The next film in our 31 Days of Horror movie review marathon is Bruce McDonald’s adaptation of Tony Burgess’ novel (he wrote the script as well), Pontypool.
Set in Pontypool, Ontario, Pontypool takes place in a church basement where a former big shot DJ named Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) broadcasts the same old boring morning radio content. When a report of strange events where people begin to develop strange speaking patterns reaches Grant, his producer Sydney (Lisa Houle) and studio operator Laurel Ann (Georgina Reilly), they begin to report the news but nothing official comes in across the wire, leaving them confused as to whether this is a prank or not. Eventually the team realizes that the events that are happening are real, that people are starting to do very violent, zombie like things and that the virus that’s causing this are actually words in the English language. The question then becomes, do they stay on the air and try to protect people by letting them know what’s happening or do they take refuge, stop speaking and hope that they eventually get rescued.
Pontypool isn’t a scary film but it is wrought with suspension because, like Grant, Sydney and Laurel Ann, we are left in the dark about the events unfolding outside the studio and must rely on witness accounts via phone to piece together what is happening. This lack of official information or specificity is what keeps you in the film, you keep wondering to yourself what exactly is causing this violent outbreak amongst the small town population, how does it work and what does it cause the infected people to do exactly. Once we get our answer the movie is nearly over and it becomes a tale of survival as the trapped captives try to figure out how to counter the spread of the virus while also trying to survive when the church is surrounded by violent people.
What I also enjoyed about the film was that it used its low budget style to its advantage, making the film really a one room horror/thriller. The majority of the film was based either in the DJ booth or right in front of it, actually, it felt like a less stressful and claustrophobic version of The Terror: Live. Furthermore, if it wasn’t for a strong performance from Stephen McHattie, who does a majority of the talking, and a solid turn by Lisa Houle, I don’t think I would have enjoyed the film at all, their performances helped significantly to keep the tension high and our interest level piqued.
Overall, Pontypool is a tense low budget horror that takes a really unique and original spin on the zombie genre, introducing a scary new way in which the virus can spread that I never thought I’d ever see. This concept along with strong performances from its leads and Bruce McDonald and Ton Burgess’ ability to show restraint with regards to information dissemination and keeping the audience in the dark is what makes it an interesting film to watch. If you are looking for a decent horror film to kill time one night, and one that I think would work perfectly as a stage play, it doesn’t hurt to give Pontypool a shot.
Rating: A decent and tense low budget horror with an original twist on the origins of a zombie outbreak (6.2/10)
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