DVD Review: THE COLLECTOR
I am always a little dubious about films when the marketing is based on the filmmakers previous works. Over-used phrases such as From the makers of, From the director of and From the producer of are becoming more and more commonplace on film posters and DVD sleeves. The most extreme example of this stated the film was From the distributor of; this is taking it too far, like saying Battlefield Earth was from the distributor of Blade Runner and Casablanca. It was with some trepidation then, that I sat down to watch The Collector, from the writers of Saw IV, V, VI and VII. The movie is released on Blu-ray and DVD today. I probably should not have been too concerned, I have to admit I quite like most of the Saw series, as a fan of gory horror movies they tick most of the boxes and each provide a solid hour and a half of gruesomely inventive conundrums and twists. However after seven years and seven films, the formula is beginning to wear thin with each chapter not quite as good as the last. With The Collector writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan who also directs, have attempted to create a new horror icon to take on the likes of Jigsaw with the potential to spawn a new horror franchise. 
Arkin, played by Josh Stewart from US TV show Dirt, is a handyman and ex-con working on the renovation of a wealthy familys new home. Arkin discovers a hidden safe containing a rare and valuable gem and sees an opportunity to help repay his ex-wifes loan shark debt. When the family leave the property for a vacation, Arkin breaks-in to steal the stone. However, on entering the house he soon realises he is not alone when he stumbles across a trunk containing a tortured and terrified stranger who warns him of The Collector, a twisted, masked psychopath. Locked in the house and with every exit booby trapped, a game of cat and mouse begins as Arkin attempts to escape with his life. With opening titles reminiscent of Seven, the flash cutting and subliminal imagery is a hard-hitting assault on the senses setting the tone for the film that follows. After establishing characters and motives, the film moves at a rapid pace once inside the house ramping up the tension until the climax. Visually the film is very similar to the Saw movies, a dark, eerie atmosphere enhanced by a washed out green glow. The camera glides around the house floating around the characters, moving seamlessly from room to room. The scenes of torture and horror leave little to the imagination with everything shown in all its gory detail. The score by former Nine Inch Nails drummer Jerome Dillon also adds to the unnerving atmosphere of the film using unusual industrial sounds to great effect. 
The influence of Saw is evident throughout the film. The house is filled with The Collectors array of contraptions and man-traps. Doors and windows are rigged to cut and slice, rooms are filled with trip-wires and bear-traps, axes fall from the ceiling, every exit is covered rendering the house impossible to escape from without risking serious injury or death. Its a bit like a psychotic Grand Designs meets a depraved Home Alone. The Collector is played by Juan Fernandez, a character actor with an impressive CV including roles in Michael Manns LA Takedown, Oliver Stones Salvador and as the main henchman in Crocodile Dundee 2. He is a familiar face and has been making films for many years; his portrayal of The Collector is a suitably creepy performance with his twisted posture managing to maintain his presence without the need for glib one-liners or any dialogue for that matter. Despite having no apparent motive for his crimes, 'The Collector' is an effectively creepy character and can be added to the long list of masked maniacs. Quite how he has managed to rig all the intricately prepared traps in the house in such a short period of time is also not really addressed. However, plot-holes aside the film is still a relatively inspired entry and breathes new life, or should that be death, into the torture porn sub-genre. The duo of writers have certainly learned from their involvement in the Saw series and have created a great genre piece with plenty of room for further development and future sequels.
Extras
Not a great deal on offer with the special features for this release. First up are two deleted scenes with a total running time of 4 minutes and adds nothing of any note. In addition to the deleted scenes we get an alternate ending lasting around a minute, this ending was surely filmed as a joke and would have brought the film to close a lot earlier. The disc also has an audio commentary with Marcus Dunstan which is fairly standard with a few insights into the making of the film. Also included is a music video from Nico Vega for the song Beast and a trailer for Let Me In. 'The Collector' is released on Blu-ray and DVD today.