douglas lally I really enjoyed this film. As so many others have previously remarked it has a retro feel to it harkening back to 1980s thrillers complete with campy, synthesized music. It is also unmistakably inspired by Halloween as the holiday is the backdrop of the movie with tacky decorations in nearly every scene. But the film isn't about the style or the inspiration, it's about the mystery and the tension. David Collins is a recently discharged soldier who suddenly appears at the home of his army buddy, Caleb Peterson, who died in Iraq. Collins explains to his Caleb's mother, Mrs. Peterson, that he promised Caleb he would check on his family should he die. With his affable charm and simple, direct yet respectful way of communication David is taken in by the Peterson family and soon treated as one of their own. Even though there an enigmatic vibe about Collins he also demonstrates a protective nature for the family. However, a series of strange events and unsolved deaths in the small town slowly (and I do mean slowly) ensue which catch the attention of Caleb's sister, once a potential love interest, who grows increasingly alarmed about Collins's activities. There are also several clues dropped that Collins is not who he says he is. Her suspicions inspire her to makes some inquiries with the government about David Collins. Once his location is made known to a certain shadowy organization within the military they mobilize to apprehend him. From there all hell breaks loose. Dan Stevens was fantastic in this. From the start you don't know whether to like him, fear him, trust him, but he does capture your attention and keep it throughout the film. Because you know he has a secret. I think of him as Michael Meyers with dialogue and without the Shatner mask. I have two problems with The Guest. First is the pacing, it is at places very dull and unmoving. But the real problem I have is the development of Collins. By the time it is established that he isn't David Collins but rather an escaped participant from a military project gone awry we want to know more but are denied. We are given only scraps of supporting information about his past and his motivations. For example, it is never really made plain why he appeared at Caleb Peterson's home to begin with other than a passing line about his mission, whatever that means. Other plot and character developments are left hanging such as his plastic surgery, who was the real David Collins, and who is he really? What is HIS real name? Who is the guy he now looks like it in the photo with Caleb and his unit? It's all very confusing and frustrating. I understand it was deliberate choice by the director to leave his character to a certain extent ambiguous but it seems to go too far. Whatever happened to Collins, or whoever he is, during this military project is tied directly to the actions in this film. It doesn't make a lot of sense to deprive the viewer with at least a decent amount of cogent knowledge to support what's happening in the plot. Anyway, it is a decent thriller. Not perfect, not entirely satisfying, but good enough that I watched it twice to see if I missed anything about who Collins really is. Nope, still in the dark about that.

aliases-53334 The fantastic acting and atmosphere certainly got me hooked from the start. The 80s music and vibe is brilliant and reminded me alot of It Follows, which is interesting as this is the same actress who was acting there as well. I had a theory about what was going on with the "guest", clearly something was off about him right? Unfortunately, the whole thing turned into some weird story that was so unoriginal and stupid, that I didn't even care about the ending by this point.

linda The Guest is actually a good movie. Even though the idea of the story is probably a bit cliché and quite predictable, but i do not complain. The acting is good, that is one plus point you can enjoy. I can feel the atmosphere change when the guest was being confronted of what he did, and also i can feel the tense when he intimidated Anna. .There's a plot hole in the story, but it doesn't really matter. We have to realize that the real story is actually about the failure project of the government when they tried to make a super soldier. As it apparently turned wrong, the government tried to hunt "the guest" down. And of course, you can easily guess the rest of the story ;) .Lesson learned: don't trust stranger who comes to your house and claims to know your family. . . . . Dan Stevens is a real fine LOL

SpeedProg I first watched the Film, when it came out, with some friends. Back then all off us even through skeptical at the beginning about the quality, liked it in the end because of how the film developed and was thoughtfully played. Saw the film on some film streaming site recently and decided to re-watch it because I could not remember the full plot any more.During the whole Film you get a feeling of something being off but it is hard to guess what it is. Scenes seem very natural and in a way that it could even happen that way for the most part. The music during the Film supports and creates an atmosphere fitting for the current plot.All in all this is probably one of the few films I will still re-watch in years to come.