The Guest

The Guest is really two movies. The first is a psychological thriller that is very intriguing and had me on the edge of my seat. The second half is a third-rate horror film, complete with one of my least favorite cliches--the villain who just won't die.

Directed by Adam Wingard, The Guest starts mysteriously, as an ex-soldier, played with the kind of combination of charm and creepiness that characterized Leave It to Beaver character Eddie Haskell, arrives at the door of a family. He tells them he knew their son, who was killed in the Middle East (not sure if it's Iraq or Afghanistan). They welcome him, and he starts doing things for them, like some sort of guardian angel. He beats up some bullies that terrorized the younger brother, and suddenly the dad's boss is dead, meaning he gets promoted.

During this part of the film, as we wonder just what he's up to, the daughter (Maika Monroe) makes some inquiries that shift the film into it's second phase. Military intelligence officers, lead by Lance Reddick, arrive to try to take him out. Here is where the film curdles, as we have a guy who is so well-trained that he is able to escape a half-dozen presumably just as well-trained operatives, killing most of them.

I won't give away what the big secret is, though it's not that interesting and defies plausibility. It all ends in a Halloween haunted house, cribbing from both Orson Welles and one of the Scream movies. It's all very routine and again, completely unbelievable, as we are led to believe the villain can survive a knife wound to the chest.

Dan Stevens, of Downton Abbey, is the unlikely star of the film. He's very good, and another great example of how a good actor can really play diverse roles. I'm sorry he didn't get a better script.