Displaying items by tag: The Collection movie

THE COLLECTION

US, 2012, 82 minutes, Colour.

Josh Stewart, Emma Fitzpatrick, Christopher McDonald, Lee Tergesen, Tim Griffin, Andrei Royo, Randall Archer.

Directed by Marcus Dunstan.

In 2009, Marcus Dunstan directed The Collector, a horror film with Josh Stewart as the central character, criminal, persecuted, but an open ending to the film.

Three years later, this sequel. The central character, Arkin, played by Josh Stewart is released from prison. There is a focus on a young woman, Elena, previously involved in a car accident, her devoted father, played by Christopher McDonald.

Elena is persuaded by a friend to go to a party, a sinister location, an abandoned area of the city. The party is very lively, crowds, Elena dancing, her friend and the young man with them. However, what occurs is a frighteningly vicious and gruesome sequence, a harvester ploughing through the dance floor, killing all the dancers

In the 2000s, many commentators referred to films with “torture porn”. And this was in the eerie era of the Saw franchise, a concealed sadistic killer, a range of victims trapped in an eerie building, all kinds of devices for torture and killing.

This is the theme of The Collection, Elena surviving but imprisoned by the masked giant killer. Arkin there, but not saving her, is injured but decides then to go back in and rescue her. In the meantime, her father has engaged a group of mercenaries, very tough and determined, to find her.

The main part of the plot, of course, is the pursuit through the vast building, its many floors, the range of torture implements throughout the building, various prisoners who have been trapped, overcome. And there seems to be a laboratory with all kinds of victims in the water cases.

As might be expected, the team is picked off one by one. The leader does his best to find Elena. Arkinis involved, under suspicion, but continuing to help. A young girl is seen, misleading the group, but viciously killed in a machine.

Ultimately, Arkin does save the day, allowing his arm to be broken again to open the catch of the cage in which they are trapped. He confronts the killer, eventually the killer toppling down into a shaft with many dead bodies.

The SWAT team arrives, Elena reunited with her father, Arkin getting physical help – but, seeing the mask of the killer lying on the ground, he realises that the killer is still alive – and the buildup to a final confrontation and a sequel.

The sequel was planned for many years, promised by the filmmakers, but not made it yet…