Movie Review: THE COLLECTOR

THE COLLECTOR
Directed by: Marcus Dunstan
Written by: Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunstan




Originally intended to be a prequel to SAW, writer-director Marcus Dunstan and writer Patrick Melton (SAW IV, V, VI) present an interesting, stylistic horror film that may lack in originality, but succeed in an enjoyable modern-horror film experience.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE COLLECTOR. The premise is rather simple: A man, trying to support his wife/girlfriend and their child, resorts to breaking in a house to steal a valuable gem. However, on the night of the heist, someone else has other plans for the house and its occupants.

Cinematically, this is a beautiful film. Opting for a more stylistic approach proves to be more effective, using filmic imagery and sensual tones to draw the viewer in. You become more comfortable with what’s going on in front of you and less aware of the horror and gore that will inevitably ensue. The sound design adds to the effect and really makes you question what‘s in store. Good job there. The acting is nothing special. Josh Stewart gives an adequate performance in the lead role. While Juan Fernandez‘s performance as the title character works, but could be better. He’s not as physically imposing as Jason Voorhees or Leatherface, but he does come off as very creepy, mysterious, and disturbed individual. I appreciated the fact that he isn’t all powerful. He gets knocked around almost as much as he dishes out torture and pain. His strength lies in his trickery. The character has a weird fascination with insects that is left for the audience to infer. He creates traps much like a spider lays its webs. I found that aspect to be quite interesting. Overall, the characters might not come off as likable as you’d want, but you certainly don’t want to see them die; and not in such painful fashion. Which is the desired affect for any horror movie protagonists.

Beware, this movie does contain booby traps/torture scenes similarly found in SAW, which is easier to understand once you realize its original intent (prequel). But also, any number of which can be forgiven when you come to understand the character’s motive. It’s not clearly given, but you can make some sense of it if you just use your imagination a bit. Besides, they produce some decent gore and make you cringe frequently.

Overall, THE COLLECTOR delivers plenty of horror and gore, but presents it in a very unique and elegant way that has past most, if not all, modern-horror films of its kind by.

Rating = 8.5/10.0