Hunter Schafer Faces Horrors in Neon Movie

Hunter Schafer learns that not all European getaways are particularly relaxing in the first trailer for horror flick Cuckoo.

Neon releases Tilman Singer’s feature in theaters Aug. 9. Cuckoo stars Schafer as Gretchen, a teen who gets more than she bargained for after accepting a job from Herr König (Dan Stevens) at a resort in the German Alps. Rounding out the cast are Jessica Henwick, Jan Bluthardt, Marton Csokas, Greta Fernández and Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey.

“How would you like to come work for me at the resort?” Stevens asks in the trailer. Later, Schafer wants to know, “Why did you bring us here?”

Singer (Luz) wrote and directed the movie that premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February and also screened at SXSW. Thor Bradwell, Markus Halberschmidt, Ken Kao, Ben Rimmer, Josh Rosenbaum and Maria Tsigka serve as producers.

In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, chief film critic David Rooney wrote, “In Schafer and Stevens, it has two fiercely compelling adversaries. It’s ultimately too silly to be truly chilling, but with Neon behind it, Cuckoo might just be cuckoo enough to draw some cult attention.”

Schafer is known for playing Jules Vaughn on HBO’s Emmy-winning drama series Euphoria. The actress appeared in Lionsgate’s 2023 action title The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and can be seen in Kinds of Kindness, Searchlight’s forthcoming anthology feature from director Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things) that also stars Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons and Willem Dafoe.

Stevens stars in Warner Bros.’ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which is currently in theaters, and also has Universal’s Abigail debuting later this month.