The Guest

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The Guest

R

2014

1h 39m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

Comedy

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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.

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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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.

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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.

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Kate Erbland

Film.com

01/05/2015

7.2/10

Wickedly entertaining.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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prawnda S

@RT72497680 4d

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.

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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.

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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.

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Iamwhoi M

@Shaboutiques Nov 10

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.

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Nye N.

@nye2025 Nov 8

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.

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D P

@RT45936356 Aug 12

Love Maika Monroe whenever she is on the screen. Didn't love this. Not sure what I was supposed to get from this...

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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