ISOLATED Star KateLynn E. Newberry & Writer Michael Ferree Dish On The Secretive A.I. Twist Ending (Exclusive)

Just a few weeks ago a horror movie titled Isolated became available on digital. While the film might look like your average, run-of-the-mill, every day scary and thrilling flick, it is far removed from being limited to those norms.

Similar to similar movies in this particular subgenre of horror, Isolated is likely to remind viewers of titles such as Buried and Saw. While at first it may seem as though these movies belong in the same category, but the twist in Isolated is so insane that it takes things in such a different direction that audiences come to realize the film was science fiction based the entire time.

(Pictured Above: Poster for Isolated)

Spoilers Ahead

Blown away when learning the truth about the place these people are "trapped in" the sci-fi elements quickly come to light and in the end it is discovered that they aren't people at all, but instead, robots that can be completely controlled. So intrigued by the twist, we reached out to speak with the writer and the main actress in order to unpack that spoilery twist.

While we have shared some of their comments prior, this one is going to dig into the deeper levels of the spoilers. The main actress in the film, KateLynn. E. Newberry and screenwriter/co-producer Michael Ferree had a lot to share about their views of the spoilers and helped us understand anything that was confusing - as it was.

(Pictured Above: Screenwriter & Co-Producer Michael Ferree)

"Never has the saying rang more true, I think, than in film; It takes a village, it takes ninety villages, it takes lots of people to come together and make something like this. I am so happy that we were able to see this through and we were able to get it to the point where we can go see it for all of those people. And that's how I want to continue to work; that's where I find the joy in filmmaking." - Michael Ferree.

We've included a portion of the transcript in where we get into the nitty gritty  below as well as our audio and video chats with both Michael and star KateLynn for those looking for more information on this recently released horror flick. (Transcript is slightly altered for reading purposes.)

(Above: Audio version with Screenwriter & Co-Producer Michael Ferree)

Literary Joe: First of all, when it comes to the spoilers, who came up with the twist? Was it a part of the movie when it was pitched to you?

Michael Ferree: When the movie was pitched, the twist was not a part of it. First and foremost Tyler Lee Allen, the director, came up with the twist after a few drafts and I was like "no, uh uh. That's way too far off" And I like drama and grittiness, but grounded in reality. So when this was first pitched to me I was not a fan.

But what we kind of had set up with our agreement is that we had three creative producers. And it was like, if someone doesn't agree we're going to try to work with that to find some way to agree but if it comes to a stalemate then it goes to a vote and it becomes two thirds vote. So it didn't get to that because what I typically do in this process is that when I hear something like that that I think is so off base when I already have a script written and I already have a story in my head.

(Pictured Above: Spoiler Character - Travis)

I have that knee-jerk reaction and then I try to sit with it and think about ways and if I had this idea how would I make this story work? And I simmer down a little bit take a couple days and sit on it and then I pitch it. So that's essentially what happened.

And good on Tyler for thinking about it, because it turned out to be an incredible twist and a backwards turn, not right and not left but you're walking backwards. And the thing that I love most about it is that it provides in essence - because I went back and re-read the whole script before we decided to go ahead with it - it provides a rewatchability factor which I am such a huge fan of in films.

Once you see this twist, you're going to want to go back and watch it and you're going to notice things and hear things and see things and think 'Oh that was so weird I didn't get that on the first one or I missed it on the second one, but now I see, it makes sense, she's a robot!'

(Pictured Above: Actress Katelynn E. Newberry in Isolated)

Literary Joe: What are your thoughts on the potential future of the franchise now that the twist has been revealed?

Michael Ferree: Yeah, I think it's not been discussed amongst us but when we had test screenings people had asked. It was standalone until the twist and then it just opened up a whole new world. Especially with the company that's producing it.

So, anything is possible. That would be strictly sci-fi. But I like the idea of following Edgar. David Abrams, man, his scene at the end with Edgar, I really love watching that scene and I love watching him perform it because it's really interesting if you think about it from the perspective of Edgar, of this guy, literally, he's just going to work. This is a day of work for him. At the beginning of the film he's going to work and at the end of the film he's trying to get out of there just like everyone else at the end of a work day. He's just trying to go home.

So when we start to hear about his life, when Nell talks about it not being fair and he starts talking about his mortgage and his kids. And this is all so mundane and run of the mill for him but for her this is Earth-shattering. And he sits across from her at the end there and is totally so aloof. And she's having a meltdown and I love the juxtaposition of that scene because it is such an interesting thing.

(Pictured Above: Actor David Abrams - Edgar)

A lot of films end like that Christopher Nolan quote "a lot my films end with two people talking in a hallway", a lot of films end with that but to have them on two different planes of existence and frames of mind was very interesting to me. So I just wanted to make Edgar, and Tyler wanted to make Edgar just trying to get out of there and enjoy his weekend. Because to him, she's a product, she's not a human being.

Which I think is the total essence of this film. Because this is a being. At what point in evolution does this being capture a soul? What is the essence of a soul? Is it memory, is it feeling? It got to the point where Nell, who was the most advanced model began to have feelings for another model, for Travis. She was worried about him, she cared about him. What she experienced when she got out of her room was devastating. Is that not now a human being? That's the big thing to me

And then Edgar's indifference at the end can be taken as literal, or he's just totally indifferent or just evil. Or the reality of the situation is that she's made of metal and plastic and whatever that would look like. And that, for me, at the end, was a big point. I hope it's a big point of the film that people will be talking about.

Literary Joe: Near the end your character starts to question what she i, so as far as the sci-fi aspect and twist to this film, is there any experience or media you pulled from as inspiration?

Katelynn E. Newberry: This is actually gonna sound pretty lame, but I don't actually care. (Laughs) But the thing that I really pulled on for the character of Nell was at least, how, in my experience, as a woman, how objectified women can be. And so that's what I pulled from.

And it makes sense when you watch the movie, she's just a robot. I don't want to spoil too much, but when you watch the ending you'll see. So Nell's story in itself is heartbreaking but also at the same time if I'm being all meta or whatever, that's really what I, from my own human experience, that's what I had for her.

What do you guys think about these comments? Knowing about the A.I. aspect to film, does it change your thoughts on checking it out or solidify them?

Regardless, check out the fully immersive video interview with screenwriter and co-producer Michael Ferree below and be sure to let us know your thoughts on the trailer and our interviews!

Today's episode is a bit more special than usual. After interviewing KateLynn E. Newberry in support of Isolated recently, I wanted to reach out to the screenwriter of the film. As it turns out, we aren't only from the same town, but we are actually friends from high school. (What a twist!)

Screenwriter Michael Ferree sat down and indulged me for nearly 45 minutes about Isolated since I had so many questions about the horror-thriller flick and the mystery throughout the movie. I refuse to spoil it, but because of the massive twist in the film, we spend most of the chat talking about the first two acts and then a spoiler section of the show which we properly preface - so have no worries!

While having Michael on we chatted about the three films that he has been working on, and while information is scarcely available on one upcoming movie, we did learn quite a bit about his movie Seven Days 'Till Midnight, so be sure to check that out as well and be sure to check out the brand new release of Isolated on DVD and Digital!

Isolated is currently available on DVD and on-demand.