The stars of HBO's Euphoria knocked it out of the park this year. Zendaya starred in Dune: Part Two and Challengers, and Sydney Sweeney starred in Immaculate — plus a re-release of her hit rom-com Anyone But You.

Now Hunter Schafer is taking on a starring role after her brief role in Kinds of Kindness. Cuckoo is a new horror thriller written and directed by Tilman Singer. Schafer stars as Gretchen, a teenage girl who moves to the German Alps with her father and his new family. While there, she begins to encounter strange occurrences around her, typical for any scary movie.

From the start, Cuckoo assaults you with its visual language and sound design. The insistent nature of the film’s sound creates an uneasy atmosphere. Its precision is evident early on, as the film manages to create jump scares using diegetic sound. The cinematography is also particularly striking. Cinematographer Paul Faltz creates a look that at times feels like a product of the 80s. It’s gritty and occasionally grimy in its texture. Singer brings an artistic flair to this film that makes it feel unique, while also paying homage to a genre of horror film that’s been around for decades.

There’s something about the writing that makes Cuckoo stand out as well. A strange, unnerving tone permeates this viewing experience. The way the characters talk, act, and react to others feels strange, like it’s not what you’d expect from these people. There’s a lot of mystery in that first half surrounding what’s going on and what secrets are being kept. At the forefront is the enigmatic Mr. König (Dan Stevens), a family friend who you quickly grow suspicious of. As you might expect, something isn’t right, and there are plenty of sinister goings-on just beneath the surface.