Pontypool

Name: Pontypool
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Released: May 29, 2009
Duration: 93 min
Rating: 54

2009

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 57 Ratings

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6.6

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6.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 57 Ratings

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Pontypool

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Movie Details & Credits

IFC Films | Release Date: May 29, 2009 | Not Rated

Summary: Shock jock Grant Mazzy has, once again, been kicked-off the Big City airwaves and now the only job he can get is the early morning show at CLSY Radio in the small town of Pontypool which broadcasts from the basement of the small town's only church. What begins as another boring day of school bus cancellations, due to yet another massiveShock jock Grant Mazzy has, once again, been kicked-off the Big City airwaves and now the only job he can get is the early morning show at CLSY Radio in the small town of Pontypool which broadcasts from the basement of the small town's only church. What begins as another boring day of school bus cancellations, due to yet another massive snow storm, quickly turns deadly. Bizarre reports start piling in of people developing strange speech patterns and evoking horrendous acts of violence. But there's nothing coming in on the news wires. So... is this really happening? Before long, Grant and the small staff at CLSY find themselves trapped in the radio station as they discover that this insane behavior taking over the town is being caused by a deadly virus being spread through the English language itself. Do they stay on the air in the hopes of being rescued or, are they in fact providing the virus with its ultimate leap over the airwaves and into the world? (IFC Films)… Expand

Director: Bruce McDonald

Genre(s): Thriller, Horror

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 93 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Think of this witty, economically gory little tour de force as "28 Days Later" written by linguist Noam Chomsky. Read full review

Noel Murray

Primarily though, the film works as a tour de force for McHattie--a veteran character actor making the most of his character’s long, fluid monologues--and as a sly commentary on journalistic responsibility. Read full review

Mike Scott

Between its ridiculous setup and its hard-to-care-about ending, McDonald still manages to craft an engaging suspense film that -- when you're not scratching your head in puzzlement -- will have you on the edge of your seat. Read full review

Stephen Farber

Efficient enough to attract a cult audience. Read full review

Stephen Holden

A small Canadian horror film that makes the most of its minuscule budget. Read full review

V.A. Musetto

The premise has potential, but there's no follow- through. And there's no actual zombie mayhem; we learn everything secondhand -- from phone calls to the station. Read full review

Andrew O'Hehir

Pontypool is something like a claustrophobic, locked-in-the-barn zombie movie, only almost without zombies. Read full review

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User Reviews

TomGlos

May 8, 2012

Excellent movie, interesting premise. Thinking that maybe those marking it down don't really get it. Â Don't expect an action flick, heck it's not really even a zombie flick. Â If you like intelligent, well written and well acted understated performances and quirkyExcellent movie, interesting premise. Thinking that maybe those marking it down don't really get it. Â Don't expect an action flick, heck it's not really even a zombie flick. Â If you like intelligent, well written and well acted understated performances and quirky sic-fi then this is a movie for you.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

ScienceAdvisor

Dec 31, 2017

A shoe-string budget, perfectly executed and horrifyingly captivating. The premise may be a little far-fetched in the physical aspect of "failure to acquire a victim", however the psychological foundation is very plausible. Those incapable of understanding such a complex possibility willA shoe-string budget, perfectly executed and horrifyingly captivating. The premise may be a little far-fetched in the physical aspect of "failure to acquire a victim", however the psychological foundation is very plausible. Those incapable of understanding such a complex possibility will find far less enjoyment in Pontypool.… Expand

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

horcrux2007

Sep 2, 2014

"Pontypool" is one crazy movie. Its premise is very strange yet intriguing, and it's a fresh take on the somewhat tired zombie genre. "Pontypool" is a slow movie because the entire movie takes place in a radio station and not out in the action, but the film is still very disturbing because"Pontypool" is one crazy movie. Its premise is very strange yet intriguing, and it's a fresh take on the somewhat tired zombie genre. "Pontypool" is a slow movie because the entire movie takes place in a radio station and not out in the action, but the film is still very disturbing because it relies mostly on some creepy sound effects. I recommend this if you can stick out the first 30 minutes because it really picks up after that.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Jatsun

Apr 7, 2014

I thought this was a great, fresh movie. I feel like this should have been a laughably bad b-movie based on the premise, but it was written, acted, and directed so well, it didn't come off silly at all. The acting of the two main characters was notably great. I want to reiterate whatI thought this was a great, fresh movie. I feel like this should have been a laughably bad b-movie based on the premise, but it was written, acted, and directed so well, it didn't come off silly at all. The acting of the two main characters was notably great. I want to reiterate what another user said, that this is NOT an action-packed or gore-heavy typical horror movie. It reminds me somewhat of the movie Resolution, in that it could easily have been a bad movie but, due to the great acting and writing, was instead awesome and captivating.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

AJGo85

Oct 21, 2020

If A Quiet Place is the horror movie based around not speaking, and Bird Box is the horror movie based around not seeing, then Pontypool is the horror movie based around not hearing. Its conceit is fresh and interesting and, while not without flaws, remains haunting and unsettling. PontypoolIf A Quiet Place is the horror movie based around not speaking, and Bird Box is the horror movie based around not seeing, then Pontypool is the horror movie based around not hearing. Its conceit is fresh and interesting and, while not without flaws, remains haunting and unsettling. Pontypool has never fully left my mind since I first saw it two years ago. It has been on my mind a lot since March 2020. There are films with more violent and disturbing imagery that I’m recommending this Shocktober, but this is the only one that I hesitated in recommending at all. It didn’t occur to me in 2018 but it is clear now that Pontypool, like 28 Days Later, is not a zombie movie. It is a pandemic horror movie.

Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) is a cowboy hat wearing, washed up radio shock jock reduced to doing morning news for a rural town in Ontario: Pontypool. Sydney Briar (Lisa Houle) is the morning show producer, who tries to keep Grant on track, reminding him that people just want their news and weather and don’t want to be antagonized. Sydney’s assistant Laurel-Ann (Georgina Reilly), is a young veteran that served in Afghanistan. These are the main characters, and, aside from a few callers and visitors to the station, the only characters. Once Grant arrives at the radio station, he and Sydney and Laurel-Ann slowly realize that the strange violent events overwhelming the town have trapped them in the station.

The film unfolds over a matter of hours on a frigid and snowy Valentine’s Day in one location, more or less. Before the sun is even up, the radio station begins receiving reports of strange and violent behavior in Pontypool. There is a hostage situation and a riot at a doctor’s office and military vehicles in the streets. We see none of this and no other news source is reporting the events. Sydney thinks that they are being pranked but the influx of reports and a call from the “sunshine chopper” reporter (who actually just reports from a hill overlooking the town) make it clear that something sinister is wreaking havoc and spreading. Those people acting strange and attacking others are also chanting and babbling incoherently, repeating the same word or phrase again and again. Mazzy and Sydney translate a message in French warning people to avoid contact with loved ones and the English language.

The sinister force at work is a strange virus that turns people into mindless zombies repeating phrases like: “A simple kind of sample” or “I’m not missing Mr. Mazzy.” The explanation for the virus comes in one of the film’s biggest contrivances, Dr. Mendez (Hrant Alianak), who breaks into the radio station and explains his theory on the virus. The idea he presents, that the virus spreads through understanding certain infected words, is what sets Pontypool apart from other virus/zombie movies. It's an intriguing concept. As Mazzy puts it, “How do you not understand a word. How do you make it strange?”

Pontypool would work equally well as a stage or radio play. There are scenes of blood and zombie attacks (for lack of a better term) but almost no pop-up scares. This film relies on the sheer talent of its leads reacting to the news they hear and the little they see while stuck inside to create suspense and tension. Stephen McHattie and Lisa Houle don’t just carry the movie, they make it as good as it is; the premise does not work without their top-notch performances.

I wouldn’t say that Pontypool falls apart in the third act exactly, but its intentions become muddled. Even as the characters are executing their plan it is unclear just exactly what they are trying to accomplish. Still, the tension is high and I was too caught up in their climactic performances to be concerned with the details. I am even more puzzled by the epilogue but equally intrigued for the same reason. Even with its flaws, Pontypool is a surprising and at times mesmerizing small scale horror movie that is unsettling and frightening not because of any intense visuals or effects but because of the overwhelming situation and ideas thrust upon the characters.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

CaKeS

Apr 16, 2017

While the fact the entire movie is spent inside and around a recording booth may seem like a cop-out on special effects, it creates a very interesting, realistic view point on an apocalypse setting. We join our main character, Mazzy, a radio talk show host, in what seems like just anotherWhile the fact the entire movie is spent inside and around a recording booth may seem like a cop-out on special effects, it creates a very interesting, realistic view point on an apocalypse setting. We join our main character, Mazzy, a radio talk show host, in what seems like just another day in the life. Quickly news spreads of a nearby outbreak of strange behaviour, and from there we're very slowly fed bits of information that explain what's happening, much like what would happen if you were hiding in your home watching the news during an outbreak. While immediately you may assume this is a typical zombie movie, it has a very, very interesting twist on the viral disease, which I don't want to discuss for spoiler reasons, given that it's a huge discovery and will leave you smiling once it's communicated to the audience. Personally it's difficult for me to call this a horror film, while it has it's resonating ambiance playing in the background, and over-the-phone deaths, and plenty of gore, it's not what I would typically consider horror: more of just a thriller, but perhaps that's because of it's lack of tropes (aside from the outbreak viral disease idea).

Nonetheless, whether it's Mazzy's silky-smooth voice, or the uniqueness of Pontypool's disease, it was an enjoyable and engaging watch. The low score is mostly due to the fact that the acting was kind of all over the place, while it wasn't bad in any respect, it seemed mismatched much of the time, throwing extreme emotions around where they shouldn't be, which just left me confused or chuckling. It felt slightly claustrophobic being filmed in such close-quarters the entire hour and a half, and the solution to the disease was extremely silly; showing the audience that the unique and refreshing writing stopped at the creation of the disease, and did NOT carry into the cure or resolution of the film. Regardless, I do recommend Pontypool if you enjoy outbreak films (I can't really call it a "zombie" movie, but it's very similar in spirit), and don't mind seeing a whole lot of nothing for a majority of the film. But I should remark that the story taking place without showing what was actually happening until later was handled very expertly and was made surprisingly interesting.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

klogd

Feb 15, 2012

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First 60 minutes are great, good acting and it sets a great eerie zombie mood. But then the story just got so dumb it actually made me facepalm.. Spoiler: You can get infected (become a "zombie") by words in the English language... Yes that's right, and you can get cured by pretending the word means something else for 15 seconds, and then you're free to use the word again apparently.. Sorry, but that's just so stupid it doesn't even belong in fiction. Maybe Dr Who or the Twilight zone could pull it off, but this movie does not… Expand

0 of 5 users found this helpful05

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