THE GUEST

Dan Stevens

THE GUEST (2014). Director: Adam Wingard.

Laura Peterson (Sheila Kelly) is delighted to play host to a young man, David (Dan Stevens), who was an Army buddy of her late son. Initially wary, her husband Spenser (Leland Orser) is also welcoming, and their son Luke (Brendan Meyer) hero-worships David when he emphatically deals with some bullies. Luke's sister, Anna (Maika Monroe), however, is not so charmed by David and even suspicious of him. Since The Guest is a thriller, after all, it will be no surprise that the complicated David is not exactly on the side of the angels, although his history and reasons for his behavior may or may not be revelatory. Dan Stevens [Dracula], playing a very different role than his "Matthew" on Downtown Abbey, convincingly suppresses his British accent and gives a very good performance, and he has fine support from the rest of the cast. The problem with The Guest is that it degenerates into a "mad slasher" movie when it could have been so much more, although the ending is ironic and satisfying in its way. But despite some entertainingly dramatic sequences the overall effect is still blah. Adam Wingard also directed You're Next, which was much livelier than this; his mistake was in overlaying that movie over The Guest.

Verdict: Beware of handsome strangers. **1/2.

YOU'RE NEXT

YOU'RE NEXT (2013). Director: Adam Wingard. Made in 2011; widely released in 2013.

"Would you just die already? This is hard enough for me!" -- killer to victim. 

Crispian (AJ Bowen) brings his Aussie girlfriend Erin (Sharni Vinson) to a family reunion where she meets his mother Aubrey (Barbara Crampton of Re-animator), father Paul (Rob Moran), and assorted siblings and their spouses. Certain members of the family have their resentment issues (this aspect threatens to turn the movie into a parody at times) but a bigger problem is that one of the guests, a filmmaker named Tariq (Ti West), becomes the first victim of a trio of home invaders wearing animal masks. Raised by a survivalist father, Erin takes charge and tries to keep the members of the family focused on surviving and fighting off the vicious interlopers. As more murders occur, it becomes apparent that this is not a random attack but the family has been targeted and it may even be an inside job ... You're Next may not be any kind of cinematic masterpiece, but it is taut and suspenseful and some of the gruesome killings have a bit of imagination in Simon Barrett's screenplay [Barrett plays one of the masked killers as well]. The performances by a largely unknown cast are on the money as well. The plot may not hold up under close scrutiny, and that modern tendency to layer in black comedy is in evidence (though not that prevalent), but You're Next certainly has more than its share of exciting moments. The ending is satisfying but the filmmakers can't resist one last nasty bit of business.

Verdict: Tense and bloody thriller holds the attention. ***.