The Collector - Review

The Collector (2009).  Staring Josh Stewart, Juan Fernandez and Karley Scott Collings

Three and a half stars.

Originally Published December 19, 2013

SPOILERS

And I do mean spoilers this time.  If you're one of the few people reading this review and have not yet seen this movie, stop here and read later. 

So who thought that taking the Gimp from Pulp Fiction and giving him his own cat-and-mouse torture porn movie would so damn entertaining.  In The Collector, we follow a man named Arkin, a professional thief using a locksmithing business as a front for his illegal activities.  Arkin finds himself torn as he plans to burglarize the home belonging to the Chase family, who have gone out of their way to show hospitality to the down and out young man.  The thing driving him forward is that he is trying to protect his family from loan sharks, to whom he owes very much money.

The problem is, upon entering the house later that nigh, he finds himself trapped by a series of elaborate Indiana Jones style traps (one of which slices the holy hell out of his hand).  To make matters worse, he discovers a leather clad, BDSM style psychopath torturing the mother and father Wolf Creek style.  Fortunately, the two daughters are missing from the scene  T he youngest daughter Hannah is discovered to be hiding somewhere on the premises.  Arkin, who had formed a bond with Hannah while working for the family, finds himself in a race with the killer to save the girl and leave the premises.  While Hannah is ultimately saved and the police arrive, it is revealed that Arkin was the true prey who was sought after.  Arkin is captured again by the killer during a ride on an ambulance and locked in a giant trunk.

Where do I start about what I love in this movie?  For once, we get a worthy main protagonist.  In so many newer horror films, none of the characters possess any depth or likability.  And here, you not only have sympathy for the protagonist but for the secondary characters as well.  For all the Elm Street and Friday the 13th remakes out there, it's actually nice to have characters to care about for a change.  Even the mother, who makes disparaging comments about the teenage girl and shoots collagen into her face, is worthy of concern.

But what sets this movie apart from the onset of other torture porn films is that it has substance.  The Saw and Hostel franchises feature about one movie each that hits with a surprise left, but for the most part, it's shock value for the sake of shock value (which is interesting, due to the fact that this was originally written as a Saw sequel).  The Collector  takes the role of one villain and pits him against an all out maniac, thus transitioning himself to the role of good guy and hero to the besieged homeowners.  Definitely must for even the most finicky horror film fan.  Followed in 2012 by The Collection.