Cuckoo

Gretchen moves with her father and his new family to a remote town high in the German Alps, hoping for a fresh start. The move unsettles her as the hillside settlement hides an uneasy history and strange sounds echo through the walls. Nightmares and eerie visions of a pursuing woman begin to intrude on her days, blurring the line between what's real and what's imagined. As Gretchen digs into the town's past, she confronts a network of secrets that seem to be calibrated to haunt her specifically. The more she uncovers, the tighter the danger closes in.

Released in 2024 and directed by Tilman Singer, Cuckoo appears to be built from an original script rather than a pre existing property. It stars Hunter Schafer as Gretchen alongside Jan Bluthardt, Marton Csokas, Dan Stevens, and Jessica Henwick, presenting a compact, character driven thriller with a precise production plan and a seven million dollar budget.

Worldwide box office stood at about 6.68 million dollars, against a reported 7 million budget. The result reflects a modest release strategy and a niche horror audience, with most revenue coming from select territories. Screens were primarily in Europe and North America, with limited exposure in Asia and Latin America.

Critics describe the film as a taut atmospheric thriller that leans on tone, sound design, and the landscape rather than gore. The German Alps become a foreboding backdrop, turning isolation into fear and shaping choices Gretchen makes under pressure. Themes of belonging and disruption collide with the weight of hidden pasts as she digs into the town's quiet facade, with the performances by Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens anchoring the ambiguity.

No major nominations or wins are listed for Cuckoo, and the press notes emphasize its restrained storytelling rather than red carpet recognition. The film has sparked conversation about Tilman Singer's approach to intimate horror, particularly his use of place and silence to provoke unease.