ISOLATION [2005]

 IT DIDN'T WANT TO BE BORN; NOW IT DOESN'T WANT TO DIE. 

This nifty Irish horror film was a huge surprise to me in that it's creepy, startling and quite disturbing in a Lovecraftian sort of way.  Dan owns a farm way out in the remote countryside of Ireland.  Apparently he has allowed a local scientist to perform experiments on his cows.  A local vet named Orla examines one of Dan's cows that is having trouble giving birth and, while she inserts her hand all the way up the cow's hoo-hah, something apparently bites her!  Orla goes away.  Meanwhile, a young couple Jaime and Mary are parked in their caravan just outside Dan's farm.  During the night, the cow is in great birthing distress and Dan runs down to the caravan to ask for Jaime's help with the cow.  The birth is a bloody mess and there is something wrong with the calf.  The calf is sorta kinda monstrous and has to be killed.  Examination of the calf shows that . . . . wait for it . . . . the calf was born pregnant.  What the what?!?!?!?!   This is just the beginning of some terrifying shizzle.

Writing and direction by Billy O'Brien is masterful with suspense being ramped up constantly and a genuine eeriness to what amounts to a very nasty, Lovecraftian-like tale.  The cast is also excellent.  Dan is played with a nice world-weariness by John Lynch (whom I remember most keenly as the morose father in the 90's remake of THE SECRET GARDEN).  Veterinarian Osla is played by Essie Davis (THE BABADOOK).  Jaimie and Mary are played respectively by Sean Harris (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT) and the spectacular Ruth Negga (PREACHER).  All the cast is absolutely superb in this.  The body horror really gets dialed up and the whole concept of the creatures is disturbing to say the least.  This one's a real creepy-crawly winner.