Horror fans, rejoice! After a string of hyped up summer flicks that promised terror and wound up tame, our time has come. If you’re looking for a film that will thoroughly creep you out, Cuckoo will be very much your bag. Hunter Schafer leads a solid cast of characters in a story that, while completely convoluted, has enough horror-filled razzle dazzle to earn its flowers.

Set in an eerily solitary resort nestled in the German Alps, Gretchen (Schafer) reluctantly leaves America to live with her father’s new family after her mom’s tragic death. The resort’s owner, a smooth-talking local man known as Herr König (Dan Stevens), seems to charm everyone he meets except Gretchen – who finds his flirtatious whimsy annoying rather than endearing. Things go from bad to worse when Gretchen, already vulnerable after losing her mother, starts hearing strange sounds and seeing things that can’t possibly be real.

Like many horror flicks, Cuckoo goes absolutely off the rails in its third act. Honestly, I still couldn’t describe the intricacies of the plot after sitting through it. Still, I find Cuckoo impossible to dislike. As imperfect as it is, it succeeded in doing what a scary movie is supposed to do: scare the bejesus out of me.

Stevens is seriously spectacular in his role. His piercing blue eyes and pleasant demeanor really allow him to play either a bad guy or a good guy with ease. Reactions I’ve seen to the film have been mixed, and I get it. Scenes transition recklessly from a punk montage make out session to a bloody car crash, and yeah, the lack of thematic stability is jarring. I contend that Cuckoo be given some grace here, though, because the movie is so bonkers it can be allowed a little inconsistency while still hitting it out of the park.