Good concept in the beginning, but a bit too calm and underwhelming.

People seem really desperate to get into the building, but there is absolutely no information on what is going on outside. The fact that we don't know what actually happens outside should not be a problem, but because what happens inside is normal/boring enough, there is nothing that explains the extreme fear the people experience (cf title).

In the end the whole story is just paranoiac neighbours getting crazy about nothing. It's not uninteresting, there are lot of characters, and Anna's efforts to handle the situation make for an ok story.

However the whole movie is totally anticlimactic. You expect something weird or extreme to happen at some point, at least at the end, but no. Nothing. Ever. At the end [spoiler]she's just asked to leave, and she does[/spoiler]. That's it. Even the long expected appearance of [spoiler]the ever hidden daughter[/spoiler] brings absolutely nothing.

The whole setup feels like a cheat. As we don't see anything outside, and what's inside is relatively normal. You could just make a movie about neighbours relations in any kind of real world gated community, and you would end up with the exact same movie. Without the need for false advertising something extra that just isn't there.


It could have been an ok/good movie, but the lying just leaves you with a bad aftertaste.