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Parents' Guide to
The Collector
Movie
R
2009
88 minutes
Common Sense Says
Parents Say
14 Reviews
Kids Say
16 Reviews
Common Sense Media Review
By James Rocchi
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 18+
Grisly horror film is smothered in blood and gore.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Constant, extreme, bloody violence as a serial killer dispatches his victims. People are forcibly abducted; a man is hauled off his feet by a winch, then let go to fall three stories; a bound woman has her mouth sewn shut; an acidic glue entraps a cat; a cat is sliced in half by a guillotine. A young man is killed by falling into a vast sum of bear traps. Another is eviscerated, and the camera lingers on his body. A young woman is hurled onto a wall covered with spikes. A chandelier festooned with knives falls onto a man. A man is struck in the eye by a hurled knife. A violent car crash. A dead man's body is used as a battering ram. A dog tears out a man's throat (the dog is later killed, set aflame, and used as a weapon). And much, much more.
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Language
a lot
Some strong language, including several uses of "f--k," "motherf---er," "s--t," "bitch," "hell," "faggot," "damn," "oh my God," "goddamn," and more.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
Naked breasts are shown (both during a make-out scene and in strip-club scenes). Some kissing and discussion of "doing it" between a teen couple. A couple that's passionately kissing and touching (with her topless) is interrupted by a creepy killer watching them ... and then a series of deathtraps. Some frisky talk between a married couple before they're interrupted by a killer.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a little
A character smokes; a teen pesters him for "a drag," and he complies.
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Products & Purchases
very little
A car is identified as a Mustang.
Positive Messages
very little
Nihilistic and bleak, the movie's cental mesage seems to be that killing is wrong ... but looks super cool if you film it right.
Positive Role Models
very little
Although the movie centers on a serial killer's brutal dispatchment of his victims, the movie's lead character does act in a heroic fashion by trying to save a family that's been targeted by the killer (of course, that's after he goes to their house intending to rob them to raise money so his lover can avoid loan sharks, but...).
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this exceptionally grisly "torture porn" movie is steeped in gore and full of grotesque cruelty perpetrated against both adults and children. While the movie does depict a character making a positive choice (he tries to save some of the killer's victims), any potential positive take-away is shrouded in so much blood and gore that it's next to impossible to make out. There's also lots of strong language (including "f--k" and "s--t"), a few topless scenes (as well as some passionate making out), and some smoking. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Where to Watch
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The Collector
Parent and Kid Reviews
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Parents say (14)
Kids say (16)
age 16+
Based on 14 parent reviews
Bigjon.com
Adult
October 9, 2022
age 17+
This movie is rated R if you think nudity and gore is to much for your kids don't complain when you sit down and watch a movie that's rated R with violence and nudity .
007MomOf3
Adult
October 9, 2021
age 18+
Good thriller / Not for kids!
Good God, the subscription for sex/nudity was not nearly enough for what was actually there. We watched with our teens and it was so awkward. There is a strip joint scene (twice) with many topless women.
There is another scene where 2 teens engage in sexual activity because parents are away. They heavily kiss, he puts his hands up her skirt, she lays down on a counter in a "take me" position, her top is removed, her bra is undone and breasts are exposed fora long time. It is explicit and the scene lingers. He caresses, kisses, her torso and squeezes her breasts. This lasts a while before interrupted by killer. No other sexual scenes throughout movie but enough to scar you for life if watching with your kids. Lol.
There are several gory scenes with lots of blood. Great adult movie. And sequel is way better!
What's the Story?
Desperate to bail his lover out of dire financial straits, a "contractor" -- really a thief who's been casing the home of a jewel broker -- enters the home he's been working on to rob the safe. But after gaining entrance, he discovers that the home -- and its occupants -- are under the control of a masked killer who has a flair for low-tech but ingenious deathtraps. Can our "hero" save himself and the family he was going to rob from the terrifying, grim evil of ... THE COLLECTOR?
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say( 14
):
Kids say( 16
):
Written by the scribes behind Saw IV,V, and VI -- a fairly grisly resume no matter how you look at it -- The Collector has much in common with that series. There's a killer with a diabolical capacity for traps and tricks, a focus on gore, and even a quiet stress on morality, since the hero has to decide whether making the score and surviving are more important than saving the family he was going to rob.
But The Collector's grim, greasy sadism will make it hard for anyone who isn't a fan of extreme horror to enjoy ... and anyone who is a fan of extreme horror has seen many of The Collector's moments played out before in better films with better actors. While The Collector is certainly inventive enough in how it presents grisly murder, it's not interesting enough in its characters or scripting to make the moments between those bloody triumphs of effects and make-up matter.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the film mixes sex and violence. Why does that happen so frequently in horror movies? Is it just part of the "fun" of the genre, or does it objectify women?
Why do you think the character of the serial killer with elaborate plans has become popular in recent years? Is it the cultural influence of movies like Saw, The Silence of the Lambs, and Seven? Or does it go deeper than that?
Movie Details
In theaters:
July 31, 2009
On DVD or streaming:
April 6, 2010
Cast:
Andrea Roth
,
Josh Stewart
,
Madeline Zima
Director:
Marcus Dunstan
Inclusion Information:
Female actors
Studio:
Freestyle Releasing
Genre:
Horror
Run time:
88 minutes
MPAA rating:
R
MPAA explanation:
pervasive sadistic bloody violence, language and some sexuality/nudity
Last updated:
November 2, 2023
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The Collector
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What to Watch Next
Seven
age 17+
The Silence of the Lambs
age 17+
Zodiac
age 18+
Scream
age 16+
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.