Collector (1965)

AKA: –
Directed by: William Wyler
Starring: Terence Stamp (Freddie), Samantha Eggar (Miranda), Maurice Dallimore (Neighbour)
Country: UK; Effed Up British Cinema
Language: English (Optional Eng Subs)
Runtime: 01:59:08
Genres: Captivity-Kidnapping

Plot – Spoilers:
A lonely British gentleman, Freddie, who has no pressures of earning a living, spends any available sunny day by himself, wandering the grassy knolls that surround his old farmhouse. These are perfect spots to search for rare butterflies, of which Freddie boasts an enviable collection. Pretty butterflies aren’t the only things that catch his fancy though. There’s Miranda, an art-school student whom he has been stalking for a while now. She was from his town, but when she moved to the city, he did the right thing and followed her there.

But Freddie is a gentleman. So even though he chloroforms Miranda and locks her up in his cellar, he refers to her as his guest who he hopes will fall in love with him eventually, and refuses to sexually force himself because he respects her too much. A true gentleman.

The Collector is one of those truly great effedup films. Serial killer Berdella was so in awe of it, he even claimed it inspired his deeds. This is as much about the class struggle as it is about a psychopath’s desire to possess that which he believes is otherwise unattainable.

Favorite Scene:
Because you see… they’re looking for you alright. But… nobody’s looking for me
And the epic music that follows, like something heroic has just happened in a Western.