The Guest (2014)
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A mysterious soldier visiting a grieving family hides a deadly secret that triggers a violent confrontation.
The story
After the loss of their son in the war in Afghanistan, the Peterson family is visited by David Collins, a former U.S. Army sergeant who claims to be his best friend. He is polite and friendly, and the family invites him to stay in their home. However, after he has been staying with them for a couple of days, a series of deaths occur. The daughter, Anna, begins to suspect that David is connected to these mysterious events, leading to a tense atmosphere of suspicion and danger within the household.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Spencer and Laura Peterson are grieving the loss of their son, Caleb, when David Collins, a former Army sergeant, arrives claiming to be Caleb's best friend. While David acts as a helpful guest, he secretly performs violent acts, including intimidating local bullies and killing individuals who might expose his identity. When Anna discovers David's true nature after he is flagged as a 'rogue' asset by a private corporation called the KPG, a special forces team led by Major Carver arrives to contain him. During a violent confrontation at the Peterson home, David kills the team and subsequently murders Spencer and Laura. It is revealed that David is a 'programmed' super-soldier from a military experiment. The conflict culminates at a school during a Halloween dance, where David attempts to eliminate the remaining family members. In the final confrontation, Anna and Luke manage to wound David, who then escapes by posing as a first responder. The film ends with David successfully evading capture while the family's fate remains ambiguous.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 100
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Adam Wingard
- Writers
- Simon Barrett · writer
- Cast and characters
- Dan Stevens · David Collins; Maika Monroe · Anna Peterson; Brendan Meyer · Luke Peterson; Sheila Kelley · Laura Peterson; Lance Reddick · Major Richard Carver; Leland Orser · Spencer Peterson; Tabatha Shaun · Kristen; Chase Williamson · Zeke Hastings
- Genres
- action; horror
- Themes
- hidden identity; military experimentation
- Tone and mood
- darkly violent; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- action; horror; mystery
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for Dan Stevens' performance and the film's blend of action and horror elements.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 92% · scale: percentage · review count: 122; Metacritic · score: 76 · scale: 100 · review count: 29
- Production trivia
- The original cut was 20 minutes longer and contained more plot explanations.; The soundtrack was inspired by 1980s electronic and goth bands.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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