‘Cuckoo’ Teaser: Hunter Schafer Uncovers a Family Secret in Neon Horror Movie

Samantha Bergeson
·2 min read
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Hunter Schafer is leading her first horror film.

The “Euphoria” breakout star appears in Tilman Singer’s “Cuckoo,” with the haunting logline reading, “The adolescent needs to be trained.”

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The Neon release, headed for the Berlin Film Festival next week, co-stars Dan Stevens, Jessica Henwick, Marton Csókás, and Jan Bluthardt.

The official synopsis reads: “Reluctantly, 17-year-old Gretchen (Schafer) 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.”

German filmmaker Singer previously helmed “Luz” and opted to shoot “Cuckoo” on 35mm.

The film is produced by Markus Halberschmidt, Josh Rosenbaum, Maria Tsigka, Ken Kao, Thor Bradwell, and Ben Rimmer. After Berlin, “Cuckoo” will have its North American premiere at the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival.

Schafer recently appeared in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and will star in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness” and David Lowery’s “Mother Mary,” which co-stars Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel, Kaia Gerber, and Jessica Brown-Findlay.

“It was a lot of fun, and I think people are going to be mind-blown,” Schafer told IndieWire of “Mother Mary.” “I was mind-blown.”

Like “Cuckoo,” “Mother Mary” was filmed in Germany. Schafer is expected to return for “Euphoria” Season 3, which is described as a “film noir” installment according to series creator Sam Levinson. Schafer’s co-star Jacob Elordi hinted that Season 3 most likely will need to include a time jump after Season 2 premiered in 2022. “Euphoria” Season 3 is expected to air in 2025 at the earliest. The series debuted in June 2019 and has since landed 25 Emmy nominations and nine Emmy wins.

Showrunner Levinson was confirmed to be writing Season 3 as of January 2024, as HBO’s chairman and CEO Casey Bloys revealed that Season 3 may be the last chapter of the hit series.

“Cuckoo” premieres May 3 in theaters. Check out the teaser below.

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