The Collector

Freddie Clegg, a lonely, socially awkward young man, purchases a 17th-century Kent farmhouse with his football pools winnings. He lives as an amateur entomologist, spending his days capturing and cataloging butterflies. The secluded house and its basement laboratory become the stage for his growing fixation on Miranda Grey.

Freddie begins stalking Miranda Grey after following her into Hampstead. He abducts her on the street and incapacitates her with chloroform, taking her to his farmhouse cellar. The abduction marks the start of her captivity and Freddie's dangerous fantasy.

Miranda wakes to find herself in Freddie's cavernous, windowless stone cellar, surrounded by a bed, clothing, painting tools, and an electric heater. The space has been made into a meticulously controlled prison designed to keep her close. She quickly realizes she has become the object of Freddie's obsession.

Freddie explains that he is not seeking ransom or sex; he reveals he and Miranda once rode the same bus in Reading and that he followed her to London after art school. He proclaims his love, while Miranda attempts to escape by feigning appendicitis, only to be caught again. The conversation establishes the twisted dynamic at the core of the film.

Freddie tells Miranda that he will free her after four weeks, believing the time will let her get to know him. The plan frames captivity as a test rather than a kidnapping. Miranda reluctantly accepts the condition, hoping to survive and perhaps understand him.

Freddie begins granting Miranda small luxuries, such as leaving the cellar for sunlit periods and taking baths under his supervision. The kindness masks his underlying control and volatility. Tension between captor and captive steadily grows.

During a bath, Freddie fondles Miranda, and she warns she would lose respect if he raped her. A visit from Freddie's neighbor, Colonel Whitcombe, disrupts the moment. Freddie silences Miranda by gaggings her and tying her to bathroom pipes, then diverts Whitcombe with a false story about his girlfriend accidentally leaving the tub running.

Freddie repeatedly talks about Miranda's other boyfriends and pries about her social life. He lets her write a brief letter to her mother but tears out a small note requesting help in front of her. The exchange deepens Miranda's sense of isolation and underlines Freddie's controlling nature.

In a tense discussion about art and literature, Freddie calls Miranda elitist and asserts they could never be friends in the real world. The comment sharpens the emotional distance between them. Miranda's sense of being understood or defended diminishes further.

On the thirtieth day Freddie prepares a formal dinner and dresses Miranda in a dress for the occasion. He asks her to marry him, and she agrees, though she hesitates. She attempts to flee the house, but Freddie corners her in his study and chloroforms her again.

Miranda regains consciousness in the cellar and Freddie claims he did not rape her. He says he intends to keep her until she tries to fall in love with him. When Miranda attempts a seduction after a bath, Freddie sees through the ruse and mocks her, comparing her to a prostitute.

During a confrontation after a rainstorm, Miranda seizes a shovel and strikes Freddie on the head. He overpowers her, drags her back into the cellar, and the electric heater breaks, leaving her cold and soaked. Freddie then leaves to seek medical help, intending to bring a doctor back later.

Three days later Freddie returns and finds Miranda ill with pneumonia. He goes into town to fetch a doctor but changes his mind about bringing one back. He discovers Miranda has died and buries the corpse beneath an oak tree on the property.

With Miranda gone, Freddie resumes driving around and begins stalking a young nurse, suggesting that his predatory pattern might continue with a different target. The film closes with an implication that his fixation and danger may persist beyond Miranda.