Cuckoo Director’s First Movie Is a Must Watch for Fans of Possession Horror

With Cuckoo currently terrorizing audiences in theaters with its reality-bending approach to horror, many will approach the movie as their first experience with German filmmaker Tilman Singer. However, Singer has seen moderate success and earned a slight cult following for his debut film Luz, a brooding tale of demonic possession told around the integration of a young woman suspected of murder.

For fans of possession horror films, particularly those who have already had the chance to check out Cuckoo in theaters, Luz is a unique treat that will be a must-watch for the avid fan of religious-inspired terrors. Thick with atmosphere, a hypnotic score, and deceptively profound, we will examine why Luz is a must-watch for fans of possession horror, compare it to Cuckoo, and let you know how to check the debut from filmmaker Tilman Singer for yourself.

Luz Is an Abstract Experience

Luz is a movie meant to be experienced, as many details are found in nuanced moments and implied through an abstract visual and narrative approach. The set-up, though, follows a young woman, the titular Luz, who is brought into a police station for interrogation about the death of one of her taxi passengers, an old friend named Nora. She is put under a hypnotic state by a doctor and recounts the events, but an evil entity looms over the whole process, pushing its influence in and around the interview.

As a German indie film in both German and Spanish languages, the actors involved in the project are mostly going to be unfamiliar to American audiences. This is particularly true of lead actor Luana Velis, who plays the titular Luz; the demonic possession movie is the actor’s only credit beyond a short film. Julia Riedler, who plays Nora, has starred in a small handful of German and Austrian productions but nothing of note outside those markets. Actor Jan Bluthardt, who plays the doctor, will be a familiar face as director Singer brought him on to Cuckoo to play the role of Henry. Luz is Tilman Singer’s first feature-length film, followed by Cuckoo.

Why Luz Is a Must-Watch for Fans of Possession Horror

Approaching with the caveat that for it to be a ‘must-watch,’ Luz will primarily only appeal to horror fans who appreciate an abstract and minimalistic approach to storytelling, not quite on par with the best slow-burn horror movies but a continuous exercise in terror.

Where Luz excels is as an immersive horror experience that relies heavily on visuals and audio to create a consistent sense of dread. The chaos that ensues in the second half is framed by a conversation at a bar taking place prior. What makes this slightly odd conversation all the more unnerving is Singer’s use of intimate close-ups, showing the sweat and nervousness of those involved. This is accompanied by an ethereal score that emphasizes the peculiarity of the discussion about Luz, the woman the doctor is set to meet later that day.

When Luz and the doctor finally meet, the process of hypnosis causing the young woman to recall the events that happened in her taxi blurs the lines of reality, as the scene spills out into the interrogation room but is also told through flashbacks. Again, continual music is used to push the unease of the events unraveling. There is also a translator repeating lines of dialogue from the Spanish-speaking Luz, and the use of radio from another party all blend into this scene, making the entire sequence a continuous aural assault on the senses. Instead of shocking the audience, the horror seeps in deceptively through this constant barrage of visual and audio dread.

These elements make Luz a successful demonic possession horror movie, as the continual barrage on the senses gives the pervasive sensation that the devil is always present, orchestrating every moment. Moreover, the concept of evil is treated with such severity that blasphemous utterances hold weight; in other films where cursing the trinity or Mother Mary would be nothing but a quick jab, such words evoke deep fear in the face of the consequences they bring. At just over an hour and largely free of dialogue, Luz captures that primal fear birthed from religious fervor more successfully than countless other modern horror movies that try to capture horror on a biblical scale.

Similarities Between Luz and Cuckoo

Luz and Cuckoo are two different beasts, with the German language film not suitable for a theatrical release even when looking past the difficulties foreign films can face in getting a theatrical run. The truth is that Luz, in a minimalist horror movie, is the very definition of the style of substance that does not speak to mainstream viability. Comparing it to Cuckoo, Luz has those vibes of being a director’s first film, showing infinite promise but outside the norm in such a way that it will indefinitely stay there; some fans of Cuckoo may not appreciate the approach Singer took in his debut possession horror feature film. At the same time, those who embrace all styles and approaches in horror cinema will likely find Luz a treat, with the ties to Cuckoo obvious to the more astute viewer.

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The most obvious comparison lies in exploring the dynamics between authority and rebellion through the perspective of a female protagonist. In Luz, the titular character battles against male authoritarian figures in priests, psychiatrists, and government institutions in the form of police. Comparatively, Cuckoo also sees a female protagonist, Gretchen, navigating an environment filled with authority figures whose own motivations come across as equally dubious. While Luz is more abstract in its narrative and approach, its underlying theme that drives the drama connects it to Cuckoo to the point where one could argue it is a spiritual successor

The abstract approach to storytelling is also relevant to both movies. Both features focus on the characters’ psychological state to explore their identity through the lens of horror. However, director Singer utilizes experimental visuals and narratives to explore these themes. On the visual front, both features utilize atmospheric lighting and sound to push that consistent sense of dread; Luz’s score is a masterful example of using consistent ambient noise to create atmosphere. Both films emphasize visual storytelling in a way that can be hypnotic, one of Singer’s greatest strengths as a creative.

Luz is currently available to stream on AMC+. If you want to check out Tilman Singer’s most recent work, which has seen critical praise here at MovieWeb, Cuckoo is currently playing in theaters and is expected to come to streaming on Hulu later as part of being distributed through Neon.