Collectors, a recent Best Local Talent horror short film winner at the 2025 Poconos Horror Fest, is an example of how location can elevate a movie. Filmed in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania during a snow-filled winter, writer and director Brian Pollock utilized the exterior shots to instill a sense of disorienting urgency and mystery to the narrative.
How’s the story?
In the middle of the woods, two bounty hunters (Travis played by Angel Ramirez Jr. and Marcus played by Tim McRae) have “collected” their prey in the form of an escaped female prisoner (Lora Lee played by Samantha Rivers Cole). They’re temporarily holding her in a remote cabin.
We learn she’s exceedingly dangerous and manipulative. Marcus makes sexual advances towards the seemingly captive Lora Lee who responds in kind to lure him into dropping his guard. Travis warns Marcus about Lora’s history of sexually manipulating her captors in order to kill them but Marcus doesn’t pay attention. She manages to escape and put Marcus in a life-threatening situation. Naturally there’s a standoff. Travis trains his gun on Lora and Lora manages to obtain Marcus’s firearm. Director Brian Pollack smartly moves the action outside. Now thrust into the open vastness of the snow-laden woods, the stakes become heightened for all. Primal fear reigns.
Final thoughts
From the opening scene, Collectors grabs audiences by the throat. Each time you try to capture your breath the grip tightens. It’s an ambitious film with a clever twist that makes use of the outdoor elements to further solidify the mayhem that ensues. Samantha Rivers Cole turns in delightfully manic performance as Lora Lee. Angel Ramirez Jr. exudes confidence as Travis and Tim McRae hits the right notes as the gullible Marcus.
Be on the lookout for Collectors at a film festival near you.
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