In The Guest Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, A Walk Among the Tombstones) plays a former soldier named David who honors the last request of fallen comrade, to watch over his wife and children. Although the family is happy for the new father figure in their life, it soon becomes apparent there is something seriously wrong with their guest.

Following its premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, The Guest received generous critical praise – much of which was directed at Stevens’ performance as the charming but sinister David. The plot, and the trailer above bring to mind the 1987 slasher film, The Stepfather which also dealt with a family infiltrated by a deceptively endearing houseguest (played by Terry O’Quinn). The Stepfather also received positive critical reviews focusing on the performance of the antagonist, and is now considered a classic of the genre.

There’s a good chance The Guest will find similar success. Director Adam Wingard did fairly well with his last venture into the horror/thriller genre, 2011’s home-invasion flick, You’re Next – which made $25 million against a $1 million dollar budget, and currently stands at 74% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Guest was written by Simon Barrett, the screenwriter on You’re Next and many other films directed by Wingard. It’s set for a wider U.S. release on September 17, 2014.