As streaming platforms multiply and watching TV becomes ever more expensive, free ad-supported services like The Roku Channel have become invaluable for film fans. They offer a chance to catch up on everything from classic blockbusters to hidden gems that may have been overlooked during their initial theatrical runs. In addition, these platforms can breathe new life into underrated movies, giving them a second chance to find the audience they always deserved. This is precisely the case for a brutal and inventive 2009 horror movie that has just landed on the free streaming service. The film is a masterclass in tension and home-invasion horror, and it also happens to share a surprising and direct connection to the legendary Saw franchise.
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The Collector, now streaming at The Roku Channel, is a harrowing horror-thriller from director Marcus Dunstan. The movie follows a handyman and ex-con named Arkin O’Brien (Josh Stewart), who, in a desperate attempt to pay off his ex-wife’s debt to dangerous loan sharks, decides to rob the wealthy family he’s been working for. He breaks into their secluded country home, believing them to be away on vacation. To his horror, he discovers he is not alone. A far more sinister intruder, a masked sadist known only as “The Collector,” has already laid siege to the house, rigging it with a labyrinth of gruesome and lethal traps. Because of that, Arkin’s simple heist turns into a desperate fight for survival as he finds himself trapped inside a house of horrors with a methodical killer who has captured the family and has no intention of leaving any witnesses.
Upon its release in 2009, The Collector was met with a mixed critical reception and modest box office returns, grossing just over $10 million worldwide against a $3 million budget. However, in the years since, it has cultivated a strong cult following among horror enthusiasts who praise its relentless pacing, creative trap designs, and the compelling “wrong man in the wrong place” predicament of its protagonist. The popularity of the film was strong enough to warrant a sequel, The Collection, which was released in 2012. A third film, The Collected, is still in development.
The Collector Was Supposed to Be a Saw Prequel
The most fascinating piece of trivia surrounding The Collector is that it was originally pitched as a prequel to the Saw franchise. The screenplay, originally titled The Midnight Man, was written by Patrick Melton and Dunstan. Before they were hired to write the screenplays for Saw IV, V, VI, and 3D, the duo presented their script to the producers at Twisted Pictures as a potential origin story for the iconic villain John Kramer, also known as Jigsaw. The idea was to explore a traumatic event in a younger Kramer’s life that would set him on the path to becoming the master game-player audiences knew. However, the producers were not interested in pursuing a prequel at that time and dismissed the idea. Despite rejecting the prequel concept, they were impressed enough with Melton and Dunstan’s writing that it served as their successful application to join the Saw creative team.
After they had established themselves as the new architects of the Saw franchise, Melton and Dustan were given the opportunity to revisit their original Midnight Man script. With Dunstan taking the helm as director, they reworked the story into a standalone feature, creating an entirely new villain and mythology. This shared DNA makes The Collector feel like a spiritual cousin to the Saw series, a glimpse into an alternate timeline where Jigsaw’s backstory might have been very different.
The Collector is now available to watch for free on The Roku Channel.
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Image Courtesy of TOHO
