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Shock jock Grant Mazzy has once again gotten himself fired and the only job he can
find is the morning show on a tiny station in Pontypool. On his first day there he
immediately causes friction with the radio staff with his over the top antics.
But then reality begins to top him as calls come in of people acting strangely and then
violently. There seems to be a virus of some kind driving the people to madness, a
virus spread by words themselves. Barricaded in the studio, Mazzy has to deal with the
infected trying to get in and the thought that by broadcasting information to the
survivors the station's signal may allow the virus to spread way beyond the town.
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This is not a very flashy film, almost all of it takes place in the radio station itself and
the camera works catches the tense, claustrophobic setting perfectly. When it does
move out of the studio the camera still reminds us that we're trapped in a small
building and the infected could be on us at any moment.
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Pontypool is at its core a film about language and speech and the sound editing as a
result is very important to the film. Both the dialogue and sound effects are worked
and edited to great effect. What is loud, what is barely audible are used to keep us
disoriented.
The phone calls to the station telling of the first incidents in the outbreak are where
the editing really shines. Everything is conveyed by voice acting and sound effects,
and its so well done it creeps the viewer right out. If this hadn't worked the film
would have fallen flat, instead it builds incredible tension.
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This was a screener, so no extras.
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Pontypool has frequently been compared to another DJ Vs zombie film Dead Air, but
while both start out with similar plots of a brash shock jock being faced with a real
disaster Pontypool stays on course as a taunt horror thriller while Dead Air turns into a
wanna be action film complete with stereotypical terrorists and a motorcycle chase.
And of the two, Pontypool is by far the better film, it keeps the tension on and milks
its claustrophobic setting for everything its worth even making what at first seems like
a ludicrous idea seem plausible. Director Bruce McDonald has done everything from
cult films “Hard Core Logo” and “Roadkill” to mainstream TV in his career, here
working with a script from the novel's author Tony Burgess he makes his horror debut,
(not that his earlier work was short of grim and macabre imaginary), and he does a
great job of it. The focus is on tension and psychological chills for most of the film,
using listeners calls to describe the outbreak. It's not till the last 30 minutes or so that
there's any on screen violence, and as a result is shocking without being over the top.
The acting is strong across the board especially Stephen McHattie and real life wife
Lisa Houle as Mazzy and his producer Sydney. Most of the film revolves around them
and their interplay, and when the crisis hits they become the ones who have to take
charge. They really deserved awards for their work here.
A sequel has been announced for filming this year, I'm looking forward to it.
Pontypool will be release as a rental as of the 10th of March, 2010. So make sure you
reserve your copy of Pontypool today.
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