The Guest review (trailer)

Adam Wingard’s The Guest is a serviceable enough thriller – until it goes completely demented at the end and falls into the “slasher” trap. The good work achieved at the beginning is undone by an exercise in overkill. Stevens plays David, a soldier who shows up one day at the door of a family who are grieving the loss of their son in Iraq. This handsome individual has a military bearing and a smile that’s both charming and alarming.

He claims to have been a close friend of the deceased. The sceptical sister, Anna (Monroe), is unimpressed, but the gentle, gullible mom, Laura (Kelley), and the hard-drinking imbecilic father, Spencer (Leland Orser), think he’s wonderful and they invite him to stay for a few days. The young son, Luke (Brendan Meyer), however, is not too sure.

It doesn’t take long for the audience to fathom there is something strange about the man with the piercing blue eyes. His whole calm demeanour is unsettling as he slowly ingratiates himself in the family.

He shows his moves when he deals with a group of obnoxious seniors who’ve been giving Luke a hard time at school. Again, he shows his worth when confronting the school principal after a classroom incident with Luke.

David seems like a nice guy. Wrong! What’s funny, though, is watching the various characters looking totally puzzled as people in their circle turn up dead.

The cynical Anna makes a few calls to the army – and discovers something sinister about David. And that’s when the fun starts. The production loses its effectiveness once David’s cool façade crumbles and the body count mounts.