Isolation (2005)

Dir: Billy O'Brien

It takes guts to make a straight-faced horror movie, set in rural Ireland, with MUTANT COWS as the central antagonists. Luckily "Isolation" has an abundance of guts, both in the literal and metaphorical sense of the term. When a genetic experiment to make cows more fertile goes wrong, the farm is quarantined and the people inside it find themselves trapped with the experiment's horrific results. The film is eerily atmospheric and shot with deadpan realism. These elements contrast against the outrageous creature design and gutwrenching carnage onscreen to make for a disquieting experience. If the film lacks anything, it's a strong ending (the finalé is a fairly typical "chase through the dark" sequence) but the ultra-tense build-up more than makes up for this. Original, enjoyable and loaded with well-orchestrated scares, this is a remarkable debut for O'Brien and I can't wait to see what he does next. ***