What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Guest
Emma Cline · Book · 2023
If you loved The Guest, start with The Guest (Adam Wingard, 2014) — a film from the same story. Below: 4 films, 2 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Guest across media.
You were drawn to The Guest by the unsettling way people construct false identities to infiltrate and manipulate wealthy social circles.
Start with the source
The source
The Guest
Adam Wingard · Film · 2014
Adaptation
The Guest
Kim Hong-sun · Series · 2018
Films on the same thread
The Housemaid
Paul Feig · Film · 2025
Explores: Class Conflict, Gaslighting, Identity Theft.
Much like the protagonist in The Guest, the housemaid navigates a precarious existence within a high-status home, utilizing deception and performance to maintain her position among the elite.
The Woman in Cabin 10
Simon Stone · Film · 2025
Explores: Conspiracy, Mistaken Identity, Isolation.
The Guest excels at portraying the isolation of being an outsider in a privileged space, a feeling perfectly mirrored by the protagonist’s struggle for validation in this story.
Gone Girl
David Fincher · Film · 2014
Explores: Marriage Breakdown, Media Manipulation, False Accusation.
The calculated social posturing and sharp psychological manipulation found in The Guest are echoed here, as characters weaponize their personal narratives to survive a hostile and judgmental environment.
Us
Jordan Peele · Film · 2019
Explores: Dystopian Society, Identity Crisis, Class Warfare.
This film captures the same visceral class anxiety present in The Guest, exploring how the intrusion of the uninvited can shatter the carefully curated lives of the wealthy.
Series on the same thread
The Beast in Me
Gabe Rotter · Series · 2025
Explores: Obsession, Gaslighting, Mind Games.
If you appreciated the tension of the protagonist’s hidden agenda in The Guest, you will be captivated by this exploration of proximity, obsession, and the dangers of concealed identities.
Your Friends & Neighbors
Jonathan Tropper · Series · 2025
Explores: wealth inequality, midlife crisis, moral decay.
Just as The Guest critiques the hollowness of social climbing, this series examines the moral decay and performative nature of the wealthy when their status is suddenly at risk.
Podcasts on the same thread
Criminal
Vox Media Podcast Network · Podcast · 2026
Shares a thread with The Guest: moral ambiguity.
The Guest thrives on the ambiguity of human behavior, a theme this podcast explores by delving into the complex, often deceptive lives of those who exist on society's fringes.
Unravelling Amy
Podcast
Explores: fraud, deception, identity theft.
The protagonist of The Guest is a master of reinventing herself, and this investigative look at a prolific fraudster mirrors that same chilling commitment to living a total lie.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Guest by Emma Cline related to the 2014 movie or 2018 television series of the same name?
No, The Guest by Emma Cline is a 2023 novel and is not an adaptation of or related to the 2014 movie or the 2018 television series titled The Guest.
How does the writing style of The Guest compare to Emma Cline's previous work?
The Guest is written by Emma Cline, the same author who wrote the New York Times bestseller The Girls. Critics describe the prose in The Guest as sharp as a scalpel, maintaining the same intensity found in her earlier acclaimed fiction.
Should I read The Guest if I enjoyed the suspense found in other works by Emma Cline?
Yes, if you enjoyed the writing in The Girls, you will likely appreciate The Guest. The novel follows a young woman who pretends to be someone she is not, creating a destabilizing force that has been described as smoldering and spellbinding by critics.
What is the central premise of the novel The Guest?
The Guest centers on a young woman who pretends to be someone she is not. As she toes the line between being a welcome and unwelcome guest, she becomes a destabilizing force throughout the course of the narrative.