Isolation

"Isolation" is actually a rather enjoyable movie, a fairly straight forward horror movie, in the likes of "Alien", actually. Well, think Alien subjected to an element of bovine, and then you essentially have "Isolation".

The story is about some experiment taking place on a remote farm in remote location of Ireland. Local farmer Dan (played by John Lynch) and veterinarian Orla (played by Essie Davis) are not fully aware of the extends of the experiment in which they are participating. Something is wrong with the cow carrying a calf, and during a troubled birthing, a horrible secret is revealed.

"Isolation" was filmed in a nice way, lots of interesting shots and angles here, and there was a very intense and adrenaline-filled moments throughout the movie. The mood was great and really helped the movie along quite nicely.

The creature effects was quite interesting, and it was a very unique appearance they opted to go for in the movie, both with the larvae and the grown creature itself.

And there is enough blood in the movie to keep most gorehounds fairly satisfied.

Got 95 minutes to spare, then "Isolation" could be a good way to spend it. The movie is enjoyable, has a good story and some interesting creature effects.

After watching the goddawful Shrooms, I googled 'Irish horror films' to see if anything worthwhile horror-wise had actually come out of the 'Emerald Isle' in recent years; Isolation was a title that repeatedly came up, so I thought I'd give it a go. However, whilst nowhere near as bad as the aforementioned Shrooms (but then again, not much is), Isolation isn't a film I'd recommend, being rather too slow paced (I know, I know... this is to build suspense and develop characters, but it's also boring), riddled with plot holes, and ultimately coming off as a low rent Alien rip-off, albeit one set on a farm.

John Lynch plays Dan, a cattle farmer who regrets allowing a scientist to experiment on one of his cows after it gives birth to a vicious calf, which in turn spawns a rapidly mutating 'inside-out' monster foetus that proceeds to attack anyone unlucky enough to cross its path. Admittedly, this sounds like a lot of fun—kinda like Black Sheep with udders—but it isn't: it's plodding, not particularly scary (there's a couple of effective 'jumps', but not a lot in the way of genuine terror), and way too derivative: this really is nothing more than your standard monster on the loose story, given a rural twist.

Occasionally, there are glimmers of inspiration, such as a few nasty deaths utilising a nasty piece of farmyard equipment used to kill animals, and there is also a touch of reasonable gore, but with a badly conceived monster (that looked like a cross between a crispy wonton and a chitinous prawn to me), this film doesn't go a long way to convince me that Irish horror movies are gonna have much of an impact on the genre.

Still, if I can find a copy, I expect I'll give Dead Meat a chance (I love zombie films), and I might even check out the upcoming Freakdog, from Shrooms director Paddy Breathnach—after all, it's GOTTA be better than his last effort.

Billy O'Brien pulls no punches and avoids no arm-in-bum shots in this tension-filled, dark film. The first portion of the movie, the viewer is left in a fog of confusion, constantly trying decipher exactly what's happening on the farm. The high level of confusion felt by the viewer perfectly parallels that of the protagonist--Dan, played adequately by John Lynch. Though exactly what "went wrong" is never truly established, its effects certainly are and lead to a horrible series of events.

Marcel Iures played John, the conductor of said experiments. His performance pushes the film towards its climax. He provides a dark and knowing force in the film albeit a somewhat typical mad scientist mold that he fits into.

O'Brien's greatest achievement is the reality in which he creates his film. His frequent use of a hand-held camera lends it a voyeuristic, documentary type of feel. He also utilizes a number of point of view shots to keep the viewer as close to the unappetizing going-ons as possible. That along with the low-key acting creates a very realistic portrait of farm life. Still, a threat found on a bovine farm can only be so terrifying. And though the idea is refreshingly original, the writing is still average at best. The characters share too many traits and seem to lack interests or goals outside of mere survival.

Isolation is a very odd horror/thriller, but it works. The storyline isn't the best (animal experiment gone wrong), but its doable. The thing that makes the movie pretty good is the characters, suspense, and fear of the unknown. The actors are not well known, but they are good, they make it a lot more believable. Also, they act in a realistic manner, which also really helped. Over all its a great suspense film. Yes, the idea as a whole is pretty trite and corny, but the director made it work into something good. Its a good above average horror/thriller that is actually pretty underrated. I rate this 7/10. Rated R for violence/gore, language and a scene of sexuality

Although the significance behind the title is only superficially explored - whether it be from too much 'isolation' from cosmpolitan city life, from interpersonal emotional relationships, from wholesome medical meddling, etc... this tightly told story of science run amok at a backwoods Irish farm becomes frightening due to keen usage of natural elements combined with a focus on natural visual/special effects - no CGI! Although the characters are unremarkable, the unrelenting tension gets its strength from the filmmaker's refusal to ever leave the premises. In addition, the overcast skies and the interiors' infrastructures allow the director many opportunities to increase the audience's fear of when and how the creature will affect the proceedings. Though the audience never witnesses the full poteniality of its metamorphosis (although the budget was almost $9.5 million, they may have run out before unleashing a complete masterpiece) the glimpses of how science's ambitions can run amok are horrifyingly conveyed. Essie Davis is gorgeous, but did not create a 'Jamie Lee Curtis' in "Halloween." Definitely recommended.