Blu-ray Review: The Guest

DVD Reviews, Film, Reviews, Top Story

One of the interesting things that’s been happening in the horror genre away from the wide releases has been the relish that the lesser films of the genre have had for horror history past. Adam Wingard in particular has shown a particular zest for capturing the energy of the genre’s past; as his career has progressed so far he’s become a throwback to the John Carpenter school of film-making. The Guest is the sort of film that would’ve felt at home in the era of The Hitcher, et al.

Dan Stevens is David, a war buddy of Caleb Peterson, who visits the Peterson family as they struggle with Caleb’s death. At first he seems to fit right in, seemingly taking Caleb’s place in the family. But when a wave of violence happens, and Anna Peterson (Maika Monroe) figures out who he really is, their world will never be the same.

And for the film’s massive flaws, mainly the usual low level acting in the genre, but the one thing it does well is make it interesting. This is a film that’s fairly flawed, as this is a fairly predictable plot, but what it does well is try and misdirect us. It would’ve been interesting to see what Wingard would’ve done with this as a straight drama, taking away the horror film aspect, but Wingard manages to keep it interesting even though we know going in that David isn’t who he appears to be.

It doesn’t hurt that Dan Stevens, despite not putting in a brilliant performance even in a genre film, is a competent and capable lead in the film. He’s proven his acting chops in Downton Abbey and has no hint of a British accent with his American one in this film. This isn’t strong material for him but he’s capable with it. One is curious what he could do with much stronger material.

A handful of deleted scenes, a Q&A with Dan Stevens and a commentary with Wingard and Barrett are included.

Universal Studios presents The Guest. Directed by Adam Wingard. Written by Simon Barrett. Starring Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Brendan Meyer. Run Time: 99 minutes. Rated R. Released: January 6, 2014