Collector, The (2009) [Blu-ray]
Crime | Horror | Thriller

For handyman and ex-con Arkin, a rare gem inside a supposedly empty house could be the ticket to his family's financial freedom. But when a masked psychopath makes it inside first, Arkin must either save the people he came to rob, or become part of the killer's sick collection catalogued in blood, bone and tears.

User Comment: aprilataylor from United States, 31 July 2009 • *** This review may contain spoilers *** If you're tired of all of the watered down PG-13 so-called "horror" movies of late and if the thought of sitting through one more remake (or "re-imagining" as the studios have dubbed them) makes you want to tear your hair out then The Collector will be a welcome respite. Yes, there are similarities to Saw and Hostel and yes some will deride this flick as being nothing more than the latest entry into the "torture porn" genre but if you're a horror fan and you let those things deter you from experiencing this film on the big screen then you're going to miss out on a truly enjoyable evening at the movies.

Full disclosure: I LOVED the original Saw and have at least liked all of the sequels. I wasn't a big fan of the original Hostel and there have been several other so-called "torture" flicks that have elicited no response from me other than a big yawn. The writers/directors of The Collector were involved in the creation of Saw 4-6 but I think that they've done a much better job with this movie.

Don't go into this flick expecting a complete retread of Saw because you're not going to get it. Sure, there's a killer who utilizes a form of traps to kill people but his methods are different. First off, he gets his own hands dirty, unlike Jigsaw, who sits back and watches from a distance. Second, redemption apparently doesn't matter to him. The major difference between The Collector and Jigsaw is that Jigsaw gives people a chance to save themselves. The Collector doesn't want you to live... unless you're the one that he's chosen to collect (see tag line, "He always takes one").

This film has a basic plot but it's in its simplicity that it excels. There are no convoluted layers to see past (or to laugh at, as is so often the case) and the basic setup doesn't try to be anything fancy. You'll learn everything that you need to know about the main characters within the first 15 minutes and then you can just sit back and watch everything unfold.

The camera work is excellent and the film comes across as extremely dark, discordant and claustrophobic. The soundtrack is perfectly in tune with the feel of the movie and really heightens the timing of each of the scares.

By now I'm sure that you've heard that the film is very bloody and that's an understatement. There is nothing contained within the trailers that will prepare you for what you're going to see on the big screen. The film made everyone in the audience be they young, old, male or female, gasp at least once.

If you're into gore I highly recommend that you see this film and make sure that you stay until the end of the credits.

Summary: The movie hard core horror fans have been waiting for.

[CSW] -2- No plot, no reason, no character development, just slash, brutality, traps, gore and senseless horror.

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