MOVIE REVIEW: The Guest

Published Jun 5, 2015

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THE GUEST

DIRECTOR: Adam Wingard

CAST: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Brendan Meyer, Shiela Kelley

CLASSIFICATION: 16 VLD

RUNNING TIME: 100 minutes

RATING: ***

Low-budget horror maestros Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett strike again, this time with a twisty action-thriller. And the results turn out to be somewhat mixed.

Following the combat death of their son Caleb in Afghanistan, Laura (Kelley) and Spencer (Leland Orser) Peterson are inconsolable, until the arrival of charming David Collins (Stevens, pictured), who claims to have known their son while in the service. He says that he’s travelled directly to their home following his medical discharge to fulfil Caleb’s dying wish that he convey his love for the family. Relieved to finally make a reassuring connection with their son’s past, the Petersons invite David into their home.

Their teenage son Luke (Meyer) and 20-year-old daughter Anna are taken aback at first by the stranger’s arrival, but their parents are pleased with their new houseguest, especially since he’s so polite, as well as exceedingly helpful around the house. David further ingratiates himself with the kids by beating up some bullies who have been harassing Luke at school and counselling Anna when she develops boyfriend troubles.

However, Anna still feels unease over David’s intrusion into their home, but it’s mixed with excitement over the attention she’s receiving from him. Still, things don’t seem quite right and when she receives conflicting information from the military on David’s service record, her suspicions spike, exacerbated by what she’s observed of his uncommon strength, as well as the unexplained deaths of several townspeople. When further enquiries see all hell break loose, Anna knows she’ll need all the resources at her disposal to protect her family.

A slow-burn approach seems to pose a challenging change-up for the film-makers, who struggle to build tension as the second act stretches well past the point when the level of menace should be escalating.

Expert timing and clever set-ups are mostly absent here. A major subplot involving rogue military contractors remains underdeveloped, as do most of the characters involved in the plot strand. Stevens plays David in a restrained manner, which seems contrary to the characterisation, but that’s due more to the direction that Barrett takes with the script. Monroe remains underused through the first hour, then lashes out with a ferocity that could have used more foreshadowing earlier on.

Fortunately, Barrett and Wingard haven’t lost their ironically humorous touch, as most of the film’s uneasy laughs revolve around upending typical thriller expectations.

The Hollywood Reporter

If you liked You’re Next or A Walk Among the Tombstones, you will like this.

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