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The Guest

Play trailer Poster for The Guest R 2014 1h 39m Action Mystery & Thriller Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
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 01/05/2015
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. Go to Full Review
Justin Lowe The Hollywood Reporter 01/05/2015
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. Go to Full Review
Kate Erbland Film.com 01/05/2015
7.2/10
Wickedly entertaining. Go to Full Review
Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh 09/20/2023
5/5
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. Go to Full Review
Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 07/18/2022
3.5/4
Stevens elevates The Guest into an experience every bit as tricky and intelligent as You’re Next. Go to Full Review
Niall Browne Movies in Focus 10/31/2021
4/5
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. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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judy K @RT88323431 1d Did not get the reason this military guy was psycho, until finally revealed near the end. Unsatisfying + the 80s--style music was a bit irritating. :( See more Donny W @DonnyBlanco 2d Good story concept, great acting, and a very good turn as a psycho military lab rat by Dan Stevens. For a lower budget production it hits well above its pay grade and is definitely worth a watch. In my top 15 of all-time best serial killer movies. See more TWMax65 T @RT38199094 Jul 14 The ending kind of ruined this movie for me and was quite unnecessary. No spoilers but I feel like they did it a certain way for nothing and they really didn’t have to. Nevertheless, I still liked the tension throughout the movie and how it kept building and building throughout it. The premise and how the plot was executed was entertaining and I feel like this would’ve made a good thrilling book too! The cast acted pretty well! See more prawnda S @RT72497680 May 28 this is a weird one. its an extremely corny tryhard alpha male fantasy, and seems to have some leanings towards military propaganda. it's actually very funny if you take it with a grain of salt though, and i don't think it's intentionally that way at all which makes it kind of fun. See more grego0331 A @Greg0331 Nov 26 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. See more Robert L. @bobdaboss Nov 14 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. See more Read all reviews
The Guest

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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