Overview
A mysterious soldier disrupts a family's life, revealing dark secrets and deadly consequences.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- sardonic
- paranoid
- propulsive
- late night thriller marathon
- halloween viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an intelligent, stylish, and highly entertaining genre throwback powered by Dan Stevens's magnetic performance, while finding its familiar homage and finale less convincing.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The synth-heavy soundtrack, rapid cutting, Halloween imagery, and Carpenter- and Cameron-influenced violence frame the film as a self-conscious period-style throwback.
David presents himself as a friend of the Petersons' dead son and gradually becomes embedded in their family life as unexplained deaths accumulate.
David wins trust through confidence, protection, and social ease while his presence becomes linked to harassment, intimidation, and lethal events.
The Peterson family's mourning for their son creates the emotional opening through which David gains access and influence.
Films like The Guest, and why
Drive
shares a neon-lit throwback style, enigmatic violent protagonist, synth-driven atmosphere, and darkly comic action thriller tone
Blue Ruin
shares 1980s genre homage, suburban menace, stylized violence, and a seemingly ordinary setting destabilized by an unpredictable outsider
It Follows
shares John Carpenter-inspired suspense, retro soundtrack aesthetics, black humor, and escalating paranoia around a dangerous intruder
Cape Fear
shares a charismatic but threatening outsider, psychological manipulation, domestic intrusion, and sinister thriller atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Adam Wingard
- Release Date
- 2014-09-05
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (2219)
Cast
- Dan Stevens
- Maika Monroe
- Leland Orser
- Sheila Kelley
- Brendan Meyer
- Chase Williamson
- Ethan Embry
- Joel David Moore
- Lance Reddick
- Tabatha Shaun
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Darkroom, Shudder Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Guest about?
- A mysterious veteran ingratiates himself with a grieving family, turning suburban hospitality into a stylish, blood-soaked descent into paranoia.
- What is The Guest like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Guest as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Guest violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Guest as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Guest?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an intelligent, stylish, and highly entertaining genre throwback powered by Dan Stevens's magnetic performance, while finding its familiar homage and finale less convincing.
- Which films are like The Guest?
- Films with a similar feel include Drive, Blue Ruin, It Follows, and Cape Fear.
- How long is The Guest?
- The Guest runs 101 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Guest?
- In United States, The Guest streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Darkroom, Shudder Apple TV channel.
