31 Days of Halloween: Compliance (2012)

Hello, Bloggers, for today's review, I will discuss a film that isn't necessary categorized as a horror film, but certainly has horror elements, and is a small, little-seen independent film as well. That film is known as Compliance.

                                     Story:
                            Compliance is a movie based on true events about a fast food manager named Sandra (Ann Dowd) who gets a prank phone call from a man who claims to be a police officer and says that one of her employees stole from a customer and he orders her to perform a strip search on her, and that leads to one chaotic night.

                                  What I Liked About It:
                            To me, what this film captures so well was showcasing the submissive side of human nature. For example, Sandra talks with a man who claims to be an authority figure and she says she'll do anything he tells her to do. That shows that sometimes whenever we get a call from someone and they say they are an authority figure, we tend to believe it because the authorities are of course a high power. Plus, not only Sandra, but other characters in the film as well become just as submissive. Another thing about the film I really liked was the performance by Ann Dowd. Dowd brilliantly portrays a complex character who believes what she is being told to do by this stranger is the right thing, but she still just wants to do the right thing, and I am certainly glad Ann Dowd got some awards recognition for her performance.
                         
                           In my opinion, what's frightening about this film, other than the fact that it's based on true events, is that while the prank caller is talking on the phone, he is doing simple activities like making a peanut butter sandwich, and the people he is pranking are being quite victimized and scared to death.

                                What I Didn't Like About It:
                               Nothing.

                                Consensus:
                          Overall, Compliance is a chilling, subtle and realistic docudrama that I feel should be watched by many because of how events like this really happen. It's well-acted, well-directed, and uses elements other than gore and jump scares to frighten the audience.

Rating: 4.5/5