen’s small, mute half-sister, who is treated like a little princess. Gretchen just wants to get away.
But King is trying his best to welcome Gretchen with open arms. He repeatedly seeks conversation with her and gives her a job. And it is precisely during this job that she realizes that bizarre things are going on in this resort. When she is suddenly followed on her way home to her house one night and forced off the road, a whole series of horrific experiences begins for Gretchen.
Cuckoo on Amazon Prime is a masterpiece of sonic and creative horror
First of all, it must be said that all the creatures and characters in Cuckoo are extraordinarily alienating. This is meant as a compliment, because it creates an oppressive, almost otherworldly atmosphere from the very beginning, which feels nightmarish in the best possible way.
Hunter Schafer in particular fights his way through this nightmare as if there were no tomorrow. His performance alone makes the film worth watching. Dan Stevens, on the other hand, once again shows why he is currently (how fitting) the king of horror actors. As if possessed by the ghost of Christoph Waltz, he becomes a terrifyingly polite, smiling monster. But none of this is Cuckoo’s true strength.
Like few recent horror films, Cuckoo makes ingenious use of one of its most potent tools: sound design. Everything supernatural is inextricably linked to the brilliantly created, disgustingly creepy soundscape. The result is a fusion of sounds that burrow under the cerebral cortex and images that unsettle. You won’t find a comparable experience at the moment.
If you want to prick up your ears, open your eyes and experience Cuckoo’s nightmare up close, you can currently do so on Amazon Prime in a streaming subscription.
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