Opens September 26

The Guest is the new feature from director Adam Wingard, whose horror deconstruction You’re Next was a critical hit last year. At first glance, The Guest seems like a very dumb movie. It isn’t. It’s incredibly smart. One of the smartest things it does is tricking you into thinking it’s dumb.

The film begins with the appearance of David Colins (Dan Stevens). He shows up at the door of the Peterson family home, who are mourning the death of their son Caleb, a soldier killed in action. David tells Mrs. Peterson that he and Caleb were close friends who served together. Stevens makes sure the audience doesn’t believe him. It’s a fine tightrope that Stevens walks well; one misstep, and he might just read as a bad actor (even his accent is inconsistent). David stays with the Petersons, and the children slowly discover that he isn’t as he seems.

The premise is equals parts Hitchcock and Bourne Identity, that is to say, it’s totally ridiculous. The film knows this and has a lot of fun with it, without ever asking you to turn your brain off. Then, when you think you’ve got the movie pegged, it runs off the rails and everything goes batshit.

The film owes a lot to horror films of the ‘80s, particularly those directed by John Carpenter or adapted from Stephen King novels. From the synthy score to the purple titles, this plays like Halloween-flick comfort food from the first frames. It’s set in the present day, but the cars and the furniture all feel like they’re from 1983. Lance Reddick channels Scatman Crothers as Dick Hallorann in The Shining more than a little. At one point, two characters carve Jack o’lanterns, even though their house already has dozens in every room. But there’s nothing formulaic about The Guest. It’s playful, subversive, and often hilarious.