Review of The Collector (2009) by Realisticrage — 02 Oct 2016

Unlike its sequel, which thrived off of jump scares, The Collector is less of a standard slasher film and more of a mix of suspense thriller and psychological horror. Protagonist Arkin O'Brian, handyman and ex-con, is a better protagonist than most of the standard heroes of horror films today.

While the movie itself is flawed, Josh Stewart is able to balance both the toughness and terror embodied by Arkin. He's less of Sam Raimi's Ash Williams and more of Wes Craven's Nancy Thompson. Fernandez as the Collector is downright terrifying.

The being he plays is evil incarnate, and he legitimately terrifies me, a rare feat a horror movie can achieve for me nowadays. The Collector himself is a sick, twisted man who shows himself off with euphoric grace as he tortures and murders through most of the main cast.

Not a guy you wanna meet in a dark alley at any point in your life. Despite the lead's excellent performances and the excellent building of suspense, this movie is bogged down by a couple of things. First is the youngest child, Hannah.

The character is obviously introduced as the standard "immortal adolescent" trope. The only real involvement she has in the film is to be the object of Arkin's moral conflict within the film, but beyond that, her performance comes off as forced for the brief time she is introduced in the beginning.

Second is the rest of the family and their decisions within the film. You know they're gonna die, and through the use of stupid decisions. The mother and teenage daughter both obviously panic and scream, then die.

It's enough to make you groan from the staleness of the concept. And finally... the cop. As soon as he shows up, the only thing you can wonder is "How's he gonna die?" That aside, the movie's ending fight is both chilling and satisfactory.

Seeing Arkin beat on him and kick him down the basement stairs is thrilling, mostly from the rarity of seeing a protagonist in a horror film beat a villain in a straight-up fight is a treat we don't get often as an audience.

In closing, despite its flaws, The Collector is a satisfying horror-thriller that surges with adrenaline and tension, superior to the more popular Saw films. Newer horror flicks should follow its example.