I bought a very cheap copy of this movie, which I had never heard of, because it had won the Grand Prix at the French Gerardmer Film Festival, an award which had already directed me to two films I greatly enjoy, "Dark Water" and "Two Sisters."
"Isolation" is not exactly in the same league, but it is quite a decent effort. The only problem is that it just does on a farm what "Alien" had already done on a starship and "The Thing" in the Antarctic, namely explore a very visceral kind of biological horror, mixing this generic theme with echoes of the recent mad cow disease scare, fears about GMOs and an idea from the physiology of David Gerrold's tribbles.
The visuals are very similar to "Alien"'s: it is surprising how much a farm at night looks like the interior of a starship, especially with all the machinery and the stuff dripping from the ceilings.
As a believer in animal rights, I was particularly pleased by one line of the script, when the protagonist tells the scientist: "They are not animals to you. They are just laboratory experiments." As someone who coined the verb "deanimalize", I loved the philosophy behind that statement. Indeed, the cows in the film almost seemed like characters to me, and I wish the director had explored this a little further.
As a (moderate) fan of the TV series "Ashes to Ashes", I was also pleased to meet again baddy Sean Harris in a more sympathetic role.
Be warned though: the movie contains strong language, one sexual scene and, of course, rather copious amounts of gore (I closed my eyes once or twice.)
If you like science non fiction mixed with your horror, you may be unpleasantly surprised with this one. A movie that may creep you out if you think to much about all the genetic engineering happening these days. What makes this film so scary is that something like this could actually happen. Over all I would say it was well done. It creates that claustrophobic feeling many had, when as kids,,while hiding under the sheets and trying to sleep at night you wondered what was moving around in the dark. Personally when the person stuck his arm in the cows uterus to grasp the calf, you knew something bad was going to happen. It did,,, and gets worse and creeper from there. Best scare flick I've seen in years.
Sounds like it could be good. "On a remote Irish farm, five people become unwilling participants in an experiment that goes nightmarishly wrong.-zombie movie"
And let me tell you the plot then you'll get the big wet fish slap around the face moment of clarity which will explain why its so fucking awful!!!
The film is about a genetic experiment on Cows to make them more fertile at a younger age which goes wrong in spectactualr style, leading to a pregnant calf being born which is host to spontantiously mutated, spiny, biting, high pitched wailing creatures that barrow into your stomach and eat your intestines, all the while growing in size/appitite and ferosity. Sounds like award winning stuff right!!
The titla of the movie has no real reference even to the plot, the farm its all based on isn't isolated, there is no huge disarster preventing them calling for help or leaving, nor are they alone.
The general feel of the film is slowly drawn out with hardly anything note worthy within the first 40 minutes. this isn't always a bad thing in a horror film cos that slow tension building can realy help the atmosphere and scare factor but in this all is does is make it highly unentertaining. Not considering the first half of the movie does involve a cow having a full rectal exam by the vet and then its subsicent close up angle of the mutant calfs birth, which is as close to scary this film even gets.
The actors again are unknowns and at best poor excuses for it, the only decent one being proad cow farmer John Lynch, who was fairly good considering he didn't have much to work with here.
The special effects are non-existant, and the blood and gore are just rediculously over the top and draw away from what is already as pathetic excuse of a movie. By the end I had actually became so bored I found myself playing solitar on my ipod. And to think the bastards even left the end perfectly set up for a sequel!!
The only good thing was the fact that the vets hand got bit during the mother cow's rectal exam, i'd like to think that my organs would turn carniverous and bite the bitch with her arm up my ass to the elbow too!!!!
The first few minutes of the movie where they were going into the cow's anus was possibly the scariest parts of the film. Other than that, the story of strage mutant virus things coming out of cows was just plain silly. Not scary at all.
Rented this not knowing what to expect... It turned out to be pretty fuckin' weird... Not to mention the first 'bout 45-50 minutes that were boring as shit on a stick being twirled around by a fat cheerleader... Still there was some gross shit which gives it a couple stars.
I thought this was going to be a scary film. A few bits made me jump but this one was more laughable than anything else. Strange genetic mutant things growing inside cows - I don't think so!!
A painfully disengagin movie with characters whom I couldn't be arsed about if they died, or lived, or won the lottery or turned into mutant cows. Good choice of non-CG special effects, I thought it could be Aliens meet The Thing in the first 30 minutes. Then it all went pear-shaped.
This movie was STRANGE. First off I really don't like cows to start with and this movie just completely made me even more against them. Second, I HATE parasites! They flip me out and this was definitely a parasitish thingy. Kinda gave me the heebe jeebes lol Anyway, if you like strange sci fi movies ... well here you go ~ #$%ed up cows on a silver platter.
Si hubo una cinta de terror seria que realmente disfruté, fue justamente esta. Fue una suerte no habermela perdido, tiene la atmósfera de The Thing, la esencia de Alien y la intensidad de Signs. En una remota granja irlandesa que ha visto mejores épocas, Dan decide prestar su hogar y ganado para experimentos genéticos a fin de mejorar la calidad de la carne. Las cosas no salen cómo se esperan y, digamos que las vacas no son las únicas que pagarán las consecuencias. O?Brien sabe cómo manejar la tensión y crear pánico con pocos recursos, y logra captar la vida en una granja con un realismo impresionante, lo cual ayuda bastante para poder meterte en la historia.
Mutant cows!Sounds very cheesy but I quite enjoyed this.The setting...an isolated farm out in the middle of nowhere is a good eerie backdrop for the bovine related mayhem that unfolds.Don't be fooled by the idea of killer cows....it's actually quite dark and creepy.
Called "Alien on a Farm", this is a very good, atmospheric horror film with good performances by the cast and a suspenseful story. Sure it owes a lot to some films that came before it, but it also doesn't try and hide it's influences either. A very entertaining film.
WHAT IS UP WITH THIS MOVIE? it started out pretty disgusting and cool with all the gory bits.. but suddenly just twisted itself into a horrible mess.
i love the color/tone and photography of the film though. EXCEPT whenever the creature/thingy appears.. it just becomes fake and cheap looking.
what a waste of time and money. plus everyone in the cinema kept laughing and talking throughout the film, coming out with their own theories and i was pretty sure EVERYONE knew the ending.
MCT:May 29, 2008
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