Thoughts on Cuckoo (2024)

[Winter]

Haven't had a chance to watch the movie yet (I prefer to watch horror movies on the small screen) but from what I've seen this looks to be an interesting film and Hunter Schafer puts in a great performance and seeing this is the first film she's doing as the lead character it helps to give her a solid first impression and I hope she continues to get more lead roles after this film.

Now something I already know I like about the film before I've really had a chance to watch it is just how much Gretchen (Schafer's character) gets hurt in this film. Not that I want to see anyone hurt but something that often bugs me is how little a character gets hurt or seriously injured.

Just look at Rey in Star Wars, the worse that happens to her is she hits a cut on her arm in a blind and you miss it moment in The Last Jedi and as I've mentioned before TLJ won't even let her get hurt emotionally, not really. She learns that her parents sold her for drinking money, failed to redeem Kylo, Luke wasn't who she thought he was and her friends are in mortal danger. First time we see her at the start of act 4 she's all smiles and having a grand old time.

Or to use an example from a movie I do enjoy, The Batman, Bruce in that film gets a bomb blownup in his face, hits several cars at high speed after jumping off a building and is no worse for wear. He does get put through Hell and does change but he still walks away with no real, physical, damage.

Gretchen? She's a concussion, is often covered in her own blood, her face gets swollen at one point and her left arm is in a cast for most of the movie. And that's just what we're shown in the trailers from what I understand she gets traumatized in this movie and doesn't just walk it off.

Now an argument could be made that "Well, of course she goes through Hell it's a horror movie." To which I say, name 10 horror movies where the Final Girl is seriously injured and doesn't just get a bit of clothing damage. A Nightmare on Elm Street, most final survivors get, at worse, a little boo-boo and some damaged clothing and the same goes for the Friday films, Halloween series and Texas Chainsaw films. At worse most of them get their cloths damaged, maybe covered in blood (usually not their own) and messy hair. Sure there's the Saw films but even then most of the heroes don't get seriously injured until the end of the film.

The last time I can recall a horror film where the main character was injured or getting hurt throughout the film is Evil Dead 2. I like that Cuckoo is willing to let it's final girl get beaten, bruised and bloody throughout it's runtime and just have her walk it off. The fact that Schafer, a former supermodel (God I hope I can look as good as her one day) was willing to let her character get so badly beaten is quite impressive and the makeup they use for her injuries looks fantastic.

But have any you seen the film and if so, tell me what you think, I honestly want to know?