A building with a nice neighbours community that looks too good to be true, or creepily too nice, depends on viewpoint, but I guess US standards on this are a little different. Obviously it turns bad rapidly if you don't respect the rules.

The [spoiler]cat in the oven[/spoiler] episode is already pretty sick and cruel, honestly who would do something like that ? But immediately turns out that much much worse is to come. Follows [spoiler]long sessions of conditioning/brainwashing through physical pain and exhaustion[/spoiler] until you can become a full part of the wommunity.

That's an original subject, there's some interesting scenes showing how the community works ([spoiler]surveillance, Evie's death[/spoiler]), but apart from that, the story goes exactly as you would expect from here: [spoiler]Sarah's conditioning, some resistance, she gets finally in, then rebels when the opportunity arises and gets out, with the expected help from someone not totally brainwashed like her[/spoiler].

A very nice touch in the final scene where [spoiler]it turns out the whole neighbourhood is made of the same kind of communities[/spoiler].

Interesting and surprising idea, but I guess the concept itself makes it hard to deviate from a very predictable scenario. Worth the watch anyway, the main actress is really good and the story flows well, so even if predictable it's never boring.

1BR is about a girl who moves into a new apartment complex in L.A. Her father wants her to stay at home, but she's following her dream of designing costumes in Hollywood. Everything seems perfect at her new apartment, everyone there is super nice, and she even has a crush on the guy down the hall. But of course, being a horror movie, things aren't exactly what they seem on the surface.

I liked the movie a lot. The acting was pretty good, and there were just about as many psychological moments as jump-scares. You could tell the movie was a little low-budget, but it felt like they pulled off a lot with what they had. There were a couple times where it almost started to drag in the middle, but it was few and far between.

The payoff is very satisfying, one of those where you're really cheering on the main girl. Most horror movies, I'm rooting for the bad guy. This one took a couple dips in the pacing, but overall I was all in.

I could have used maybe one or two more scenes of violence/gore, but that's just personal preference, I like my horror pretty dark. One other thing (and it's a spoiler) I would have changed was the last 30 seconds of the movie. [spoiler] I loved the surprise twist that every house on the block was part of the cult, but I feel like they should have had neighbors from every house running out in the street before she started running. That's also just a personal preference, I lean towards the bleak endings in horror movies that take themselves seriously.[/spoiler]

I give it 8/10 stars, which is solid for me. It had things you've probably seen before in horror movies, but it was all presented really well for such a low budget film. And it's not often that I'm genuinely invested in the survival of a main character, her acting was really good, and her character's journey was really satisfying by the end.

'Apartment 1BR' is an effective reminder that the terrifying stuff doesn't just take place in some gothic castle or haunted house. It's out there on the streets too, in the modern day.
- Jake Watt

Read Jake's full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-apartment-1br-the-victim-complex

A mildly entertaining thriller where things seem off on day one when the female protagonist moves-in to an odd-ball apartment community. It turns out to be a lot more than she bargained for as she is forced to learn the communities secrets the hard way. It closes with an intriguing twist ending reminiscent of "The Invitation."