genre movie. As such we get movies like Guardians of the Galaxy
and Sin City 2, films that seem to
be ashamed of themselves and
constantly ask their audiences for
affirmation with postmodern selfreferencing. While The Guest feels
like a product of a more innocent
era, it never explicitly references
any earlier works, and never winks
knowingly at its audience. This is a
film that’s unashamedly proud to
be a genre movie, and so it should
be, as it’s the best thriller we’ve
seen in a long, long time.
9 out of 10
Directed by: Adam Wingard
Starring: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Ethan Embry,
Joel David Moore, Lance Reddick, Sheila Kelley,
Leland Orser, Brendan Meyer
New Jersey Stage
September 2014
pg 40