Movies.ie catches out what films to see before The Collector hits cinemas
When a petty thief and locksmith attempts to burgle the isolated house he has just finished working on, he finds that somebody much nastier has gotten there before him. A masked madman is holding the family hostage for a bit of unspeakable torture and rigged the entire house with some rather imaginative booby traps! Expect lots of blood and gore from this directorial debut from Marcus Dunstan, scribe of the last few Saw movies.
1. Home Alone
Ok, so at first glance this may seem something of a stretch but trust us when you see The Collector we’re sure you’ll agree that it’s closest film relative is the Macauley Culkin classic. Just imagine that little Kevin McCallister never got over the trauma of being left alone and grew up into a seriously twisted individual; add a few knives and a taste for torture and you’ve got The Collector. His home-made booby traps are remarkably similar to those in Chris Columbus’ Home Alone; made of a collection of household tools, tricky to get around but admittedly a little bit more fatal!
2. Saw VI
Director Marcus Dunstan has a lot of experience in torture and traps thanks to his time working on the hugely successful Saw franchise (which is now onto its seventh instalment!). For Saw VI, Dunstan upped the ante with his most elaborate set pieces to date and even more hideous deaths. As usual this involves quite a lot of improvised self-surgery, people attacking each other with various DIY tools and lots of impressively complex machinery. Saw VI also sees lots of twists, turns and back-stabbing – all sure to be settled in the recently finished Saw VII.
3. The Strangers
What makes The Collector so spine tingling is how it turns a familiar and comforting setting, (a plush country home) and turns it into a terrifying death trap. The Strangers was also hugely successful in turning a safe haven into a nightmare. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman play a young couple who are terrorised by a trio of masked (and remarkably fleet footed) tormentors during what was supposed to be a romantic getaway. Like any good home invasion horror, this makes you question where would you hide and how would you escape if you found yourself in the same situation. Seriously creepy!