by: Obaid K
Posted on 02.11.10 in All Horror Films > Psychological Thriller > Zombie
Release Date: 2008

If you’re prepared to set aside any notions you may have about what a zombie movie is supposed to be and pay attention, you might want to check this out.

Pontypool (which is based on Tony Burgess’ book Pontypool Changes Everything) relies heavily on its storyline, a great script and strong performances from its cast instead of the more traditional emphasis on scenes of flesh-eating zombies. It isn’t very violent – blood and guts are used sparingly – and the body count is probably the lowest I’ve seen in any movie about the living dead.

But there’s something deeply satisfying about Pontypool and part of it is its concept for the virus infecting the town, which (though a little half-baked) is truly original and gives the film political undertones. The setting of a radio station in the midst of a snowstorm adds to the feeling of isolated claustrophobia, as we watch the crew try and make sense of what’s going on outside; it also calls to mind the paranoia generated by Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds radio hoax. Stephen McHattie deserves a special mention for his excellent performance as outspoken, world-weary radio show host Grant Mazzy.

The film begins with a monologue that will sound like poetic nonsense, with words blending into one another in a kind of stream of consciousness conspiracy theory tirade, but this is an important clue as to what will happen to the town that day.

Grant Mazzy, a hard-drinking morning radio host for the small Canadian town of Pontypool, is on his way to work in the early morning hours of Valentine’s Day, when he encounters a strange woman who keeps repeating everything he says before mysteriously disappearing. Like a true professional, Mazzy decides to use the experience as a topic for his show and poses the question, “When do you call 911?” to his listeners.

But it soon becomes clear that this isn’t an isolated incident and things aren’t quite right in Pontypool. There are reports of a strange “hostage” situation involving drunken ice fishermen and reports of a mob attacking a local clinic. As the show’s producer, Sydney Briar (Lisa Houle), and radio technician Laurel-Ann Drummond (Georgina Reilly) try to verify reports, they begin to find some unsettling facts. The radio station’s weather reporter, Ken Loney (a great voice-acting performance by Rick Roberts), is one of the only reliable, outside sources for the radio crew but even he struggles to find words to describe what he’s seeing.

There aren’t many conventional scares in this movie, but the way director Bruce McDonald builds suspense and an air of mystery during the first hour is much better than any jump-out-your-seat frights he might have served up. The film also has a good sense of humor and the tension between Mazzy and Sydney provides some hilarious moments, like when Grant is told that Ken plays sound effects from his truck to make it sound like the “Sunshine Chopper”. I think it lost some steam during the last half hour and details about how the virus could be stopped were never fully explained, but the apocalyptic ending made up for it.

This is a movie about the power of words – what they’re capable of and how they can be manipulated into something that does or doesn’t have meaning. With the ongoing “War on Terror”, this could be read as a statement warning us of the perils of labeling people and destroying what we don’t understand as a quick fix for a problem we can’t be bothered to deal with any longer. However, all of this is subtly implied in this well-crafted movie and it’s not until the climax that the political angle is made clear.

Pontypool won’t be to everyone’s liking, especially for viewers expecting buckets of blood. But for anyone looking for a zombie movie with brains (that don’t get eaten), this could be the perfect movie for a quiet night in.

• ★★★★★

  Acting:

• ★★★★★

  Blood:

• ★★★★★

  Violence:

• ★★★★★

  Partying:

• ★★★★★

  Language:

• ★★★★★

  Humor:

• ★★★★★

  Predictable:

• ★★★★★

  Girls:

• ★★★★★

  Gore:

• ★★★★★

  Sexuality:

• ★★★★★

  Torture:

• ★★★★★

  Overall:

Hmmm, unconventional Zombie films you say??? Try "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie." Euro-Trash offers some zombie flicks, but none of them are as good as Fulci's zombie films. I'd like to know if there are any more "traditional" zombie films out there that I have missed. This might be one of them. Thanks for the review!

Excellent review. I've never heard of this movie, but I absolutely love unconventional zombie films. I will check this one out!