We Need To Talk About ‘Cuckoo’s Doozy of an Ending

Director Tilman Singer’s time-loopy Cuckoo has an appropriately bonkers ending that’s leaving audiences with more questions than answers. So what’s the deal with Dan Stevens’ conniving “preservationist” and his scary bird woman, and what’s Hunter Schafer’s Gretchen got to do with it?

Spoilers ahead for Cuckoo, of course.

Meet the horror genre’s newest little weirdo: Herr König (Stevens), the creepy resort director who serves as the antagonist of Tilman Singer’s latest NEON collaboration, Cuckoo. The movie offers a fresh take on the body horror subgenre, and fully utilizes Schafer’s angsty final girl, Gretchen—a teenager who’s forced to move in with her stepfather (Marton Csokas) in the German Alps following the death of her mother.

Almost immediately, Gretchen senses that there’s something sinister going on behind the scenes at the resort, and it has little to do with the resentment she feels towards her father’s second wife, Beth (Jessica Henwick) and her half-sister, Alma (Mila Lieu), who is mute. Rather, guests are exhibiting strange behaviors, and more alarmingly, Gretchen is being stalked and hunted by a mysterious “Hooded Woman” (Kalin Morrow), all while experiencing bouts of amnesia. Enter police officer Henry (Jan Bluthardt), who shows a vested interest in helping Gretchen get to the bottom of this. But is it too little, too late?

Cuckoo ending, explained: does Gretchen survive?

About two-thirds of the way through, Herr König lures Gretchen to his evil lair. At this point, she’s aware that Alma is experiencing seizures as a side effect of her condition, and has come face-to-face with the blond-haired killer on a few separate occasions. In short, Gretchen knows too much, and both Herr König and the Hooded Woman, a native, bird-like creature whose shriek can disrupt time, see her as a threat. For whatever reason, König wants to ensure the species’ survival—at all costs. Meanwhile, Henry has an ulterior motive of his own, wanting to kill both the cuckoo and Alma, who’s later revealed to be her human-hybrid offspring.

You see, couples staying at the resort have been unknowingly implanted with the creature’s eggs by König and his minions over the years, including Beth—meaning the Hooded Woman is technically Alma’s biological “mother.” Gretchen, who has a change of heart and wants to save her half-sibling, turns against Henry, leaving him smack-dab in the middle of a shootout with Herr König. She and Alma eventually escape thanks to Gretchen’s chain-smoking GF, Ed (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey), and the three of them drive off to safety. So … happily ever after, I guess?

Personally, I’m relieved that Hunter Schafer’s character made it out of this one alive, and I can only hope that she gets to return to the US to live her best rockstar life with Alma in tow—ear-twitching and all. For now, there’s been no word on whether or not we can expect a Cuckoo 2, but hey, never say never, right? Either way, 2024 is shaping up to be a promising year for horror, and Tilman Singer’s latest effort is further proof that directors aren’t afraid to get a bit cooky—which I, for one, am so here for.