The Collection, 2012.
Directed by Marcus Dunstan.
Starring Josh Stewart, Emma Fitzpatrick, Christopher McDonald, Lee Tergesen, Tim Griffin, Andre Royo and Randall Archer.
SYNOPSIS:
A traumatized man forced to help rescue a beautiful woman who has become the latest obsession of a crazed killer who collects humans in a booby-trapped house of horrors.
Another day, another horror film devoid of any scares, jumps or invention: bloody, dumb and unabashedly sickening film that means to “frighten” its audience with unabashedly gruesome images than actual scares. If the new Evil Dead movie taught us anything, it’s that the horror genre would do well to revisit its roots and focus on the good-old-fashioned jumps than trying to disgust them into submission.
The Collection is the sequel to 2009’s The Collector, in which Josh Stewart’s Arkin wrestled with a vicious serial killer. In its follow-up, Stewart returns as “the survivor”, brought in by a police unit, led by Lucello (Lee Turgesen) to help them track down The Collector , who has struck again, and bring him down once and for all. The Collector’s newest game: slaying hundreds of innocent teenagers, and kidnapping another victim Elena (Emma Fitzpatrick) in an underground club, in arguably the most blood-spattered opening sequence since Blade’s superb introduction back in 1998.
From then on, the action moves to a remote hotel where The Collector is apparently hiding out, surrounded by bits and pieces of his victims, some of which are still alive. Here, it becomes quickly evident to the police, and Arkin, that this is one giant death trap, and none of them may make it out alive, let alone rescue Elena.
The only positive of The Collection is that it moves a breakneck speed: at only 79mins (with credits), its far and away one of the shortest horror films in recent times, and helps to disguise its weak story and dull characters in that the action moves so quick, it essentially doesn’t matter. This is fast and furious filmmaking, with director Marcus Dunstan piling on the gore, utilising the same frenetic editing and disorientating hand-held camera shots made famous by the Saw franchise to maximise the tension, but does nothing more than regurgitate old tricks, and enhance the film’s predictability.
Predictable too is the wasting of Stewart, Turgesen and Christopher McDonald (barely seen here) all of whom are much better than the material, and might well have elevated the film had they been given more to do. In addition, an injection of humour may have helped proceedings, but then again that’s not really the point here, with Dunstan and co-writer Patrick Melton more concerned with dismembering the funny-bone that giving it a little tickle now and again.
Dull, laborious, unfrightening and ultimately unnecessary, The Collection is another horror dud that fails to deliver anything remotely frightening or scary, and will slip happily into the unnecessary sequel category for sure. Avoid.
Flickering Myth Rating: Film ★ / Movie ★
Scott Davis
Originally published April 29, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
