User reviews

In concept, this movie is pretty awesome, and at first the movie seems to have the style to match. However, once the movie really starts going it becomes apparent that each trap and related death scenes are designed to be as cringe inducing as possible. Which is all well and good, but it makes it difficult to re-watch. If you found Saw II even slightly disturbing, then this movie is definitely not for you. One particular aspect of the movie that is interesting is the insect theme but, other than a brief moment with a jar of cockroaches, it never really inspires any scenes in the movie. (This is also never really touched on in the sequel either)

I've been a fool. I tried watching this a few years ago, and couldn't finish it. That inkling to give it another go just wouldn't go away. Well. Guess what? Not only did I watch the whole movie, but I wound up digging it for the most part! The comparisons to the Saw franchise are apt, I suppose. But the Saw series started to become redundant. The Collector is much more than just another cash-in attempt to make some coin. Director Marcus Dunstain clearly had a vision with this one. The killer in this one is not someone that asks questions. Jigsaw was a nasty individual as well, but he had a motive for doing what he was doing, a reason if you will. The Collector (Creepily played by Juan Fernandez) just likes to hurt people. He's gleefully psychotic and kills people in the most sickening ways imaginable for his own demented pleasures. There is no background on this guy, and that makes him all the more terrifying. In some ways that could have worked against it, but I didn't feel it was needed here, and added to the atmosphere. The gore scenes deliver. I won't spoil them, but gore hounds will be replenished for their thirst. My only real carps are I wish the finale went on a tad longer, and that is was hard to make out what was going in a couple scenes because I had trouble seeing. It was a bit too dark. William Prael plays for a very good reluctant hero. His desperation had me rooting for him. I enjoyed him a lot

Final Thoughts: Sometimes a second viewing does wonders. It sure did with the Collector. It's not perfect, but it's a highly suspenseful thrill ride that lacks the budget of a Saw, but is arguably better than a lot of the Saw sequels. Recommended. I'm looking forward to The Collection!

6.5/10

As the story of the Collector unfolds, it quickly becomes obvious that writer/director Marcus Dunstan is knowledgeable when it comes to the horror genre and knows what makes people click.

First, there is a 70s/80s feel to this movie. From the dirty-ish cinematography to the pacing, editing and the casting choices, a lot of this reminds me of the less polished horror films of these decades.

One of the aspects where this movie shines is with its protagonist Arkin. A down-on-his- luck handyman struggling to pay his bills. Josh Stewart was a revelation for me in this role. I can't wait to see what the future has in store for this actor. Is he a one-note actor who was perfectly cast or is this some serious talent? I for one would lean toward the latter. Stewart is perfect in making us feel Arkin is a decent guy with a will of is own but just suffers from a total lack of respect by the people around him. He oozes charisma despite the "loser" role he has to work with and reminds me a little bit of Sean Penn. What makes the film effective is really exploring the character of Arkin early on. There is a simple situation driving this man to do what he is about to do and we can relate to him.

Unfortunately, the movie begins to lose steam when Arkin gets inside the house. At first, the traps and situations are intriguing. But character and story development halts to a crawl. Who is the collector and what is the meaning of this collection? We don't really know and Dunstan doesn't seem to care in the least. Themes explored throughout the movies? Again, doesn't seem very relevant.

As the story progresses, the traps become the star of the film and the whole thing seems more and more far-fetched. What should be the meat around the bone becomes the entire movie. The concept seems more like the latest horror gimmick. It's a somewhat interesting and entertaining one but one must deplore all the character development of Arkin if the rest of the movie was really just about mindless fun.

All in all, this is a solid movie reminiscent of the trashy, dirty 70s and early 80s horror flicks. But it seems to be lacking in themes and symbolism that made those movies so great and I sensed the writing lost its purpose mid-way. I also deplore what I sense like a desperate attempt to build a franchise, as opposed to make a great movie. The movie seems like a setup for sequels, a TV series pilot more than a single work of art to be enjoyed.

The movie deserves a 5.5 and is relatively well-done. If this review seems harsh, it's just that the first half hour or so lets you think the movie will be much more powerful than it actually ends up being.

Very curious to see if a sequel will be done for this one.

Ngl, this movie actually was pretty decent, it was terrifying, creepy, disturbing, and twisted. It had a decent plot. And a very intense sequence to thrills and chills. The first act maybe could have explained the killer more, because we dont get a description of why. But we get a good horror thriller throughout.

If you can sit tight for the first 20 minutes which is a little slow your soon rewarded with a tense on the edge of your seat violent bloody thriller/horror were you find yourself rooting for the better of the villains you would usually hate but end up screaming at the tv in support of. Iv watched this loads of times now and still love this film please watch

The movie has a very strong beginning. But when you get to the end (or maybe even very early on into the movie), you will realize that there are quite a few flaws in this movie. There might some elaborate ideas involved, but you can't help but wonder why? Especially because there are just so many easier ways to get what you need. On the other hand you could also say, that there might be no way, that someone who is crazy can know that.

Of course this is a horror movie (the tag on the cover/poster should be a giveaway) and so you will have quite a few bloody scenes in the movie (I think it is not yet available, completely uncut in Germany), so you should know that this is not so much a psychological movie (a bit too), but more a movie about violence. Question is, do you really want to watch that? You could talk about an "overkill" of an idea, but that pun would be too easy. And in the end, it's not completely bad ... I just wished it had stayed with the strong beginning

Pleasantly surprised since this is a way-above average shocker. Unpleasantly surprised because there's an awful lot of unpleasant surprises!

This had me jumping, open-mouthed, rewinding to check that I'd REALLY just seen what I saw...I don't think I've been as jumpy as this since the tower scene in 'In Bruges'.The editing of the gore scenes was brilliantly done, adding to the tension and the in- your-face, jumping-out-of-the-shadows quality. I'm also surprised that the writers and director were able to keep the ending they did: I thought it would have been preview- screened out of existence.

The film did take a while to get going, but when it hits its stride...phew! Although I'd never seen any of the actors before, the performances were top- notch.

Makes the last SAW films look like a teddy-bear's picnic...apparently, it was written by the writers of the last few SAW movies. They seem to have found their form again.

A fun movie with lots of gore and interesting traps. Overall the movie was enjoyable but I found myself getting bored and losing interest during some parts of the movie . Definitely still worth watching in my opinion.

I've read reviews off and on that dog this movie. I wonder sometimes if the people that dislike this movie so much, dislike the horror genre. If I were to rate a musical, I would probably give it a low score myself.

This movie is not perfect, but because the horror in it is done well enough, it is worthwhile to suspend some disbelief to go along with the ride. This isn't a PG-13 teen scare. People tote the term "torture-porn" I think because the killing is done is such an unapologetic, organized fashion. Every kill is planned and gruesome. In the horror genre, what actually is wrong with that?

While Rob Zombie and others are destroying monsters (Zombie basically killed the icon of Michael Myers) by humanizing them too much, it is refreshing to have a new killer killing for killing-sake. Isn't that worth a ride (assuming you are into horror)?

i stumbled upon this movie when i was reading about "the Poughkeepsie Tapes". The rating was just better than average at IMDb but the synopsis of the story seemed interesting enough to give it a shot. And what an adrenaline shot this turned out to be! Arkin cases a house to commit an easy robbery as the house owners are going on a two week trip. he has to clear some old debts for his wife who has loan sharks looking for her. the fun or rather unprecedented thrill and violence start when he steps into the house and finds that there are traps all over the house planted by a sadist. the traps are innovative and the methods of killing people are ingenuous. The gore quotient is pretty high in some scenes so this is definitely not for the squeamish at hear. the dialogs are minimal and the tempo is maintained by the director by the help of kick ass music. The acting is competent. the movie made on a budget of 6 million earned 7 million at the box office and also led to a sequel "the collection" which i plan to check out soon. going to bed with the pleasure that only comes with finding something really good in the most unexpected of places. give this a try. i can guarantee that you will be at the edge of your seat for the better part of 80 minutes. superior stuff.

I am a Marcus Dunstan fan ever since I saw Feast. However, Feast was a comedic gore fest with crude humour and boisterous characters, Dunstan has opted to take a different path with this film.

Arkin O'Brien (Stewart) moonlights as a cat burglar but during the day he does handyman work for a well off family in the sticks. As his girlfriends debt deadline nears, Arkin is forced to use his skills against his clients home and crack the safe to steal some high priced goods. Unbeknownst to him a serial killer, The Collector, has taken the family hostage in their home in order to commit his nefarious need to kill and collect. Cat and mouse games ensue while Arkin attempts to escape the killer and rescue the family.

This flew under the radar for most and did not have a theatrical release that was very noticeable but then again neither did Shawshank. This movie proves that a small budget and decent camera work can earn you a loyal fan base. The 3rd installment will be release sometime this year and this reviewer can't wait. The The collection was also a worthy sequel which explores the killer a bit more. Watch the whole series it's better than most.