The Collector

I do, I do, I do like me some horror. Oddly though, perhaps, I am not a fan of human killers. The more a film is close to "real killers" the more uncomfortable I get. There was a series of films direct to DVD that were basically biographies of real serial killers. I skipped them. I can't think of anything really good to say about "Hostel" and its ilk no matter how beautifully the carnage is rendered with loving care. Just not my thing.

I am reminded though of something George Carlin once said, "Anything can be funny. It is all how you construct the joke." He's right, of course, and that applies to all things beyond comedy. It's why I am fond of "The Collector," even though it encompasses things I don't generally like or am comfortable with.

The plot is simple. Our hero is a thief and for some very good reasons he breaks into a house for a quick score. Complication, it is the absolute wrong house to invade. It has been set up as the ultimate roach motel. No one is supposed to be checking out. There are traps galore and out titled "Collector" who is mutely bug shit crazy. Things get even more complicated as our thief discovers there are other people in the house that have been collected.

Will our thief try to save these others? Can he? Will he get what he was looking for? Most importantly will he be able to get out? I am not telling, folks. You'll have to watch it yourself. I will mention that in a commentary the filmmakers described some of the traps and events as "Tex Avery gone to hell." In that respect, it reminds me of the "Final Destination" films. I liked the cat and mouse, and dueling wits displayed in the film. Also, I must finally point out it has a very nice sound track. You can't go wrong with "Bela Lugosi is Dead." Give it a view!