The Film:

Appearances are deceiving. When the Smiths try to rebuild their broken lives from a tragic past, a stranger comes calling in search of a place to rest. Living in a small town hasn’t been easy for the Smiths, especially due to their past, but they view this as a chance encounter to right some wrongs, and show their Christian spirit for helping this stranger. Both don’t get what they bargained for, as the film lives up to its title, The Bleeding House. Simple and straightforward, the effortlessly styled The Bleeding House doesn’t shake itself awake when it should, making for a rather dull time.

Philip Gelatt’s debut is a rather beautiful looking film, given its indie nature. Slick, dark cinematography contains the film’s mood, since its setting is mostly this large house, Gelatt frames the scenes to give it a larger look. With this, the nature of the family’s hidden past and the stranger’s hidden agenda makes The Bleeding House an interesting scenario. But since most of the story comes to life after the murdering starts, it short-changes the audience’s relationship with the Smiths.

Gelatt’s story mixes elements of Michael Haneke’s Funny Games, but not as successfully. The nature of the hunter becoming the hunted isn’t anything new, and while the film is sometimes a little stiff, Gelatt’s attempt is rather refreshing. At least in the world of horror, he’s attempting to put a fresh spin on an old scenario. Patrick Breen as the religious stranger is eerie and creepy, and a good reason why us city folk stir clear of those hick towns. Most of the other actors are good, but the one to beat is Alexandra Chando as Gloria. The girl is just off, which helps the late ending reveal of her secret, and since most won’t known Chando from other films (mostly just TV’s As the World Turns), her newness works.

The Bleeding House is a solid attempt at an old story structure, and while it’s no Funny Games or The Collector, it’s decent enough for horror fans looking for something seemingly fresh. Philip Gelatt could be someone to watch as well.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: New Video’s disc is pretty solid. The moody cinematography comes off nice, with the darks, the reds, and the sharp details. The audio is good too. While it’s soft-spoken most of the time, there’s a little punch to the climax that makes the track feel alive.

The Alternate Ending is somewhat interesting, but just doesn’t work. The Three Deleted Scenes are okay too.

The Film: Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The DVD: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Collector

Until now.

Patrick Melton talked with Dread Central and updated the film. “The Collection is coming along very nicely. We just picked up a couple of shots here in L.A. and are working them into the new edit. The film is a tight little horror flick that expands the universe a bit and sheds more light on ‘The Collector’, our masked killer. For the first film, we saw the killer out in the world, but for this one we’re mainly trapped in his house of horrors. We pick up about two weeks after the last one ended, with poor Arkin still in the box, of course. Some people assumed that Arkin died at the end of the last one, but he’s still alive, and he’s going to continue to cause trouble for ‘The Collector’ on very unfamiliar territory this time. It’s a fun little game of cat-and-mouse set in this creepy location with deadly traps around every corner.”

He adds, “Barring an Academy Awards qualifying run at the end of the year, I think we’ll probably hit theaters some time in 2012.”

Can’t wait.

“We’re two days in,” Melton said of The Collection, “so it’s early, but things are going well. It’s a twenty-eight-day shoot, which is nine days more than we had on the original film. This one is much more ambitious, and it has been coming along great. I’ll be playing a fireman in a big scene we have planned this evening. That’s all I can say, but when you see the film, look for me as Sexy Fireman #4.”

“We’re all cast up at this point, or at least pretty close to it,” Melton, which include: “Emma Fitzpatrick (The Social Network), Lee Tergesen (OZ, Monster), and Christopher McDonald (Requiem for a Dream, Boardwalk Empire) amongst many others. We have a good mix of young and veteran actors, and everyone has been really excited thus far.”

“We’re shooting in Atlanta,” said Melton. “It has a ton of great old buildings that we’re using for various larger sets. While the first one was mainly contained to a house in the middle of nowhere, the scale is larger on this one in all regards. I don’t want to give anything away, but the opening ‘massacre’ is pretty cool. With the Saw films, we always shot for a couple of ‘awe’ moments in terms of spilling blood, and this one could be pretty spectacular. We’ll see how it comes out.”

If you read in between the lines, he’s actually saying The Collection is going to ROCK. Hard. Dunstan returns as director and Gary Tunnicliffe also returns to the gore FX area. Melton is also in pre-production of Piranha 3DD, as well.

Once again directed by Marcus Dunstan, based off of his script with Patrick Melton, who will also write the upcoming Piranha 3DD, finds “Arkin (Josh Stewart) suddenly abducted from the hospital by mercenaries hired by Elena’s (who was kidnapped in the first film) wealthy father. Arkin is blackmailed to team up with the mercenaries and track down The Collector’s booby trapped hide out and save Elena from his sadistic rituals.”

The film will be shot in 3D and no release date announced yet.

Source: Dread Central

No word on plot or if this will collide with production on Dunstan’s The Collector sequel, The Collection. Either way, I wasn’t too pleased with the antics of Dimension’s Piranha 3D, but I really like Melton/Dunstan as a writing duo, so we shall see.

“Instead of recovering from the trauma, Arkin is suddenly abducted from the hospital by mercenaries hired by Elena’s (who was kidnapped in the first film) wealthy father. Arkin is blackmailed to team up with the mercenaries and track down The Collector’s booby trapped hide out and save Elena from his sadistic rituals.”

Also, the film is taking a page from Dunstan/Melton’s Saw 3D and the film will be shot in RealD 3D. Look for more on The Collection 3D soon.

“[It has a] November start date [that] been locked for The Collection, Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton’s collaborative sequel to their The Collector. Dunstan will return behind the camera to tell the story of Arkin, a man who survived the grasp of the first film’s killer. He’s teamed with a group of individuals who band together to save a woman captured by The Collector. Casting is currently under way.”

I got to hand it to Dunstan; he makes lean, mean horror films, but what’s with the title: The Collection? You like that title? Fans of Dunstan should note that The Feast is out on Blu-ray now.

Whether he’ll direct it or not remains to be seen. “Possibly. That could very well happen. If everything lines up appropriately, meaning if we’ve got the budget to do it right, and the time to do it right, then absolutely. I think it’d be nuts to not seriously consider that.” You can see more from Marcus Dunstan and his writing partner in this October’s Saw VII 3D and currently, you can get The Collector on Blu-ray and DVD.

Source: Bloody-Disgusting

The next bit is some spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the film, skip this section:

The plot outline will follow the immediate events after Arkin (Josh Stewart) is thrown in the box at the end of the first film and his continued battle with the Collector. Dunstan says he’ll explore more of the Collector’s character as well.

We at Killer Film loved the film and look forward to seeing what Dunstan is going to create next.

Source: AitH

The Collector

It was a once Blockbuster exclusive, but now it out for all to buy. The film is brutal; it doesn’t hide the fact that it’s a creation from Saw writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, it embraces that and one-up’s Saw. Read Jon’s DVD review here. (Formats: Blu-ray/DVD)   Jon says: Buy   Donny says: Buy

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Herzog’s remake of the cult film is an odd bird, but if you can vibe with it’s satirical elements and humor, it’s a blast. (Formats: Blu-ray/DVD)   Jon says: Buy    Donny says: Rent

Dirt!: The Movie

Here’s another great release from DocuRama, a good company that handles unique and equally as good documentaries. More on this title soon. (Formats: DVD only)  Jon says: Rent   Donny says: Buy

New to Blu

Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy

Dreamscape

The Protector: Dragon Dynasty

The Relic

Flight of the Intruder

The Heroic Ones

Cocoon

Pretty strong week for Blu-rays. Keep it here for reviews and news on these discs and more, only on Killer Film!

The Film:

Sometimes out of desperation we make a mistake. That mistake can have a domino effect that makes the bad decision you’ve made even worse, almost compounding every little detail in the process. Coincidences can lead to a full blown mistake. I bet that’s what went through Arkin’s (Josh Stewart) mind, when he innocently thought he could easily rob his boss of a recent job. He was a professional. Good at it too. That was until someone else had plans that night for the exact same family Arkin was going to rob. Such is The Collector, probably one of America’s best examples of truly unnerving terror. The French have been making some incredibly messed up horror film in recent years, and America has been playing it same most of the time.

Enter The Collector. It’s as unsafe as a 13 year old walking alone down 42nd Street near the adult film theaters at 3 am.

Marcus Dunstan has turned his eye from the computer screen to the camera, having been a screenwriter for the hit Saw films (namely IV-VII), and even having Matt Damon support his Feast script. Along with those films, maybe being on set, or learning from people like Darren Lynn Bousman, Dunstan is learning the craft, and he seriously just one-upped the series he help continue. What a feat it is to out-Saw Saw. The film makes no apologies for what it is. It’s a lean and mean brutal horror film. I bet the MPAA were shaking in their boots. The film is 30 minutes of plot, 60 minutes of terror. That isn’t a weak point, either. Long have we wanted our cinemas to be filled with gut-wrenching horror, and we got it.

The Collector is a odd slasher on surface level. It features close-ups as an invasion to each character. At first, its jarring, almost annoying, but soon, Dunstan’s plan works. The constant close-up feels like he is purposely invading the personal space to create such an unnerving experience for us. We are invading this family as much as the killer is. Also, the use of music is interesting. The film features an original score by the NIN drummer Jerome Dillion. The score is reminiscent to how the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre used weird sounds in the score to create an off-balance in us, keeping us on the edge of our seats. Plus, any film that uses some Depeche Mode is a-okay in my book.

Deeper though, Dunstan’s love and knowledge of horror helped establish the visual setting of the film. There are obvious references to the Giallo genre from Italy, made so famous by Dario Argento. Of course, the look of the Saw films is readily apparent as an influence in The Collector. But he didn’t copy and paste. Instead, he took what he liked and learned, morphing it into what would become this film.

But The Collector will hinge its success on how it differentiates itself from the master of torturing, Jigsaw of the Saw series. There is plenty of like-mindedness between these two, as they act liking a kissing cousin to one another, but like I mentioned before, it outdoes what that series has done rather successfully. This film’s killer is a sick bastard through and through. His mask is soulless; an all black foam emotionless piece of terror, mixing creepiness with S&M. On top of that, his eyes are equally as unnerving. You know how sometimes a light hits a dog’s eye just right, and you see that whiteness like a deer-caught-the-headlights or from a family picture pre-Photoshop? Yep, that’s it. This guy is a sicko; he is relentless in his precision of killing, his traps are simple but deadly, he is the anti-thesis to everything in life. A new icon is born. Where Jigsaw/John has become sympathetic, the “Collector” will never be. One part-B.T.K. killer, another part Michael Myers, you will look thrice in the shadows before going to bed.

Now, I’ve used the word unnerving a lot. It’s not like I don’t know how to use my Thesaurus, it’s just that is the perfect word to describe The Collector. For every remake and limp-dick America horror film we go through, it’s so refreshing to witness a horror film that knows what it is, and excels at it in all the right categories. It’s grisly. It’s scary. It’s unrelenting. It’s the sick son-of-a-bitch that I hope we get more often from America horror films.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: I’m not overly familiar with Vivendi Entertainment, but this release is decent enough. The film is purposely grainy and dark, and more or less, the transfer does a great job at doing what it needs too. If you seen the film theatrically, then the DVD does it justice. I doubt if a high-def transfer for a Blu-ray would improve much (we shall see, as a Blu-ray release streets same day as the DVD). The audio track is typical horror film audio presentation, meaning loud, aggressive mix. Deep bass, clear dialogue, and a decent surround use, makes for a great listen.

Commentary: Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton are featured here for what is one great listen. They talk about the making of the film, from its low budget origins, to its original home at Dimension, they duo are clearly way more knowledgeable than you might expect. Horror fans will have a great time listen to this track multiple times for the info.

Deleted Scenes and an Alternative Ending: Not too great here. The ending is slightly different in areas, but it isn’t a radical difference from the one used in the film. A Music Video for Nico Vega finishes out the extras.

Conclusion: Fast, shocking, brutal, The Collector is a great sicko horror movie.

The Film: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The DVD: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Film:

Do you want to play a game?

And we have, each and every Halloween these last handful of years, and there’s one thing we all can agree on when it comes to the Saw sequels: Jigsaw is the King of Halloween. Regardless of how you personally feel about the quality of each sequel, they make money, and in this business that’s the bottom line. Coming off Saw V, a sequel that left many either confused or left an odd taste in their mouths (even though I personally enjoyed it), Saw VI quickly picks up from that film’s cliffhanger ending, and now Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) is the lone apprentice to Jigsaw, with seemingly no one knowing his identity and involvement. Hoffman now sets the final game into motion.

I really don’t want to talk about the plot, because if you’ve seen a few of these films, then the point of how to have fun with them is the twists and turns of the stories. Saw VI is a very satisfying sequel for a handful of reasons. One of the complaints of the last few sequels, were people felt each entry was incomplete because the film’s would leave plot points left unanswered. Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton make Saw VI into a caper for the previous films, finally answering some long wondered questions, while juggling an interesting solo story. We get questions answered, which should please the long time fans, and tells a sick little moralistic tale that goes back to the origin of Jigsaw. Saw VI won’t win over any newbies, but it doesn’t have too. If you’re late in this game, go back to the beginning. Maybe that’s good advice for all of us Saw fans, because you’ll appreciate this film a lot more, with all of the subplots fresh in your mind.

Another issue this film should rectify for most fans, is the traps. Many felt Saw V’s were weak, or not that inventive, and while I see their complaint, I felt those traps worked for the nature of that story. But here, we get plenty of fun, gory, interesting traps, disproving my own theory that maybe Melton and Dunstan were tapped out of ideas, after the trap-heavy The Collector. Each of the traps are satisfying. From the opening prologue, where two characters must shed more flesh than the other in 60 seconds in order to live, or the spinning carousel that stops for a shotgun blast, they’re constantly fun and sick. That’s exactly how this series came to become famous, was the wicked traps, and fans, they’re back.

On a technical side, long time Saw editor Kevin Greutert turned director for this film, and he uses that editor eye to great success. Saw VI is a well crafted film, probably the best paced and edited film since Saw II. Greutert makes everything clear; from visuals, to the easy-to-follow story structure, Saw VI is one of the more accessible of the Saw sequels. Again, that clears away a gripe many have had with the series, is that it’s a bit hard to follow. I don’t know how he done it, but Greutert gets away with a lot of gore in this film, more so than Bousman or Hackl did in their respective sequels.

Finally, we cannot discuss a Saw film without talking about Tobin Bell. It seems like each sequel, he gets less and less screen time, and even here it feels like he is barely in the film for 12 minutes, but he completely owns the film. True, it’s Tobin’s sixth go-round with the character, and that certainly helps, but if you haven’t considered it yet, do so: Tobin Bell as John/Jigsaw is a modern horror icon that will be in the same discussions as Robert Englund’s Freddy and Kane Hodder’s Jason Voorhees. Jigsaw is a face of horror for this new generation’s nightmares. I know most fans will always have their favorite or least favorite in this series, and that’s fine, but Saw VI perfectly caps the series off in a satisfying manner. Game over! Well, at least the current arc is complete, and while they’ll be more sequels, Saw VI is a thrilling entry. It’s no Saw II, but like that film, it’s a solid torture-infused entry.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: LGF’s Saw films on high def are getting better and better, and this is near the best, if not the best. Blacks permeate the film and the high def transfer holds up great. The little amount of colors in the film are bright and strong, and clarity is top notch. It’s a superb looking disc, and the DTS audio is equally amazing. Aggressive, bass heavy, and a decent array of surround activity, make this another winner from LGF.

Commentaries: The first track features the producers, Mark Burg and others, as they discuss the production of the film, the history, and how this ties into the rest of the franchise. It’s light and fun, but most will enjoy the second track with director Kevin Greutert and writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton. That tracks offers up juicy info, focuses squarely on the film, as it breezy and an easy listen.

Traps of Saw VI: We’ve seen this piece on other discs, as they love to tout the inventive work on the famous traps. So fans of props and makeup will dig this. In HD.

Jigsaw Revealed: Tobin Bell talks about his work in the franchise, as well as off-screen related Saw events. In HD.

A Killer Maze: This piece focuses on the new Universal Studios maze, as it’s a mix between a promo and making-of. Eh, but I’m sure going there to this work rock.

Music Videos: We have videos from Mushroomhead, Suicide Silence, Memphis May Fire, and Hatebreed. I really like Suicide Silence, and am glad they’re getting more attention, but I understand many are not into the whole deathcore scene.

Saw: A bonus disc, featuring the original Saw on Blu-ray is here. As far as I can quickly tell, it is just the original Blu-ray release repackaged for Saw VI.

The Trailer, BD-Live features, iTouch and Metaremote material round out the extras.

Conclusion: A great Saw sequel that ties up a lot of loose ends. LGF Blu-ray is a great set for fans.

The Film: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Each critic will admit to something different, but after you un-belt your pants, due to all of the food you just ate, sit back and relax, and let’s give thanks to these five, for making 2009 pretty cool:

5- The Return of Horror – It seems to run in cycles, every few years horror becomes good again, after a drought, this year was a stellar year. Now, to each their own, but I was pleasantly pleased with the vast majority of horror this year, ranging from studio films, indie, direct-to-DVD, everything seemed to click. Vampires are all the rage again, thanks (or not) to Twilight, but somewhere lost in the talk of vampires, was the re-emergence of the slasher. Robert Hall’s Laid to Rest featured a mean, slick new killer in ChromeSkull, violent, ultra bloody deaths, and felt like a proper film a slasher should be. Dave Parker’s Hills Run Red felt that way too.

In the mainstream, Jason returned in a decent remake and so did Harry Warden in a 3-D My Bloody Valentine. Cheap thrills, but lots of fun. For me, the slasher that stands tall this year was The Collector. Inventive, sick, violent, and a super cool new killer in the Collector, this flick hurt me. Huh? I took a dear friend, and due to the film’s intensity and level of gore, she put a death grip on my arm, so much so, that she left little bruises where her fingers were. Thanks Marcus Dunstan!

Slashers aside, Drag Me to Hell rocked, Grace was neat, Haunted World of el Superbeasto was worth the wait, Orphan surprised, Trick ‘r Treat is a new classic, Saw VI was an impressive capper, Paranormal Activity was the scariest thing since Bush was elected to a second term, Zombieland was all sorts of awesome, and while there were a few clunkers, can we say thanks for Horror’s return in 2009?

4 – Steven Soderbergh - Three diverse genres, three awesome films. Sometimes, we are lucky enough to get one good film every3-4 years from a director, but Soderbergh gave us three great films, and all completely different from one another. In Che, he gave us an epic 5 and a half hour bio on the radical Che Guevara. It’s a long sweeping film, covering two key areas of his life. Del Toro IS Che, and owns the role in a completely gripping manner. The battle scenes are loud and spontaneous, but just as interesting as the psychology of Che. Should be a great Criterion disc, when they release it.

Soderbergh.

The Girlfriend Experience gets Soderbergh in his “let’s pick up an HD camera, and film something” mentality, and he films the gorgeous beyond words, Sasha Grey. Interesting, clever, experimental, the film lands itself a month prior to the election of Barack Obama, finding conversation on the crashing economy on the tips of everyone’s tongue, even that of a callgirl. Grey is really good in her first non-porn film, and his HD films are always worth a look.

Finally, Soderbergh’s The Informant! proves 2009 was the year of Soderbergh, as this film does an about face from the prior two, and is a dark humored look at shady pricing in the food industry. I’ll agree these three films aren’t masterpieces and are at times a bit flawed, but I’ll be damned if Soderbergh didn’t give me something to talk about after seeing these films, making me thankful a director like Soderbergh doesn’t flinch at taking chances, and never repeats himself.

3- X-Men: The Animated Series on DVD…finally! – Well, what took so long? Seriously though, the rights issue debacle kept this wonderful series in limbo forever. Luckily, I’m not the only rabid fan of this show out there, as this was the most request TV series around, and thankfully, Buena Vista/Disney listened! With all the hype for these discs, one thing was lost to us: would they hold up after over a decade of being out of syndication?

The classic animated show returns.

Quickly, after popping in Volume 1, the answer was yes, they are still as good as they were all those years ago. Sadly, there’s no extras on these discs, but lucky for you, I’m a huge nerd for this wonderful animated show, and if you search around, I got interviews with the producers, writers, and voice cast, making me incredibly thankful to relive each of the episodes forever…in constant loop…forever…and ever.

2 – Ramin Bahrani – Goodbye Solo is a superb film, one of the year’s best, and yet why are only myself and Ebert championing this great, young American independent director? Last year, his Chop Shop was one of the best reviewed movies of that year, and again, with Goodbye Solo it too, is one of the year’s best reviewed films. What is it with Bahrani that we love? He is incredibly sincere, and it shows within his films. Mature characters that are wholly American, even if their nationality is not of European descent. Bahrani usually works with so-called non-actors, and has a very still approach to his visual style, all of which sucks you up into the story he is telling. Powerful, moving, and all independent, I mean true, blue independent.

Bahrani directing.

He’ll shoot a movie with a $1.oo or $100,000, doesn’t matter because the end result is so moving and well-done, all you can say is thank you. Thank you, Mr. Bahrani for making a superb film in Goodbye Solo and being a true filmmaker. You know characters and stories worth telling, and you don’t cheat the audience or the characters. Hollywood is too shortsighted for your talents; do what you do, and continue, because your film is perhaps the best film of 2009.

1 – Blu-ray – Isn’t it silly to give thanks to a format, nearly three years old? They finally got it right this year, after finding themselves through innovation and quality. Discs are cheaper now, players have came down in price, and our favorite films have come out in stunning HD. What’s not to love? Sadly, the weak economy has put a damper on Blu-ray, because people, at least half, are strapped for cash, and currently DVD works for them. Also, Blu-ray has been fighting a tougher enemy than HD-DVD was: Digital downloading and online streaming. Despite the economy and downloading, Blu-ray is a head, and here is why:

First, the economy. Now, times might be tough, and something like a $20-$30 disc isn’t a top priority for some. Cool, but recessions always end, and we love movies. As soon as the economy picks up a bit more, and disc and player prices keep this new lower price tags, the Average Joe (a key buyer us film fans forget) will jump on board. Why? Well, he/she has already bought the HDTV, and has enjoyed either seeing HD movies via cable or satellite or have witnessed an upconverted DVD. It’s cool, and with these lower prices, and that $1000-$3000 TV sitting there, he/she will want to maximize that unit.

Two, don’t underestimate us film fans. We love movies, and Blu-ray is offering our favorites in 1080p, sometimes in stunning restorations, and solid extras. The collecting mentality can be squashed by the majority’s decisions, see Laserdisc’s quick life that was lost to DVD, but DVD made everyone into a collector. Collectors are gamers too, and the PS3 is the best Blu-ray player on the market.

Third, Digital downloading and online streaming will only cut into the rental market, not home video. I know, there are some saps that illegally download films, and I don’t know why. Why would you do that, when you forked over over a $1000 for an HD TV, maybe over $300 plus on surround sound, a $50 or more HDMI cable, to watch a shaky cam in Thai subtitles or a shoddy 480p copy, when you shelled out that much on that equipment? You really want to sit in front of your computer all day watch a film? Not me, and not people who love the cinema. I’ll admit, if that’s one thing that is holding back Blu-ray, it’s the fact that there’s a handful of things to do, in order to get the best picture and sound. First, a quality HDTV that’s 1080p and preferably 120HZ. Next, surround sound, and one that’s a separate receiver, with a speaker set, and a 10 inch sub. Then the cables, and a player. Expensive, yes, but worth in the long run.

I don’t mean to sound like a sales rep for Blu-ray. I am and will always be, a film fan. Blu-ray offers me my favorite movies, regardless of age, genre, color, black and white, the best possible experience. Blu-ray got it right this year. Watchmen from WB was a superb disc, Repulsion from Criterion proved why Blu-ray is the format of choice for black and white films, Up was so good it hurt my eyes (in a good way), I could go on and on, about my favorite discs, but I just got to thank this format for being the end all, be all in home video for years to come.

That’s what I’m thankful for this year, what about you? Feel free to leave a comment or email me at jon@killerfilm.com

Welcome to part 2 of our Saw VI interviews (part one with the actors can be read here)! It should go without saying, that as another Halloween approaches, so does another Saw film. Recently, Lionsgate had a Saw VI media day at the Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Maze, that Killer Film attended. So we hope you enjoy our round table discussion interviews, with the crew behind the film; Kevin Greutert (the director), Marcus Dunstan (screenwriter on the film, as well as the previous two and The Collector), and Mark Burg (producer on all of the Saw films).

By Senior Writer Jon Peters and Melissa Molina.

Killer Film: Was there anything you learned from any of the previous directors (James Wan, Darren Bousman, or David Hackl) that helped you in making your directorial debut?

Kevin Greutert: Yes, absolutely. You know because I spent so much time in the cutting room with the previous directors. We’ve talked about all this stuff up and down and the history of movies and horror. So yeah, I had a huge advantage in this film that Darren (Bousman) and James (Wan) and to some extent David (Hackl) didn’t have so absolutely, I’ve learned a ton.

Killer Film: Why do you feel that the MPAA has been a little more lenient with the Saw films as opposed to other horror flicks?

Mark Burg: Who says they’re lenient? (laughs) Where are you coming from? You don’t know how many times we go to them and it’s like “cut this, trim that, cut this, change this”. It’s not like we give it to them, and they go “stamped, great, your off!”

Killer Film: I didn’t mean that, but I know there’s uncut versions. What I’ve seen is that the Saw films get away with a little bit more than I’d see in like the new Friday the 13th.

Marcus Dunstan: They might be a little scared of us. (chuckles)

Mark Burg: I don’t know, we have a hard time with them. It’s not easy, there’s a lot of stuff that we look at and then I complain to them, and say “Well, wait a second, did you see the last Rambo movie? What about this, there was a guy who got his head chopped off, and blah blah blah. There’s another guy running around with one arm, I can’t do it but he could? “It’s a battle. It’s a give-and-take, but I think maybe now we just numb their senses a little bit to the point of “great, just do them.”

They don’t really give you notes, they’ll just say “we object to these scenes.” But they won’t say “cut this, cut that, cut this” because it’s that give-and-take. Then you’ll go back, you’ll cut a couple of frames out, give it to them. First, they watch the entire movie, then they watch the individual scenes they have problems with.

Killer Film: Is there anything you wish you could’ve done with Jigsaw or Saw in general that due to something unforeseen, you couldn’t?

Marcus Dunstan: Well, actually the benefit of the Saw world is the fractured time line. We can do anything in that sense. If we really would like to do it, if everyone agrees and is on board with it, there is the liberty. The only boundary is the imagination of the people behind it.

Is there anything we should expect out of Saw VII as well?

Kevin Greutert: It answers the question definitively “why make a Saw film in 3-D?”. It answers it right away, it answers loud.

Mark Burg: It’s like once you start a 3-D movie you have to continue. You know, once we do Saw VII it’s kind of hard for them to go back to 2D.

Marcus Dunstan: Saw VIII in black and white. (laughs) It’s a talkie.

Mark Burg: Saw VIII in 4D! (chuckles) We have Saw VII; were working on a script, so let’s hope that Saw VII turns out well so there can be a Saw VIII.

Saw VI opens Friday! Come back for our review, only on Killer Film! Got something to add? Feel free to leave comments or contact the writers via their emails!

Sometimes out of desperation we make a mistake. That mistake can have a domino effect that makes the bad decision you’ve made even worse, almost compounding every little detail in the process. Coincidences can lead to a full blown mistake. I bet that’s what went through Arkin’s (Josh Stewart) mind, when he innocently thought he could easily rob his boss of a recent job. He was a professional. Good at it too. That was until someone else had plans that night for the exact same family Arkin was going to rob. Such is The Collector, probably one of America’s best examples of truly unnerving terror. The French have been making some incredibly messed up horror film in recent years, and America has been playing it same most of the time.

Enter The Collector. It’s as unsafe as a 13 year old walking alone down 42^nd Street near the adult film theaters at 3 am.

Marcus Dunstan has turned his eye from the computer screen to the camera, having been a screenwriter for the hit Saw films (namely IV-VI), and even having Matt Damon support his Feast script. Along with those films, maybe being on set, or learning from people like Darren Lynn Bousman, Dunstan is learning the craft, and he seriously just one-upped the series he help continue. What a feat it is to out-Saw Saw. The film makes no apologies for what it is. It’s a lean and mean brutal horror film. I bet the MPAA was shaking in their boots. The film is 30 minutes of plot, 60 minutes of terror. That isn’t a weak point, either. Long have we wanted our cinemas to be filled with gut-wrenching horror, and we got it.

The Collector is a odd slasher on surface level. It features close-ups as an invasion to each character. At first, its jarring, almost annoying, but soon, Dunstan’s plan works. The constant close-up feels like he is purposely invading the personal space to create such an unnerving experience for us. We are invading this family as much as the killer is. Also, the use of music is interesting. The film features an original score by the NIN drummer Jerome Dillion. The score is reminiscent to how the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre used weird sounds in the score to create an off-balance in us, keeping us on the edge of our seats. Plus, any film that uses some Depeche Mode is a-okay in my book.

Deeper though, Dunstan’s love and knowledge of horror helped establish the visual setting of the film. There are obvious references to the Giallo genre from Italy, made so famous by Dario Argento. Of course, the look of the Saw films is readily apparent as an influence in The Collector. But he didn’t copy and paste. Instead, he took what he liked and learned, morphing it into what would become this film.

But The Collector will hinge its success on how it differentiates itself from the master of torturing, Jigsaw of the Saw series. There is plenty of like-mindedness between these two, as they act liking a kissing cousin to one another, but like I mentioned before, it outdoes what that series has done rather successfully. This film’s killer is a sick bastard through and through. His mask is soulless; an all black foam emotionless piece of terror, mixing creepiness with S&M. On top of that, his eyes are equally as unnerving. You know how sometimes a light hits a dog’s eye just right, and you see that whiteness like a deer-caught-the-headlights or from a family picture pre-Photoshop? Yep, that’s it. This guy is a sicko; he is relentless in his precision of killing, his traps are simple but deadly, he is the anti-thesis to everything in life. A new icon is born. Where Jigsaw/John has become sympathetic, the “Collector” will never be. One part-B.T.K. killer, another part Michael Myers, you will look thrice in the shadows before going to bed.

Now, I’ve used the word unnerving a lot. It’s not like I don’t know how to use my Thesaurus, it’s just that is the perfect word to describe The Collector. For every remake and limp-dick America horror film we go through, it’s so refreshing to witness a horror film that knows what it is, and excels at it in all the right categories. It’s grisly. It’s scary. It’s unrelenting. It’s the sick son-of-a-bitch that I hope we get more often from America horror films.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars