1990s. FBI Agent Lee Harker (Coming For You star Maika Monroe) On her first day of fieldwork, she demonstrates her clairvoyant abilities and soon falls under the wing of her senior colleague Carter. (Blair Underwood from LA Law)) leads the case of a mysterious maniac nicknamed the Soul Collector. (Nicolas Cage). For many years, entire families have fallen victim to him: in each case, the father kills his wife and children and then commits suicide. At each crime scene, the police find coded letters signed by the Soul Collector. Immediately after Harker’s connection, progress begins in the stalled case and new evidence of an occult nature is discovered. But the malicious killer is always one step ahead.
The rigor of the form and the paucity of content seemed to constantly blame all the films of the horror producer Oz Perkins, the author of the terrifying fairy tale “Gretel and Hansel”, who followed in the footsteps of his father, the star of the movie “Psycho”. Anthony Perkins, who tied his whole life to the Hitchcock series. The same thing is being said for the fourth time in the context of “The Collector of Souls”, but with less excitement: the rental company Neon managed to hype the film so much that it was already perceived as one of the main horror films of the year. Honestly, it’s hard to resist joining the bandwagon of this train, especially since there are fewer reasons than usual to spit bile. Still, if you really want to, you can of course turn on the old organ: People aren’t lying when they say “The Collector” feels a little like “Silence of the Lambs,” but you have to understand that it’s not even close to “Silence of the Lambs,” of course – Fincher’s instant classics, such as “Seven,” “Zodiac” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” which are also read in the local anamnesis, can’t be trusted.
But it’s enough for a very addictive and beautiful film. It will not divide life into before and after, it will make you squirm in your chair with pleasure for an hour and a half; in fact, there is no need for more. The atmosphere and style have always been the strongest aspects of Perkins’ cinema, which even the director’s critics have noticed, and “Soul Collector” is his most perfect work in this sense (somehow you immediately fall into the hollowed-out edges of the frame; the heroes imprisoned in the center are pressed with their empty images). At the same time, in terms of content, the film is so simple that what is happening on the screen sometimes seems cynical: the outlines of the ending become clear approximately in the middle of the first act, and the plot of the film as a whole is “Why? Of course, for the glory of the devil!” – all in the tradition of Satanic panic.
A still from the movie “Soul Collector”
Saturn Movies
But this is not a reason to be upset. “The Collector of Souls”, which only advises to keep some secrets secret, is somewhat similar to the coded messages on the albums of classic rock bands: it certainly makes an impression, but if you start to disassemble it, most likely, meaningless nonsense will come out. In fact, Perkins calls his film primarily a rock and roll movie – while working on the script, the producer became addicted to the T. Rex band, which is heard and quoted in the film, as if for reasons of “why not” , but Cage’s creepy character was inspired by the image of Bob Dylan during the Rolling Thunder Revue tour (The Collector of Souls is a kind of Joker who fell into the glam rock barrel). The showiness inherent in this whole area (in a good way) was to some extent transferred to the film.
At the same time, real diamonds are hidden behind it. For example, a magnificent performance of the indie scream queen Monroe or one of the best roles in Cage’s career (it is better to look at the subtitled sessions to make sure of this; the talent successfully overcomes the make-up, but not so well dubbed). The latter also complements the duality of the author: in the last “Renfield” he played Dracula, meaning his father, and made his own mother the prototype of the Soul Collector (he says he was in a creative mood).
But the film’s main testament to its rock ‘n’ roll spirit comes from the most unlikely of angles: the rare horror movie that dares to quote a Taylor Swift album cover. That alone seems worthy of a Perkins handshake.
A still from the movie “Soul Collector”
Saturn Movies
Premiere date (US): July 8, 2024
Release date (US): July 12, 2024
Release date (Russia): July 25, 2024
Duration: 101 minutes
Manager: Osgood Perkins
Casting: Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, Kiernan Shipka
What are you thinking?
Source: Gazeta
Brandon Hall is an author at “Social Bites”. He is a cultural aficionado who writes about the latest news and developments in the world of art, literature, music, and more. With a passion for the arts and a deep understanding of cultural trends, Brandon provides engaging and thought-provoking articles that keep his readers informed and up-to-date on the latest happenings in the cultural world.