The Collector (2009 film)
Encyclopedia
The Collector is a 2009 American horror film
written by Marcus Dunstan
and Patrick Melton and directed by Marcus Dunstan. Originally titled The Midnight Man, the script was originally intended to be a Saw prequel
, but the producers were against the idea and quickly dismissed it.
, and in order to protect her and their daughter, Arkin plans on breaking into the Chase home and stealing a rare gem they have hidden in a safe, so he can use it to pay back the sharks.
Upon entering the house, Arkin soon discovers that someone else has already broken in, and has hidden numerous death and snare traps
all around. The other intruder ("The Man" or "The Collector") has put the family in danger, and Arkin is forced to try to figure out a way to save those he intended to rob.
reports that 25% of 44 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average
of 4.0 out of 10. The site's general consensus is that "Increasingly tedious displays of gore makes this torture porn home-invasion-horror more programmatic than provocative. Among Rotten Tomatoes' "Top Critics", which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, the film holds an overall approval rating of 11%, based on a sample of 9 reviews.
Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from film critics, has a rating score of 29 based on 11 reviews.
Clay Clane's of BET
noted that, "You will squirm, but aren't we getting a bit desensitized to these routine torture flicks? It's like seeing a pop songstress get naked for the billionth time -- yeah, she's hot, but we have all seen it before." Bloody Disgusting
, gave the film a 3.5/5 and wrote that The Collector is "a raw, gritty and uncompromising horror film that puts the previous Saw film
to shame." The reviewer also believed that the character of the Collector had the potential to become a new horror icon. Dread Central also praised the film, giving it a 4/5. The Movie Spot gave the film a positive rating with a 4 out of 5. OneMetal awarded the film 3.5/5 and were quick to praise it, saying: "Made by horror fans for horror fans, there’s little to recommend to the unconverted or the squeamish but plenty to excite those of us who like unbearably claustrophobic, high tension tales of sadistic violence."
The sequel, The Collection, was scheduled to begin shooting in October 2010.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
written by Marcus Dunstan
Marcus Dunstan
Marcus Dunstan is an American screenplay writer and director.-Life and career:Dunstan was born in Macomb, Illinois...
and Patrick Melton and directed by Marcus Dunstan. Originally titled The Midnight Man, the script was originally intended to be a Saw prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
, but the producers were against the idea and quickly dismissed it.
Plot
Arkin, is an ex-con working with a crew on home renovations for the Chase family. Arkin's wife is in debt with loan-sharksLoan shark
A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals, often enforcing repayment by blackmail or threats of violence....
, and in order to protect her and their daughter, Arkin plans on breaking into the Chase home and stealing a rare gem they have hidden in a safe, so he can use it to pay back the sharks.
Upon entering the house, Arkin soon discovers that someone else has already broken in, and has hidden numerous death and snare traps
Booby trap
A booby trap is a device designed to harm or surprise a person, unknowingly triggered by the presence or actions of the victim. As the word trap implies, they often have some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. However, in other cases the device is placed on busy roads or is...
all around. The other intruder ("The Man" or "The Collector") has put the family in danger, and Arkin is forced to try to figure out a way to save those he intended to rob.
Cast
- Josh StewartJosh StewartJoshua Regnall Stewart is an American actor best known for his role as Holt McLaren in the FX TV series Dirt. He was also cast as Brendan Finney in the final season of the NBC TV series Third Watch.-Early life:...
as Arkin - Michael Reilly BurkeMichael Reilly BurkeMichael Reilly Burke is an American actor. He played Rex Van De Kamp on the unaired pilot of Desperate Housewives. Steven Culp replaced him before the pilot aired. He also appeared in The WB series Charmed in the episode Heartbreak City...
as Michael - Andrea RothAndrea RothAndrea Roth is a Canadian actress. She is perhaps best known for her role on the FX television series Rescue Me , as Janet Gavin, the wife of main character Tommy Gavin.-Biography:...
as Victoria - Juan Fernández de Alarcon as The Man (a.k.a. "The Collector")
- Karley Scott Collins as Hannah
- Daniella Alonso as Lisa
- Haley PullosHaley PullosHaley Alexis Pullos is an American actress. She currently portrays Molly Lansing Davis on General Hospital.-Life and career:Pullos was born in Palo Alto, California. She has two brothers and two sisters...
as Cindy - William Prael as Larry
- Diane GoldnerDiane GoldnerDiane Ayala Goldner is an actress. She is best known for her roles in her husband, John Gulager's film series Feast.-Filmography:*Honeymoon .... Laura*The Poet Writes His Wife .... Caitlan Thomas...
as Gena - Alex Feldman as Chad
- Madeline ZimaMadeline ZimaMadeline Rose Zima is an American actress. She is mostly known for her six years as Grace Sheffield on the TV series The Nanny or more recently as Mia Lewis on the Showtime dramedy Californication and as Gretchen Berg on Heroes.-Early life:Zima was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Marie and...
as Jill - Robert WisdomRobert WisdomRobert Wisdom is an American actor. He is a graduate of Columbia University.-Biography:Wisdom was born in Washington, D.C. to Jamaican parents. He appeared in four of the five seasons of HBO program The Wire as Howard "Bunny" Colvin...
as Roy
Release
The film was released on July 31, 2009 in the United States. The DVD was released on April 6, 2010, nine months after the film's release. A rental version was made available February 12, 2010 through Blockbuster Videos' Exclusive Line.Critical reviews
Review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 25% of 44 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
of 4.0 out of 10. The site's general consensus is that "Increasingly tedious displays of gore makes this torture porn home-invasion-horror more programmatic than provocative. Among Rotten Tomatoes' "Top Critics", which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, the film holds an overall approval rating of 11%, based on a sample of 9 reviews.
Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from film critics, has a rating score of 29 based on 11 reviews.
Clay Clane's of BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
noted that, "You will squirm, but aren't we getting a bit desensitized to these routine torture flicks? It's like seeing a pop songstress get naked for the billionth time -- yeah, she's hot, but we have all seen it before." Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting is a website that covers horror movies with reviews, interviews and news. It is currently run by Brad Miska, and Tom Owen. According to one source, the site has 1.5 million unique visitors and 20 million page views each month. It is widely considered to be the "world's most...
, gave the film a 3.5/5 and wrote that The Collector is "a raw, gritty and uncompromising horror film that puts the previous Saw film
Saw V
Saw V is a 2008 Canadian-American horror film directed by David Hackl and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson...
to shame." The reviewer also believed that the character of the Collector had the potential to become a new horror icon. Dread Central also praised the film, giving it a 4/5. The Movie Spot gave the film a positive rating with a 4 out of 5. OneMetal awarded the film 3.5/5 and were quick to praise it, saying: "Made by horror fans for horror fans, there’s little to recommend to the unconverted or the squeamish but plenty to excite those of us who like unbearably claustrophobic, high tension tales of sadistic violence."
Box office
On the opening day, the film opened in 1,325 theaters, grossing $1,325,000. The film has grossed $7,712,114.Sequel
Patrick Melton said this in an interview:"I didn’t think it necessarily would happen because while the movie did well for its budget, it certainly wasn’t a blockbuster, but it did well enough that the film’s producer, Mickey Liddell, wants to make a sequel and of course wants me and Marcus to be involved again.
So we are seeing if we can work out some sort of a deal for us to write it and for Marcus to direct, but right now it’s just in the deal stage. It is a possibility. I couldn’t imagine it being made without Marcus directing it."
The sequel, The Collection, was scheduled to begin shooting in October 2010.