About a year ago, in my review of “Host,” I pointed out how the pandemic era of horror film-making had already started. In the months since Rob Savage released his “directed-over-Zoom” ghost thriller, several other independent horror projects also made in-secret during the early days of the pandemic have come out. Those would be new movies from high-profile filmmakers Ben Wheatley and Neill Blomkamp... As well as a third example. Unlike the others, “Isolation” is an anthology film, presenting nine stories from twelve different directors. “Isolation” would also distinguish itself from the other pandemic inspired projects by literally being about the pandemic. Among the directors invited to join “Isolation” was Larry Fessenden, whose involvement always gets me interested in a project.
“Isolation” is a little different from your usual horror anthology in a big way. Instead of its stories being totally self-contained, they are all set in the same world. (A few of the stories even directly connect.) It's a world where a highly contagious, airborne virus has swept across the globe. COVID-19 or Corona Virus are not specifically mentioned by name. In fact, the virus of “Isolation” seems to mutate far faster than its real world equivalent, leading to far more extensive society-wide breakdown then we've experienced. (So far, anyway.) Despite being fictionalized, most of the details — feverish symptoms, people wearing masks in public, abandoned city streets — are the same. Either way, it's a decent premise for an anthology film. And, I suppose, a fictional approach is a bit more tactful than making a horror movie about our actual pandemic would be.
The nine stories are as follows: “Fever” concerns a feverish man who takes an unorthodox approach to keeping his family safe. “5G” follows a conspiracy theorist who hears a voice telling him to take direct action against the cell towers he believes are spreading the virus. “The Dread” is about a married couple, whose home is broken into by an intruder. “Pacific Northwest” tracks a pair of young children, who have to fend for themselves when their parents die. “Meat Hands” has a lonely young man forming a bond with the dead body on his front lawn. “It's Inside” is about a different conspiracy theorist, who fears the government has infiltrated her home and her body. “Gust” shows a woman who is afraid of the air around her. “Homebodies” sees an investigative journalist, tasked with getting new stories about the pandemic, sneaking into the home of a reclusive family. Lastly, the protagonist of “Comfort Zone” is a young woman inside a shipping container, infected with the virus, communicating with a man on the outside.
"5G" comes to us from Andrew Kasch, who previously directed "This Means War," one of the best segments in "Tales of Halloween." This short also has a strong start. There's some amusing irony in a house arrest bracelet being the source of a voice, badgering a conspiracy theorist to get more paranoid. Yet it's disappointing that "5G" never attempts to address the reason why people believe these things. Considering the segment ends in a blunt, violent manner, I'm inclined to think the whole thing is a sick joke. That it's about an asshole getting what's coming to him. If that's the case, it's never exactly funny. Graham Denman is also a bit flat as the main character.
The third episode of "Isolation" is probably its weakest. "The Dread" both stars and was directed by Dennie Gordon, whose previous movies include "Joe Dirt," "What a Girl Wants," and "New York Minute." Presumably she was selected to participate in this anthology, not because of her features, but because of her work on TV shows like "Legion" and "Waco." Anyway, it's an almost plotless story largely devoted to Gordon wandering around an apartment, stalked by an unseen man. There's not much tension or dread in the proceedings. We never learn anything about the woman, so it's hard to care too much about what happens to her. It has a baffling ending that seems to be a twist of some sort but is so vague that I don't totally understand it.
The fifth story, "Meat Hands," comes from Adam R. Brown and Kyle I. Kelley, who have made some shorts I have not seen. This one really focuses on the idea of isolation, as it's largely quiet protagonist — played by Brown — is totally alone in his house. The title comes from his habit of filling a glove with ground meat and heating it up, just so he can feel something like the touch of another person. There's a real sense of sadness as we watch him get sicker, coughing and vomiting more. The lack of music, use of background noise, and tendency to frame its main character in wider shots adds extends this feeling of loneliness. It's easy to predict where this is going, from the minute the dead body outside appears, but it's still an effective short.
"It's Inside" is directed by Kier Siewert and Alix Austin, the team behind "Retch," a solid short that combined visceral body horror with dark humor. Their contribution here does much the same. The back half of this one features some seriously cringe-inducing gore, that continues to escalate in severity. There's also some effective jump scares, as the paranoid fantasy of home invaders in invisibility-granting suits come to life. "It's Inside" also looks pretty good, utilizing shadows and sickly, neon colors in interesting ways. Austin herself plays the conspiracy theorist and is equally unhinged and pathetic. Overall, I liked how this one gets bigger and crazier as it goes on. It's probably my favorite segment in the film.
Alexandre Neary, whose short “The Teddy Bear's Picnic” was memorably grisly, directs “Homebodies.” This one is done in the found footage style, bringing the “V/H/S” series to mind. The idea of exploring a dark, creepy house full of some shocking surprises does make for a decent scare or two. The found footage format is good for stories like this, for putting the audience right in the main character's shoes. What arcane things are going on inside the rich family's home is not made explicitly clear, which is a bit frustrating. Though there is some nasty gore here. The newscaster character that motivates the plot is unnecessarily obnoxious. “Homebodies” functions decently enough, though I doubt I'll remember anything about it in a day or two.
“Isolation” concludes with “Comfort Zone,” the only non-English language segment. It comes from German director Christian Pasquariello, whose has made a number of shorts and a feature called “Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1.” “Comfort Zone” represents the film in its most low-key mode, as it's really not much than a conversation between two people. The huge, hollow shipping container makes a decently spooky setting. Fine Belger gives a likable performance as Eva, the girl inside the crate. The ending doesn't have the impact I think the filmmakers were hoping for though. It gives all of “Isolation” something of an underwhelming ending.
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