There’s a knowingness that propels The Guest (2014) into a delightful combination of humour and tension. Director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett (the team behind You’re Next) establish patience with their set-up: a soldier, David (Dan Stevens), turns up on the doorstep of a grieving family whose dead son he served with in the military. Straight from the John Carpenter styled title card, there’s an expectation established that something isn’t right with David, and Stevens’ performance plays upon an unnerving sense of confidence that attracts the family to him and his presence. Confidence is what the film has plenty of, injecting comic dimensions to scenes played utterly straight – the puff of steam and Sisters of Mercy sound cue that announces the half-naked David from the shower to the daughter’s gaze (Maika Monroe) or the way a chopping knife is played with during a family argument where suspicions about David are announced. The goth-industrial-electro soundtrack (scored by Steve Moore) gifts everything with a dreamy dimension, even as the careful unveiling of plot revelation eventually turns into over-the-top action and horror movie set design atmosphere thanks to its Halloween season setting. A B-movie throw-back that creates its own sense of cohesion and originality within its entertainingly crafted genre mash-up. Recommended.
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