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The Guest

Play trailer Poster for The Guest R 2014 1h 39m Action Mystery & Thriller Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 120 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A string of mysterious deaths leads a teenager to become suspicious of a soldier (Dan Stevens) who showed up on her family's doorstep and claimed to be a friend of her dead brother.
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The Guest

The Guest

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Critics Consensus

Boasting enough intelligence to bolster its darkly violent thrills, The Guest offers another treat for genre fans from director Adam Wingard.

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Critics Reviews

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Robert Abele Los Angeles Times One of the many pleasures of director Adam Wingard's tough, fun thriller "The Guest" is seeing Matthew Crawley -- er, British actor Dan Stevens -- serve up a mesmerizing star turn of psycho charm. Jan 5, 2015 Full Review Justin Lowe The Hollywood Reporter A slow-burn approach seems to pose a challenging change-up for the filmmakers, who struggle to build tension as the second acts stretches well past the point when the level of menace should be escalating. Jan 5, 2015 Full Review Kate Erbland Film.com Wickedly entertaining. Rated: 7.2/10 Jan 5, 2015 Full Review Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Devout horror fans might be underwhelmed with this You're Next follow-up, but The Guest delivers both laughs and thrills in an action-oriented experience, while showcasing the immense talents of the creepy Dan Stevens. Rated: 5/5 Sep 20, 2023 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Stevens elevates The Guest into an experience every bit as tricky and intelligent as You’re Next. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 18, 2022 Full Review Niall Browne Movies in Focus A lean and mean thriller, director Adam Wingard's The Guest is a hugely entertaining affair. Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett keep this retro-style pic simple in order to craft some tense moments and punchy action sequences. Rated: 4/5 Oct 31, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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grego0331 A The Guest is a stylish, deceptively simple thriller that feels like a blast of ’80s neon wrapped in modern precision. Dan Stevens is the engine of the film is cool, charming, and unnervingly controlled delivering a performance that shifts effortlessly from polite houseguest to something far more dangerous. Director Adam Wingard uses synth-heavy music, bold color, and sharp pacing to create a vibe that’s equal parts suspenseful and fun, keeping you hooked even when the story leans into its wildest turns. What makes the movie work is the balance between its unpredictable tension and its self-aware swagger. It’s not trying to be a grounded military mystery; it’s embracing the energy of a throwback action-thriller with a horror edge. Stevens elevates everything, turning a simple premise into a standout genre ride. The Guest is stylish, memorable, and just a damn good time. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/26/25 Full Review Robert L. My heart said give it 5 stars, my brain said give it 1 star. Therefore it gets the middle. The writing was horrid. I loved every second of it. Especially when Dan Stevens jumps directly through the hail of bullets coming his way to avoid them. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/14/25 Full Review Iamwhoi M This movie started off with a very familiar and oft done plot; but then it got interesting and then it got laughable. It was still entertaining in an eye candy kind of way. Not going to win any awards; but it was kind of fun. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/10/25 Full Review Nye N. It was a good story and quite entertaining, but some of it is amusingly unrealistic (but not excessively so, and the ending was appropriately funny). The production feels a bit dated (watching in 2025) and the directing is a bit rough around the edges, but good movie overall. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/08/25 Full Review D P Love Maika Monroe whenever she is on the screen. Didn't love this. Not sure what I was supposed to get from this... Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 08/12/25 Full Review Anson M Dan Stevens delivers a killer performance and is not to be missed in this unique and exciting film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/29/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Guest

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Cast & Crew

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Adam Wingard

Director

Dan Stevens

David

Maika Monroe

Anna

Leland Orser

Mr. Peterson

Sheila Kelley

Mrs. Peterson

Brendan Meyer

Luke

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The Guest

Brendan Meyer as Luke and Maika Monroe as Anna in "The Guest." Dan Stevens as David in "The Guest." Dan Stevens as David in "The Guest." Dan Stevens as David in "The Guest." Maika Monroe as Anna in "The Guest." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A string of mysterious deaths leads a teenager to become suspicious of a soldier (Dan Stevens) who showed up on her family's doorstep and claimed to be a friend of her dead brother.
Director
Adam Wingard
Producer
Keith Calder, Jessica Calder
Screenwriter
Simon Barrett
Distributor
Picturehouse
Production Co
Snoot Films, Splendid Film
Rating
R (Some Drug Use|A Scene of Sexuality|Strong Violence)
Genre
Action, Mystery & Thriller, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 17, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$332.9K
Runtime
1h 39m
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