Parents' Guide to

The Collector

Movie R 2009 88 minutes
The Collector Poster Image
  • Common Sense Says
  • Parents Say 14 Reviews
  • Kids Say 16 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

James Rocchi 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?

Parent and Kid Reviews

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  • Parents say (14)
  • Kids say (16)
age 16+

Based on 14 parent reviews

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 .
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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