The Guest

Dan Stevens is terrifyingly good in this film to where I do not want him in my house as a guest. I only kid as that is what a good actor is suppose to do, lose themselves in a role. This film is directed by Adam Wingard, director of last year’s hit “You’re Next”, and he brings us an homage to 80’s horror, suspense and thriller films and it works.  It’s suspenseful, brutal, and packed with the dark humor, that this is an entertaining ride from start to finish.  Adam has said “You’re Next” and this one are in the same universe, and after seeing both I can say I am a huge fan of Wingard’s style and I can’t wait to see more from him, especially if it’s in the same universe. It is directed with a distinct flair, and I will say he is like the horror, suspense version of Quentin Tarantino. It reminded a lot of the “Halloween” films and how Michael Myers is portrayed, which I really enjoyed.

Dan Stevens plays the title character, the guest, and the story is basic. A man comes to the house of a fallen solider claiming they were combat buddies in the military, then afterwards the crap hits the fan and we see why the guest is the way he is. I really don’t want to say anymore because I want you to experience it firsthand. The rest of the cast is fine, sometimes laughably bad, but Dan Stevens sells this role as a guy who can likable one moment and then you want to kill him the next. If you want to be creeped out, Dan has a few scenes where he is staring blankly and it is terrifying; and for the ladies he takes off his shirt, so if your boyfriend or husband drags you to this, you have that to look forward, too.

The film is shot well and the action, violent scenes look graphic and gory in all of its glory. With this being an homage to the 80’s, the color palette looks very bright and kind of dirty adding an older look to it. With its runtime at around 100 minutes, it flies by, however, I can see people being bored at the beginning; there is a slow build up to the final act. The pacing didn’t bother me because I just wanted see what crazy, brutal antics the guest was going to do next. If you liked or loved “You’re Next”, you will like this one as Adam makes another film that shows us he is re-inventing the horror, suspense and thriller genres with his fresh, unique approach that will stand out among the crap coming out today. This is badass film and damn fun, entertaining ride. I want to see that third film to cap off the trilogy in this cinematic universe. 7.5/10
(Review by Chase Lee)




Check out the interview with director, Adam Wingard, and writer, Simon Barrett; and the interview with Dan Stevens below!


Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett Interview: 



Dan Stevens Interview: