Second Sight in the UK has released a new 4K/Blu ray of the excellent 2014 thriller The Guest, starring Dan Stevens and directed by Adam Winguard.
David is the perfect guest. Friendly and helpful, the charismatic soldier arrives at the Peterson family’s doorstep claiming to have been a friend of their beloved son who recently died in action. The Petersons welcome David into their home and into their lives, but when people in town start dying under mysterious circumstances, their teenage daughter Anna begins to suspect that David isn’t who he claims to be.
This starts out as a portrait of a family who are still missing their son who was killed in military action and when David turns up it brings back good memories of what their son was like and welcomes his friend to stay and share stories with them.
But as the tension grows you can really feel that something is amiss, and a great performance from Dan Stevens, both charming and frightening, really has you knowing that something is not quite right about him, but as things escalate it turns into a horror story that the family does not expect. Another big plus for the film is the soundtrack, which reminds you of John Carpenter and also the film Drive with the way it creates an unusual atmosphere.
This is a thrilling fun ride that slowly turns from drama/thriller into a punchy all-out horror even if the revealing ending may divide some viewers.
The new Blu-ray from Second Sight is from a new remaster, really pops with bold colours and a solid image. The audio is fabulous, with full use of the surround track adding a lot to the atmosphere of the film. The extras are plentiful in the limited edition release and include the following –
- 4K / Blu-ray Dual Format release
- Brand new grade for both formats supervised by Director Adam Wingard
- UHD presented in Dolby Vision HDR
- New commentary by Director Adam Wingard and Writer Simon Barrett
- Archive commentary by Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett
- The Uninvited Guest: a new interview with Actor Dan Stevens
- A Perfect Stranger: a new interview with Actor Maika Monroe
- By Invitation Only: a new interview with Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett
- Producing The Guest: a new interview with Producers Keith Calder and Jess Wu Calder
- Light and Fog: a new interview with Director of Photography Robby Baumgartner
- Lightning Strikes: a new interview with Production Designer Tom Hammock
- The Sounds of The Guest: a new interview with Composer Steve Moore
- Deleted / Alternate Scenes, Outtake Gag with optional Director commentary
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
- Limited Edition of 5,000
- Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Adam Stothard
- Dual UHD / Blu-ray format
- Various Artists Soundtrack CD
- 160-page book with new essays by Tim Coleman, Zena Dixon, Craig Ian Mann, and Zoe Rose Smith; Script-to-Screen featuring storyboards and script extracts, Behind-the-Scenes photos, and Adam Wingard soundtrack notes
- 6 collectors’ art cards
