![]() ![]() Even without the inattention paid to the timeframe in which they were constructed, the traps, which consist of things like a spider’s web of tripwires that take up an entire room in a rather large house and razor blades being attached to every single boarded-up window, are largely overblown to the point of causing detachment from the moments that precede them. White knuckles come from a load of close calls that Arkin has with the enemy and his traps, which are certainly functional, but almost too much so. The Horror: As mentioned, The Collector was originally intended to be connected in some way to the Saw franchise, and as such lurches farther towards ludicrous gore instead of something more interesting to put its protagonist through, though no one should accuse Dunstan and Melton of half-heartedness in their execution. Without Arkin (and Stewart’s electric performance), the feature would fall flat on its face. The rest of the family are just there to be tortured, quite mean-spiritedly in fact. It’s immensely disappointing that a character as strong as Arkin doesn’t have a real person to face off with. ![]() He’s literally a blank slate faceless, without dialogue, without motive, without backstory. Additionally, he makes very few stupid decisions that screenwriters often have their characters perform, a vast improvement over the majority of horror mainliners. He’s cordial with the Chase family, taking to Hannah presumably because of her similarity to his own daughter and makes some surprising decisions regarding her and the rest of the family. The Collector gives a little time to ruminate on his actions, which is a good decision.Īrkin is better than nearly every horror protagonist because that’s what he becomes: a likable person. Logically it should be his wife thieving the jewel but Arkin is willing enough to take point so his family (mostly his daughter) remains intact. ![]() He’s doing what he’s doing only because his estranged wife has gotten herself into trouble with some shady characters who threaten Arkin’s family. Since the movie sticks solely with Arkin, there’s little room for anyone else to feel like more than a plot device.Īrkin is a surprisingly strong lead because he resides in a gray area of morality for a large chunk of the runtime. The Characters: While there are plenty of characters within the movie, it’s a show run by Arkin, Hannah, and the titular character. The plot’s simple, mostly tight, and offers ample opportunity for terror graciously eschewing the convolution of the Saw franchise. It’s the only major hole in the plot, which is bizarre since it was an easy fix.Īs he acquaints himself with his altered surroundings, Arkin soon figures out that the family has been trapped too, and is faced with a dilemma in having to choose to save them while elevating the risk he faces from both the killer and a third party or escaping solo. It’s a simple premise but the writers slip up by having Arkin come back to the house on the same day – unless there was an unspecified time jump – to find that traps now litter the household. When Arkin returns to the house after dark he gets the ruby, but on his way out is locked in and endangered by scores of traps set up in mere hours by the Collector (Fernandez). Unbeknownst to them, Arkin is planning on stealing a ruby the couple has kept in their safe. Handyman Arkin (Stewart) is working on fixing a house for Michael (Burke) and Victoria (Roth), a married couple who are the parents of Hannah (Collins) and Jill (Zima). It would be fine to stick to a high concept if the rest of the movie’s pieces lived up to it. The Plot: It’s quite clear that The Collector was originally conceived as a Saw sequel, or some other “quel”, as its plot is deeply entrenched in its torture porn intentions, and it hardly aspires to create something worth raising an eyebrow at. It’s about a man trying to escape from the scene of his thievery after he realizes the place has been boobytrapped. The Collector was directed by Marcus Dunstan ( Unhuman, Feast), written by Dunstan and Patrick Melton (Feast II, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark) and stars Josh Stewart (Criminal Minds, Cold Moon), Karley Scott Collins (Pulse 2: Afterlife, Answers to Nothing), Andrea Roth (Rescue Me, Princes in Exile), Michael Reilly Burke (Ted Bundy, Monster Party), Madeline Zima (Crazy Eyes, VHYes), and Juan Fernandez (Crocodile Dundee II, Liquid Dreams). ![]()
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