[psycho d]

The Collector (1965). Every so often a film comes along whose originality threatens its placement in a genre proper. The Collector is one such beast. Not really a horror flick, it is more a creepy drama centering on the early years of a mentally unbalanced man.

The story is itself claustrophobic, and how such a simple premise could be magnified into a feature length film defies logic. For the most part this film enjoys a limited set and an even more limited number characters. It is the terrifying story of a forcefully contrived relationship and its repercussions. This awkward situation infuses itself into the meat of the story, allowing for a continual sense of dread even when things appear to be going well onscreen. It almost comes off as an accidental horror flick.

The acting was phenomenal. With only two characters filling the screen for most all of its run time, these two never become tiresome, but instead almost ripen right before our eyes. Terrence Stamp excels as the creep, a man that seems fully transparent but whose character is from such a different planet that we can only sense the dread that is in store for those caught in his net. Samantha Eggar is likewise wonderful, herself trying every trick in her purse to remedy her dismal situation. Toward the film's end her frustration drives her to decisions that really cannot be helped but that will likely perpetuate her desperate plight.

William Wyler's direction was spectacular. The whole production was held just askew enough to leave us perfectly discombobulated without feeling alienated. Awkward camera angles continually pull out the perturbed emotions that drives this story forward. The score was splendid as well. It more than set the mood, but almost applauded the twisted nature of the antagonist and his wiles.

Even the end was a fresh surprise, its denouement leaving plenty of room for fertile imaginations to manifest scenarios even worse than that which was just survived, and all without unnecessary violence or gore.
d