marcus dunstan

It's no surprise that writer Patrick Melton and co-writer/director Marcus Dunstan's script for The Collector was once considered for a Saw prequel film. The Feast and Saw collaborators created a raw and brutal assault on the senses with their story about a double home invasion and a masked serial killer who sets a web of traps to collect his victims.

Given its roots, it would be easy to chalk this film up to being just another torture porn fiasco, but The Collector manages to be a movie about torture without actually crossing into 'porn' territory. The film did struggle to find its place as it danced back and forth between realism and splatter film excess, but there are several elements that make the film closer to old school exploitation than pure torture porn. I'm not talking about "exploitation" in the way it has become a catch-all phrase used by lots of people who wouldn't know an exploitation movie if it sat on their face. I'm talking about something gritty, violent, low-budget and unforgiving. This is after all the same film, shot on 16 mm even, in which the director burned his own hand in order to capture the most realistic effect for a take.

I do truly love having a seasonal horror franchise, even if I'm not the biggest fan of the last few Saw films. Now that we're getting closer to October, AKA the horror genre's month long birthday party, all the marketing materials have begun emerging from their hatcheries, and there is once again little doubt that the loudest baddie of the month will be Lionsgate and Twisted Picture's torture-cherishing Saw VI (opening October 23rd).

Things are cryptic on the plot front, as per usual, but recently a new poster and the first TV spot have found release onto the Internets. I have no idea what's going on in the poster, except that it retains the tradition of forming the series' current roman numerals out of (presumably) deadly trap. Once again Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan have returned for writing duties, but Saw VI will be making a brand new director out of the series' long-time editor Kevin Greutert. According to the cast list, series regulars Shawnee Smith, Costas Mandylor, and, of course, Tobin Bell will be returning, but beyond that trap-setting trio this latest adventure into bondage and torture has a relatively unknown cast.

So click on to see a larger version of the poster to the right as well as the aforementioned TV spot, courtesy of Dread Central. Oh, and if you happen to live in Orlando, you might be interested on clicking over here for a behind-the-scenes look at how you can step into the haunted house world of Saw at Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights.

Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan are cybernetic typewriters sent from the future to make sure there is never a drought in horror news land. True story. What other explanation is there? Surely no mere mortals of flesh and bone can have the work ethic those two share. Surely the duo behind all the Feasts, most of the Saws and The Collector don't actually, eek, love the genre. If you don't believe me, just wait until Saw IX comes out and their true influences emerge. Spoiler alert: Jigsaw has to divert to his backup hydrogen fuel cell in the last act after a teleportation trap goes awry.

Not long ago the two were on tap to collaborate with prolific scribe Clive Barker on the Hellraiser remake. That was until the prospect of an updated Pinhead drifted back into the shadows after a chain of directors walked off the project. Creative differences was the often cited reason for the project's repeated stalling, but with this latest news from the Risky Biz Blog one can assume those differences never arose between Barker, Melton and Dunstan. Turns out the later two will be writing for Warner Brothers Television a series to be co-chaired by Barker and produced by McG's Wonderland Sound and Vision titled simply "Clive Barker's Hotel".

We're still reeling from the impact of the first footage from Saw VI, and now comes confirmation that Saw VII will definitely be darkening theater screens in October 2010. Since Saw VI promises to provide "the final piece of the puzzle," I suppose Saw VII will be creating a new puzzle? Or will Jigsaw next try Monopoly?

David Hackl will return to the director's chair, according to Variety. You'll remember him as the production designer for Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV; he made his directorial debut with Saw V. Also returning are the industrious writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, who will be racking their brains to come up with more fiendish devices, puzzles, and one-liners for Jigsaw to rasp. They're on a roll now, after finishing the second Saw trilogy of IV, V, and VI. I hope they save something for the inevitable Saw VIII and Saw IX.

In a separate item, Variety also confirms that The Strangers 2 is on its way, which seemed like kind of a no-brainer after the first one did so well, not only with the public but with many critics (myself excepted). Bryan Bertino, who wrote and directed The Strangers last year, has also penned the script for the sequel, but a new director has been hired. Laurent Briet, described as "a commercial and music video director who also worked on visual effects for The Ring" remake. The story is being kept "under wraps." Will it perhaps feature young masked intruders knocking on someone's apartment door in the big city? Production starts this fall.

Remember last week when I mentioned (loudly) that Fantastic Fest and HorrorSquad were going to present a screening of a new horror movie on July 22nd? Well, that's still on. But now we can offer you a look at the very first and brand-new trailer for Marcus Dunstan's The Collector! By "me" I mean an IGN embed and a handy reminder from Dread Central. And me!

This is a fairly aggressive red-band trailer, so be sure there are no impressionable minds around once you hit play. The Collector hits theaters on July 31.

Over the course of my non-stop flick-hoppings, I've become a small and unofficial cog in the Fantastic Fest machine. (Let's say I'm half-consultant and half-cheerleader.) Tim League and his Alamo team scour the globe for the best in horror, sci-fi, action, etc., but I've been known to drop those guys a line when an interesting flick crosses my path. (Or when I'm just really bored. Curse you, caller ID!!) So here's some exciting news for those who A) live in Austin, B) love new horror movies, and C) are sure they can tolerate my presence for two consecutive hours:

Fantastic Fest and HorrorSquad present ... THE COLLECTOR! July 22nd! 10pm! Alamo Ritz! With Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton in attendance! And they're nice guys! Yes, the guys who wrote Feast, Saw 4, Feast 2, Saw 5, Feast 3, Saw 6, and The Collector will be at the theater to A) eat cheese fries, B) drink beer, C) watch their movie on the big screen, and D) stand up for a Q&A thingy! It's going to be fun. I decree it to be so.

The Collector, as you may know, was recently known as Midnight Man, but it switched titles when it jumped over from Dimension to Freestyle. The plan is for The Collector to hit theaters on July 31 (which is why they couldn't just hold it for Fantastic Fest: September is after July), and I've already heard from the likes of Ryan "Rotten" Turek, Rodney Perkins, and (yes) Tim League that this is one kick-ass horror show! And now a few words from first-time director Marcus Dunstan: "Well, we just received our R rating after four trips to the MPAA, and I'm happy to say that none of the film's impact has been lost. Matter of fact, their notes made some scenes hit even harder! We're beyond lucky to be a part of Fantastic Fest again, even if it is a few months early this time. Austin welcomed Feast with open arms, and I am over-the-moon excited to bring The Collector to a city that loves movies so much."

In response, Tim League had this to say: "This movie rocks." For more information on The Collector, check out the official site, and keep your eyes peeled on this and other fine horror sites. I'm betting you'll be hearing a lot about The Collector real soon!

How many Feast flicks and Saw sequels do you have to write before someone lets you direct your own movie? If you're Marcus Dunstan the answer is ... wait on sec ... three Feast movies, plus Saws 4, 5 and 6 ... six! The answer is six! Dunstan, who's one of the nicest horror guys you'll ever meet (and he does one hell of a Don Knotts impression), makes his directorial debut on The Collector, which used to be known as Midnight Man when Dimension owned it, but now it's being distributed by Liddell / Freestyle ... and now it's The Collector.

The flick, about an ex-con trapped in a house full of ... nastiness, is presently sceduled for a July 31 (theatrical!) release. For more info, hit up Shock and the official Collector site right here.