The Guest (2014) Review

Tagline: Be careful who you let in.

The Guest (2014) Review

 

The bereaved Peterson family are visited by an unexpected guest one day, a U.S. soldier named David who says he fought alongside their son before he was killed in action. They invite David in and let him stay with them. It’s not really like he’s replacing their dead son, but he’s at least filling the void somewhat, and begins interacting with their other younger children, Luke and Anna. David is actually a pretty cool guy, but he’s a little rough around the edges, and once some murders start occurring in the area, Anna begins to wonder if they can really trust David after all.

I thought The Guest might be a generic thriller when I first watched it, but it’s actually a very well made and highly entertaining blend of action, thrills, and surprises. The scene that made me realize this was going to be something different was when David takes Luke to the bar and beats up all the guys that give him a hard time. He wrecks them, and even though it’s intense and violent, it’s also a little tongue in cheek, but never goes too far in becoming goofy or giving in to generic comedy.

The soundtrack is not generic either, but rather full of synthwave sounds and techno beats, giving it a seriously 80’s vibe, yet still feeling modern, combining two eras in a way that works. In addition to the sound, I love the look of the film, too. The cinematography has such clarity and the use of neon light is really effective. By the end, the characters are fully immersed in a Halloween environment, with the music and lighting complimenting the visuals perfectly. Even though it’s not a full-on horror film, the Halloween setting makes it perfect to watch in the month of October.

One of the biggest reasons The Guest works as well as it does is not just from the great direction by Adam Wingard or the writing by Simon Barrett, but Dan Stevens’ performance as David. He’s charming right away but still gives off this vibe that there’s something untrustworthy about him, he kicks ass in the action scenes, and his chemistry with the rest of the cast is great, especially Maika Monroe as Anna, who was in the similary-80’s-themed It Follows (though is actually better in this). 

The Guest is an original, effective thriller that’s easy to recommend. It might be the best film overall that Adam Wingard has made so far. Not that it needs it, but if he ever made a sequel to The Guest, I would be eager to check it out.