Pontypool could be described as the Oxford-educated cousin of the ever popular zombie movie. Adapted for the screen by Tony Burgess, from his book Pontypool Changes Everything, the story centers around a series of chilling events that begin in Pontypool, Ontario, but gradually escalate to global proportions.
Pontypool setup
The hero is Grant Mazzy, (played by Stephen McHattie)a once popular shock jock now working for Pontypool radio in the basement of a church. Mazzy has a way with words to say the least, and has already butted heads with his supervisor Sydney (Lisa Houle) over the purposefully antagonistic statements he makes on air. When news starts to trickle in about drunken policemen, a shootout, and possible severed limbs Mazzy jumps at the opportunity to cover something outside of just another day in Pontypool. However, as more grizzly and haunting news reaches the station, Mazzy and his co-workers find themselves in the middle of a town struck with a virus that is spread through the English language; making a radio station possibly the most dangerous place to be.
Pontypool is Miles Ahead of the Average Thriller
Though Pontypool could easily have worked as a radio play Director Bruce McDonald manages to make this dialogue heavy film equally gripping to watch, using the claustrophobic setting to his advantage. The cinematography, sound, and editing work together seamlessly in creating the feeling of unease, making the unseen terrifying.
McDonald has used the film’s low budget to his advantage, avoiding CGI, massive crowd shots, and tons of prosthetics and make up that are common to most films of the genre. The result is that the actors have to work hard in conveying their fear of the unknown in order for the audience has to imagine most of the horrors happening outside the station. This could have become farcical, but McHattie and Houle are able to draw the audience in to the chilling tale with excellent timing and range of facial expressions.
Writer Tony Burgess's Script Creates Fear of Words
The script - which is described by Burgess not as an adaptation but a chapter his book could have imagined - is funny and clever and constantly leading the audience in a new direction. When Mazzy and Sydney realize that the virus is being spread through the English language, their feverish attempts to avoid it add a new level of creepy satire.
Above all the script is a stimulating and refreshing take on a genre that is often heavy on the plot light on character. Pontypool will make people think; make them wonder, for days after they have left their seat in the theatre.A puzzle this good shouldn’t be missed.
