The Collector

When a movie’s promotional material includes the information that it’s from the same writers “as Saw IV, V and VI”, you know that you’re not likely to be treated to subtlety. And thus it proves with The Collector, co-written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan (who also directed).

Locksmith Arkin (Josh Stewart), in an effort to pay off some of his ex wife’s debts, decides to rob the home of a recent client. The client is a jeweller, and is supposedly away on holiday with his family. However, when Arkin breaks into the house, he soon realises that the property’s not as empty as he believed. The family is still home, imprisoned and tortured by a sinister serial killer – the collector of the title. Arkin engages in a cat-and-mouse game with the collector, desperately attempting to liberate the remaining members of the family and avoid the hooded mad man’s many booby traps.

To that simple premise, add a bucket-load of blood, gore and relentless scenes of torture. Fingers and ears and sliced, lips are sewn together, flesh is lacerated and burnt by acid, and there’s a never-ending parade of knives, blades and other sharp objects. Yes, this is unashamed torture porn of the most wince-inducing variety. In an effort to keep the fans of the genre (surely mainly teenage boys?), Melton and Dunstan have conspired to raise the bar even further with yet more gratuitous flesh-cutting. However, the end result comes across as disappointingly formulaic. Yes, some scenes will make you flinch, but genuine shocks are few. Your enjoyment is also likely to be tempered by the fact that the makers so clearly want this to act as a launch pad for a whole new horror franchise. By that token, you pretty much know how the story will pan out. Predictably, The Collector 2 is scheduled to start shooting later this year.

Last edited: 7th July 2010

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