ISOLATION

ISOLATION (2005) trailer

From Bloodydsigusting, "To be screened at the 2006 Screamfest Film Festival in Hollywood

Ask any critic and they’ll tell you, horror goes wrong when comedy is added to the formula. I’m not saying that comedy is a bad thing in a horror film, because it’s not (Shaun of the Dead). A lot of time, it’s used to help the viewer relax before a good scare. But to me, a true horror film, one that really is terrifying, uncomfortable and emotionally brutal, is one that cuts the laughs from the mix and focuses on one thing…scares. Imagine a David Cronenberg THE FLY/ALIENS hybrid; can you picture the disgusting, horrific terrors that might grace the big screen?

In ISOLATION a young couple on the run take refuge at a lonely farm, only to find that the farmer has been supplementing his income by allowing genetic experiments on his cattle. A mutated calf is born and goes on the hunt.

After hearing the buzz and seeing a few small reviews on the web I couldn’t help but wonder why we haven’t seen the film in theaters here in the States. Lionsgate owns international rights and I was under the assumption they also owned domestic, but I’m not quite sure anymore. If no one owns domestic rights I think I now know why… this is going to be a hard sell. ISOLATION is one of the most uncomfortable films to watch, especially if you’re a vegetarian or against animal cruelty. Obviously no animals were hurt in the filming of the movie (we hope), but it depicts some truly horrible imagery that is sure to have some people running out of the theater. We see forced births and watch helplessly as cows and calves are killed with a sort of gun that just “pops” their brains (so they die instantaneously). I love my meat, in fact I was eating a brisket sandwich while I was watching this, but I still had a hard time digesting what I was watching (and eating).

The creature FX is astounding and one of the best decisions director Billy O’Brian made was keeping the killer calf in the dark. You never quite see what’s attacking, but you catch enough glimpses of the beast to make your skin crawl. It’s revolting and disgusting, but what truly is the centerpiece are its eyes. One of the key elements in a good horror film is finding a way to make you empathize with the killer. Like so many great films before this, we have compassion for this “mad creation”, which makes the desire for its death unbearable.

Keeping up to tab, the designs are great, the gore is there, we have a perfect killer and there are no stinkin’ jokes- add stunning cinematography and solid acting to the mix and you have a near-perfect movie. The film is extremely dark (a la THE FLY) and carries a mild green overtone that keeps you on the edge of your seat. You never quite feel comfortable watching the film, even when there’s nothing going on. I was so incredibly on edge and nervous that I jumped out of my seat a good two times.

If you’re a fan of David Cronenberg and his disgusting techniques in visual storytelling, ISOLATION is going to blow your freaking mind. In fact, ISOLATION is the most solid gross-out film since THE FLY that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I dare you to sit through the entire thing; I guarantee if this film ever sees a full release you’ll witness an extremely high amount of walk-outs. ISOLATION is not for the weak and squeamish nor for the horror fans who want fun, laughs and good times. The film is as serious as you can get, as hardcore as any horror movie will be, it will cement its place as one of the greatest horror films of our time."