Director: Marcus Dunstan
Writer: Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan
Certificate: 18
Running time: 90 minutes
Studio: Icon Home Entertainment
No of discs: 1
Region: 2
Price: From £10.92-£11.93
Release Date: October 18 2010
Starring: Josh Stewart, Michael Reilly Burke, Andrea Roth, Juan Fernandes
After the initial success of Saw, Director and Writer team, Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, milked the franchise, possibly to their own detriment. Horror fans respectful of the genius behind the first Saw, are perhaps a little weary now after seven. Knowing that Dunstan and Melton are merely responsible for Saws four-seven prompts unavoidable scepticism of their new joint-venture, The Collector.
Handy man Arkin (Josh Stewart), is seen eyeing-up family pictures suspiciously while he works at the Chase house. Later, we discover Arkin’s wife owes money to loan sharks who are coming for her that day so protective of his wife and young daughter, he promises to get money by midnight. With the Chase clan leaving for their holiday, Arkin visits a strip club, convincing his crooked boss to let him do the safe job that night for a 40/60 split.
The setting is perfect for a bout of horror – the night is foggy, Arkin approaches his target through brush, lightning illuminates a neighbourless creaking house, crystal wind chimes tinker and lullaby backing music is punctuated by magnified heart beat thumps. A creaky step and mysterious shuddering box also indicate all won’t be well.
Fantastic camera work adds to the spooky atmosphere as dark upward shots of the wood with eerie cloud movement are accompanied by lethargic guitar music. There are plenty of sinister close-ups of teddy bears, cats, dolls, toys and insects, repeatedly emphasised. Slow deliberate shots of cigarette lighting and the moon build tension as we see Arkin’s car approaching by night through cloud coverage looking down at the lone beams of his headlights.
Finally inside, torch lit shots and those illuminated purely by the outside light streaming in from the patio doors are the last scene-setters before a series of fast-moving ariel shots showing character movement through the booby-trapped house and intricate trip-wire arrangements. Arkin can hear screams through air vents and finds the locks have been tampered with.
A leather masked killed who collects people he likes, always bringing bait in a box with him threatens the Chase family and a balaclavared Arkin is their only hope. Arkin faces a seemingly impossible challenge with all the windows boarded-up, the chandelier fitted with knife attachments, the phone tampered with and all the doors and room floors booby-trapped – one is covered in man traps, another has an acidic liquid covering it and mesh wires block various entrance-ways
.
Gaining access to the basement, Arkin finds the father, Michael, seriously tortured and strapped to a chair. He must now ensure mummy Chase, Victoria, the teenage Jill and vulnerable Hannah somehow reach safety.
For a formulaic horror with low expectations, The Collector is surprisingly tense. A great soundtrack, including Depeche Mode “I feel you” accompanies a film so unrelenting and punishing, even in its frustrating conclusion that annoyingly paves the way for a sequel, there’ll be plenty of wincing, even from the greatest horror fans and veterans.
****
Special Features:
- Director/Writer Commentary
- Deleted Scenes
- Music Video
- Alternative Ending
- Soundtrack Song Preview
