The Collector The Collector (2009)(2009)
Directed by: Marcus Dunstan
Written by: Marcus Dunstan & Patrick Melton
Released by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Last summer I saw a trailer for ‘The Collector’ and thought “Wow that looks pretty good. I should go see this!”…but then I noticed it was written and directed by Marcus Dunstan, the screenwriter of ‘Saw IV, V, VI and VII’ which made me quickly lose interest. However based on all of the positive things I’ve heard about the film since its release, I decided to give the film a chance…despite my hatred for the ‘Saw’ franchise.
The film revolves around an ex-con name Arkin, who breaks into a house trying to steal money to pay off a loan shark. The owners of the house are supposed to be away on vacation, however Arkin soon discovers that the house is occupied by a sadistic masked killer who is holding the family captive down in the basement. Not only is he holding the family captive, but he has also rigged the entire house with deadly traps (nails in the floor boards, bear traps laid out in the dining room, butcher knives hanging from the chandeliers, etc.) Arkin’s motive quickly changes from robbing the family to saving their lives. The rest of the movie is him basically hiding from the killer, playing cat and mouse games as he tries to rescue the surviving family members.
What you’ll find when watching ‘The Collector’ is a couple of good jump scares scattered throughout a movie filled with a decent amount of tension and suspense. The biggest problem I have with the film, other than the cinematography, is the writing which is piss poor. The movie is called ‘The Collector’ because the killer is a collector of “people”, however you never find out during the movie what his purpose is for doing so. They don’t explain a lot of things to be honest…I guess Marcus Dunstan was too busy focusing his attention on the next ‘Saw’ movie rather than spending time working on basic plot details for this film.
In terms of cinematography, ‘The Collector’ has that same look and feel as the ‘Saw’ films and most LionsGate horror releases. I don’t know how you describe it really…just an over-processed digital look, with bizarre lighting concepts that look completely unnatural to any real-life environments one would encounter. The music also leaves much to be desired with original music by Jerome Dillon, consisting of traditional style scores mixed with heavy techno and rock which don’t seem to mesh well.
Overall I can’t say that I’m a fan of ‘The Collector’, however I did find it more enjoyable than ‘Saw’. Fans of the ‘Saw’ films will definitely want to check out “The Collector” on DVD/Blu-ray April 6th, as the concept of the film was definitely thrown together with them in mind. The film has a pretty neat looking killer with some pretty nasty death and gore sequences that will sure to make some horror fans happy.
SLIGHTLY RECOMMENDED
Written by: Marcus Dunstan & Patrick Melton
Released by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Last summer I saw a trailer for ‘The Collector’ and thought “Wow that looks pretty good. I should go see this!”…but then I noticed it was written and directed by Marcus Dunstan, the screenwriter of ‘Saw IV, V, VI and VII’ which made me quickly lose interest. However based on all of the positive things I’ve heard about the film since its release, I decided to give the film a chance…despite my hatred for the ‘Saw’ franchise.
The film revolves around an ex-con name Arkin, who breaks into a house trying to steal money to pay off a loan shark. The owners of the house are supposed to be away on vacation, however Arkin soon discovers that the house is occupied by a sadistic masked killer who is holding the family captive down in the basement. Not only is he holding the family captive, but he has also rigged the entire house with deadly traps (nails in the floor boards, bear traps laid out in the dining room, butcher knives hanging from the chandeliers, etc.) Arkin’s motive quickly changes from robbing the family to saving their lives. The rest of the movie is him basically hiding from the killer, playing cat and mouse games as he tries to rescue the surviving family members.
What you’ll find when watching ‘The Collector’ is a couple of good jump scares scattered throughout a movie filled with a decent amount of tension and suspense. The biggest problem I have with the film, other than the cinematography, is the writing which is piss poor. The movie is called ‘The Collector’ because the killer is a collector of “people”, however you never find out during the movie what his purpose is for doing so. They don’t explain a lot of things to be honest…I guess Marcus Dunstan was too busy focusing his attention on the next ‘Saw’ movie rather than spending time working on basic plot details for this film.
In terms of cinematography, ‘The Collector’ has that same look and feel as the ‘Saw’ films and most LionsGate horror releases. I don’t know how you describe it really…just an over-processed digital look, with bizarre lighting concepts that look completely unnatural to any real-life environments one would encounter. The music also leaves much to be desired with original music by Jerome Dillon, consisting of traditional style scores mixed with heavy techno and rock which don’t seem to mesh well.
Overall I can’t say that I’m a fan of ‘The Collector’, however I did find it more enjoyable than ‘Saw’. Fans of the ‘Saw’ films will definitely want to check out “The Collector” on DVD/Blu-ray April 6th, as the concept of the film was definitely thrown together with them in mind. The film has a pretty neat looking killer with some pretty nasty death and gore sequences that will sure to make some horror fans happy.
SLIGHTLY RECOMMENDED
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