Second Sight, out now

‘Be careful who you let in…’

If you’re a fan of modern horror, then you’ll probably already be familiar with the names of director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett. This is the pair who came up with the delightfully fresh stalker/home invasion movie You’re Next and effectively rebooted the Blair Witch franchise a few years ago. Wingard was also responsible for pitting Godzilla against King Kong in this year’s giant grudge match. The Guest is a smaller, but no less ambitious, movie harking back to the horror and thriller flicks of the classic ’70s/’80s era.

When David (Legion’s Dan Stevens) shows up on the doorstep of the Peterson family home, claiming to have known their late soldier son Caleb, they’re understandably wary. It isn’t long, however, before he’s worming his way into their affections, starting with grieving mom Laura (Sheila Kelley from Lost). Pretty soon he’s helping all the Petersons with their problems, including fixing dad Spencer’s job situation (Leland Orser from the Taken films), putting paid to the kids bullying Luke (the OA’s Brendan Meyer) and keeping an eye on daughter Anna (Maika Monroe, who went on to star in It Follows).

But there’s always a price to pay, and the more time David spends there the more it becomes clear something’s really not right about him. His mood swings for one, or the fact he’s been trying to buy guns from some of Anna’s deadhead friends. Just what is he up to and what does it have to do with a secret arm of the military run by the mysterious Major Carver (The Wire and Fringe’s Lance Reddick)? You’re just going to have to watch to find out…

The Guest is a truly unique film, borrowing elements from various sources to come up with a tense and – at times – terrifying ride. There’s a sense of unease that permeates the entire film, a hint that at any moment a powder keg might explode. When you finally get to that part, the result is so satisfying you’ll be cheering at the top of your voice. I don’t use ‘edge-of-the-seat’ lightly here, and if you don’t find yourself leaning forward on your sofa as the suspense cranks up I’ll be amazed. Everything just comes together perfectly, the direction, the writing, the cinematography and set design (check out that Halloween decorated school gym) and of course the perfectly pitched acting which makes you care about these characters.

It’s a movie that’s become a cult favourite over the years, and Second Sight have definitely done it justice with their limited edition release (of just 5,000 copies). As well as a rigid slipcase which comes with new art by Adam Stothard, a various artists soundtrack CD, a 160-page book with new essays about the film, a script-to-screen section with storyboards and script extracts plus behind the scenes photos, and 6 collectors’ art cards, there’s a whole host of new material included on the Blu-ray itself.

Of course there are the obligatory commentaries – as well as an archive one from Wingard and Barrett, there’s a brand new one recorded for this edition – but there are also several substantial interviews. First up we have star Dan Stevens in ‘The Uninvited Guest’ (20 mins) who recalls his younger years (‘I think I was just sort of a miscreant at school.’), receiving the script for The Guest when he first moved over to the US (‘It was unlike anything I’d ever read!’) and his relationship with the filmmakers (‘Adam found the idea of putting the guy from Downton in his action film very, very funny.’). There’s also a hint of more stuff to come from them, so fingers crossed for a sequel?

Next up is ‘A Perfect Stranger’ (7 mins) where Maika Monroe chats about her early career ambitions (‘I really wanted to be a paramedic, but fell in love with the whole process of making movies instead.’), and this film in particular (‘Working with Adam was incredible, I had so much fun!’). Then we have ‘By Invitation Only’, a whopping 48 min featurette where the writer and director talk about everything from their initial meeting (Barrett: ‘Adam and I met on the set of Dead Birds… I was the writer on that movie, too.’) to the inspiration for The Guest (Wingard: ‘I was at a screening of Halloween and The Terminator back-to-back.’). Unmissable stuff.

In ‘Producing The Guest’ (23 mins), Keith and Jess Wu Calder talk about, what else, but producing The Guest (‘We tend, as producers, to get pretty involved at the concept stage…’) and there’s a nifty nod to ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ that hadn’t occurred to me. ‘Light & Fog’ (21 mins), brings us DP Robby Baumgartner’s thoughts about filming the movie (‘Adam was a huge fan of Carpenter…’), ‘Lightning Strikes’ (13 mins) is a new interview with production designer Tom Hammock (who notes: ‘We started talking about colour. Can we make a horror film that’s wonderfully colourful?’), and ‘The Sounds of The Guest’ (12 mins) sees composer Steve Moore talking again about that ’70s and ’80s influence (‘My music is very heavily inspired by Tangerine Dream and Vangelis.’).

Finally, there are 15 minutes of deleted or extended scenes, including the original opening which has Anna passing David as he jogs to their house; a longer version of the introduction to the Peterson family which hints more about Luke’s sexuality (‘I’m not interested in any of the girls in my school…’); a tense scene where Anna finds David’s gun – coupled with him confronting her after she accuses him of being an imposter; an alternate version of Anna meeting David for the first time, which is presented with the final version so you can compare; a scene where Anna talks to her boyfriend in his bedroom; and a practical joke played on Monroe with a couple of clowns.

Verdict: If you’re a fan of this one, or even if you aren’t, this is the perfect way to discover and celebrate it. So go ahead, be his guest… ‘Come on out, I’m not gonna hurt ya!’ 10/10

Paul Kane