Horror aficionados have already devoured Sydney Sweeney’s Immaculate, Mia Goth’s MaXXXine and Demi Moore’s The Substance this year, and now, there’s a new Hunter Schafer-led thriller on the horizon, Cuckoo. 

German writer-director Tilman Singer, who received widespread acclaim for his 2018 debut Luz, is at the helm of this twisted tale that explores how sanity, grief and family intertwine within the stifling setting of a rundown Alpine resort. 

Even though it is being released some time after Schafer’s big-screen debut in Hunger Games prequel The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes, Cuckoo was the first film that she shot after the second season of HBO’s Emmy-award winning series Euphoria. 

Expect high stakes and even higher tension, in what Variety describes as a “superb… wild and unwieldy feature that is refreshingly free of any kind of manifesto”. Here’s everything we know so far about Cuckoo.

Cuckoo follows 17-year-old Gretchen as she is forced to leave America and live with her dad and his new family in the secluded German Alps. Upon her arrival, Gretchen is unsettled by this supposed tranquil paradise, especially when her father’s boss, Mr König, takes an interest in her mute half-sister, Anna.

The idyllic facade begins to crumble as Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and bloody visions. Things quickly spin out of control and Gretchen discovers a shocking family secret as she finds herself in the middle of a sinister series of events. 

Alongside the Euphoria star, Cuckoo features a host of familiar faces including Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), Greta Fernández (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery), Marton Csókás (The Equalizer) and Jan Bluthardt (Luz).

Cuckoo is scheduled to be released on 23 August, following its world premiere at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in February. It was originally set to be released in May, but was delayed until the summer. 

Images: Getty