Pontypool
Tags: boring, suspenseful, mystery, stupid, violence, flashback, plot twist

Plot synopsis:
In the small town of Pontypool, Ontario, former shock jock turned radio announcer Grant Mazzy drives through a blizzard to work. On the way, Mazzy has a strange encounter with a nonsensical woman who gets his attention by putting her hand on his car window and only saying the word "blood" several times before staggering off into the storm. He arrives at the town's radio station, where he works with technical assistant Laurel-Ann Drummond, who has recently worked in Afghanistan, and station manager Sydney Briar, a divorcée.
As the morning proceeds, Grant's shock jock style and on-air persona irritates Sydney. They get a report from their helicopter reporter Ken Loney about a possible riot at the office of a Dr. Mendez. Ken describes a scene of chaos and carnage that results in numerous deaths. After Ken is unexpectedly cut off, the group tries to confirm his report, but their witnesses are disconnected before being put on the airwaves. A now audibly frightened Ken calls back and says he has taken refuge in a grain silo. He describes what he sees outside as people eating their way inside others and tearing themselves apart. An infected man crashes into the silo, crippling himself, and Ken's call is interrupted by a transmission in French.
Laurel-Ann translates the transmission, which is an instruction to remain indoors, not to use terms of endearment, baby talk, rhetorical discourse, or the English language. Pontypool is declared to be under quarantine. Ken calls back again, and gets his phone close enough to the infected man for Grant and the women to hear his mumbling, which is nothing but "Mommy" in a child's voice. In confusion and disbelief, Grant tries to leave the station. A horde of people attack, and Grant, Sydney, and Laurel-Ann lock themselves in. Meanwhile, Laurel-Ann begins repeating the word "missing" and imitates the sound of a tea kettle. Dr. Mendez enters the studio and Grant, Sydney, and Mendez lock themselves in Grant's soundproof booth.
Mendez explains his theory: somehow a virus has found its way into the English language, infecting certain words, and only certain words infect certain people. Once these infected words are said and understood, the virus takes hold of the host, who finds another person to kill themselves with. As he explains, Laurel-Ann repeatedly slams against the sound booth's window, chewing off her lower lip and splattering blood with each attack. Ken calls in and, while on the air, he succumbs to the virus, repeating the word "sample". Sydney manages to call her children, only to hear them becoming infected. Outside the booth, Laurel-Ann vomits a large amount of blood and gore and falls down, dead. Mendez suspects this has happened since she failed to find a victim.
The horde then breaks into the radio station, attacking the sound booth. Sydney records a loop of Grant's voice and plays it over the outdoor loudspeaker to draw the mob outside. Dr. Mendez begins to repeat the word "breathe" but immediately switches to Armenian, which prevents the virus from taking over. Grant and Sydney, speaking in French, leave him in the booth. They are attacked by an infected young girl and kill her. When the recording fails, the mob returns. Mendez leaves the station and lures them away, saving Sydney and Grant, who now lock themselves in the equipment room.
While Grant tries to figure out how to reverse the symptom, Sydney begins drinking and obsessively writing on the wall and door. She then begins to succumb to the word "kill". Grant then attempts to "disinfect" Sydney by convincing her that the word "kill" now means "kiss". He urges her to repeat "Kill is kiss" over and over again, and her symptoms subside. She tells Grant to "kill" her, and he kisses her. Hoping to stop the virus, the pair go on the air, spouting a series of self-contradicting and confusing phrases to help their infected listeners, ignoring warnings from the authorities who are trying to get them off the air. While an amplified voice from outside counts down from ten, Sydney joins Grant in the booth and they kiss. As the countdown finishes, the screen goes dark and the credits roll.
Audio broadcasts play over the credits, reporting further outbreaks of the virus, suggesting that the quarantine failed. After the credits, the scene shifts to a radically different view: a stylized black-and-white version of Grant and Sydney in what looks like a far-eastern atmosphere. They give each other new names: Mazzy becomes "Johnny Dead-Eyes" and Sydney is "Lisa the Killer." As Grant describes his plan to "get out of here", the picture gradually shifts into color. According to director Bruce McDonald, the post-credits scene was originally the final scene of the film, taking place before the credits. However, audiences in early screenings found the original ending to be too confusing, so the scene was moved behind the credits instead.

Review: Pontypool was an amazing film for a number of reasons.The story pays a respectful homage to horror greats like Night of the Living Dead and 28 Days later without ever becoming cliché.
The authenticity of the radio broadcast and culminating events were enough to actually draw me into the anxiety that the characters felt,which says a lot considering the 2-dimensional feel of the majority of movies I have seen as of late.
Pontypool is one of the few horror movie that used a little creativity and proves you don't need a high budget to a make horror film.
I remember purchasing this book back in 2008 because it was a Canadian zombie story that takes place in a little nowhere Ontario town called Pontypool.
It's the compelling, terrifying story of a devastating virus.I will not tell you how you catch it so as not to include spoilers, but once it has you, it leads you on a strange journeyinto another world where the undead chase you down the streets of the smallest towns and largest cities.If you are expecting a night of the living dead style film...
Not in a long time has a horror movie fired this viewers' imagination this much, and therein lies the appeal: it really does work like a radio show, where the listener creates the visuals for themselves and the performers have to really sell the material.
With the number of main players in the story kept to a bare minimum, a high degree of intimacy is achieved.The under-rated veteran character actor Stephen McHattie gets a chance to sink his teeth into a rare, meaty lead role as Grant Mazzy, a sardonic shock jock now working as a morning radio man in the small Ontario town of Pontypool.
In director Bruce McDonald's decidedly unconventional horror film Pontypool, certain words of spoken English carry a virus that is transmitted to the listener only when they are comprehended; the infected person then develops strange speech patterns, violent tendencies, and attempts to further spread the disease by talking to others.Canadian 'Shock Jock' DJ Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) is hosting his early morning talk-radio show when an outbreak of the virus occurs in the nearby town of Pontypool; as reports come in about sudden riots and inexplicable mob scenes, Mazzy and his radio crew, producer Sydney Briar (Lisa Houle) and assistant Laurel-Ann (Georgina Reilly), slowly begin to realise the awful truth about their situation.Pontypool has the kind of unique, thought-provoking premise that would usually demand several viewings in order for me to get a firm grip on and form solid opinions about precisely what has occurred; what a shame then that the single radio station setting, the stilted dialogue, and stage-like execution aren't anywhere near enthralling enough for me to want to repeat the experience in a hurry.The more pretentious of horror fans will no doubt defend the film regardless of its rather monotonous nature, but I guess I'll just have to be content with my initial, perhaps somewhat basic understanding of the film and get back to my traditional (and, more importantly, fun) zombie flicks—you know...
Stephen McHattie's mesmerizing performance as down-on-his-luck Radio talk show host, Grant Mazzy, bolsters an already intriguing premise that deals with a peculiar zombie outbreak that centers around linguistics in a way that I not only found interesting but the movie actually had me eagerly anticipating the sequel, but also making a beeline to get hold of both the books that originated their respective movies.
At the screening I attended the audience was right with it, listening, reacting, hanging in there with local radio station politics being set-up as a term of endearment - perhaps honey - may have triggered a psychological zombie state and the question is how to keep the scary people from breaking down the sound proof glass.
The makers were trying to be clever by making a new spin on zombie movies, but as is the usual these days, it didn't even start to come off.
But to write a comment on here telling people it's a great film and having a heading stating Refreshing Respite from Overdone Horror/Thriller Movies!
I'm not sure if that ever happened because I bombed out of the film at an hour and five minutes, which was a huge test of my patience by the way and didn't cost me any finger nails, I can assure you!If you really haven't got anything better to do than to watch this then all I can say is that you must be - single!Good night!.
The story revolves around the sudden appearance of a deadly virus that hits a fictional small community called Pontypool somewhere in Ontario, Canada - so unlike some Canadian movies it doesn't hide the fact that it's Canadian.
Most of the movie is set in the somewhat claustrophobic environment of a radio studio, where the three person team, expecting a normal and routinely boring day of small town radio, begin to get reports of people acting strangely and violently, with mass killings taking place as people apparently go insane and the army being called in.
As pieces of the puzzle come together, it's determined that this virus is being spread somehow through people speaking and hearing certain words in the English language.There's a definite element of satire here about the danger of the language we use, and even some fun poked at the genre of talk radio.
Nonetheless I stayed to the end of Pontypool on the strength of its various non-zombie elements.First, the film brought to mind the radio days of yore, before TV arrived to pollute our living rooms.
In places the film elevates itself to satire and laughing at the silliness of the explicit plot happens often.Finally, the superb performance of Stephen McHattie as the morning radio talk show host of the small AM 660 CLSY station in Pontypool.
The filming and atmosphere were OK but it kind of bugged me that it took place in a radio station the whole time and all the action and chaos happened mostly outside and we only heard the comotion on the airwaves but it did keep me on the edge of my seat.
I think some horror fans might be disappointed that this movie isn't that gory at all and is mostly about its characters and suggestion and suspense than scares and fast pace action but to me that didn't pay off very well at all and just left me hanging and wanting more.
Overall I liked their idea and thought it was pretty fresh and smart but the execution of it could of been better and clearer, this reminds me of the movie The Signal which was a little bit better and more entertaining than this one so if your a fan of this genre check that one out but don't expect much from that one either.
The camera-work is good but nothing special, the setting is dark but what can you expect from this genre of film!All in all, I believe Pontypool stands out of the bulk of today's horror movies.
It won't make it to be an all time classic of the genre, but it's a nice movie to watch (atleast for once), especially if you like a somewhat mysterious atmosphere and less blood and gore than is usual for a zombie movie.
If you, on top of that, try to really comprehend the new twists and turns and the explanation for the zombie infestation and use your imagination, this film will leave you wondering and ensure you'll have had a good time.*First review ever*.
Perhaps we were expected to read between the lines, and I had a nagging feeling that some knowledge of the political situation in the part of Canada where this movie was set would have given me a bit more clarity.I give Pontypool an A- for effort and originality, but a C- for execution.
As far as I'm concerned that's a good thing because as much as I love a good zombie film (and I do), it's always nice to see a film that changes the game a bit.The film deals with, and is almost entirely confined to, a radio station in a rural Canadian town where reports begin to trickle in that something big is happening.
Yes, I know it seems a bit obtuse and strange, but the way it's explained makes all the sense in the world while you're watching the film and leaves you wondering how to fix such a problem with such limited means of communication (i.e. without speaking).The film straddles the line of psychological thriller and horror pretty well and for a horror fan such as myself it was a very nice surprise.
It's from 2008, and I'm not sure it ever got a wide theatrical release; it doesn't have any major stars; and it takes place mostly within a single location -- but this little horror gem is one of the most intriguing genre films I've seen in a long time!The setup is fun, and is unfortunately all I can give you without spoiling what makes this film special.
If you, like me, have any appreciation for the power of words, you will get a thrill when you find out where this film is headed."Pontypool" is a good film with a great premise, and is a very refreshing take on the "zombie movie" and "contagion" genres.
Pontypool is a psychological horror movie portraying the zombie invasion from the point of view of a radio DJ and two technicians in a small town in Ontario, Canada.
If you are looking for a "Dawn of the Dead" style zombie film, with lots of fast-paced action, gore, and people fighting zombies, then this movie is not for you.
It is even the kind of movie that may be adopted by non-horror fans.It is clever, it understands fear, it makes you think.It's also a movie that is very difficult to review for many reasons: For one thing, you are not quite sure what happened.
In fact, you are quite sure that several interesting things may have happened, and that is one of the strengths of this movie.For another thing, it is full of surprises which should not be spoiled.So I'll just mention a few keywords: Language, communication breakdown that leads to violence, zombies, fear created by the imagination, great acting, creepy baffling events, Canadian politics, possible apocalypse.Although this is a horror movie, it is not appropriate for people that watch horror just for the gore, monsters, zombie action, and teenagers getting slashed.
It is described as a psychological thriller-- but it contains the essence of what makes all zombie movies terrifying-- that inevitable plodding horror and the impending doom that follows.Though the dialogue shifts, at times, into cartoon, it is, nevertheless, great dialogue.Grant Mazzy: "People are ...
I'm all for independent horror movies, they often offer something more real and personal than the big CGI blockbusters but this is just total nonsense and if you are buying it it's probably because you like films that try to make you feel clever without actually saying anything.Some boring characters sit in a room and tell you that something interesting is going on.
I want to be fair and say that Pontypool could be one of the best zombie movies but they needed a better ending to accomplish that.
Sometimes originality and new ideas,specially in zombie movies, work the wrong way....
The setting is great and feels realistic, the writing is above most films of this type, McHattie carries this movie on his shoulder, and the concepts are refreshing and original.
A slow moving and decent horror film carried by the actors and an excellent single idea expanded into a full length movie.
As the horror genera plots are very saturated, this movie takes a new angle.I had no expectations at all nor did I read what it was about ,I saw it and it blew my mind, this movie feels more like an intellectual film rather than a simple horror movie as it makes you think and use you imagination, a lot of it is tell rather than show as you have to paint images in your mind to get an idea of what's going on, it builds more in suspense and tension instead of shocking visuals and gore.
Don't expect this film to be like the other zombie movies you have seen.
This horror film is about a small town called Pontypool in Northern Ontario Canada which appears to be over run with strange happenings.
The setting for most of the film is the local radio station where whiskey drinking radio personality Grant Mazzy (a very good Stephen McHattie) has to keep it all together while things that he, his producer and engineer do not seem to understand.
I read all the reviews of this movie on IMDb and was quite looking forward to a different kind of 'zombie; film.
It could have used a nice twist and a larger portion of Horror, but all in all novelist Tony Burgess (screenwriter and author of the novel upon which the film was based) and director Bruce McDonald have truly done great work.Different and lovely, Pontypool is very recommended!.
The man is clearly highly adaptable and flexible as a director, which is the nicest thing you could unwittingly have in a random indie horror film.It's probably why 'Pontypool' was so easy to relax into and also why the movie's main points of interest (the characters and how they react to their situation collectively and personally) seemed so in-focus.
It takes its time in building momentum, yet never wastes time in establishing character and atmosphere and it delivers plot twists like clockwork, never letting you get bored.The film does have quite an array of characters, although there is no denying that the lead character, Grant Mazzie, played by Stephen McHattie steals the show with such a concentration of charisma that no matter what happens, you're captivated by his performance as the slightly grizzled and not entirely likable DJ having a bad day on the worst possible day.Even as a grouch he is funny and entirely likable and you understand his situation long before the **** hits the fan.
McHattie is hugely competent in a lead role and shame on me for never having noticed.Another great actor in this movie was Lisa Houle, playing Sydney Briar, the station's manager/producer, who I am surprised I do not know even though I've seen films she's been in before.
Only what 'Prince...' never had was the comic element and 'Pontypool' is sometimes carried along by a lighthearted moment if not the type of moments you laugh at but know you probably shouldn't.There are some particularly creepy scenes and despite the fact that Grant and the other survivors are locked away safely within the station, the horror does not stay safely on the outside and thus prepares the movie for its finale, but never without a fun twist or two.How much can I say without wanting to spoil it for you?
I like the fact that I could listen to this just as easily as watch it and still get the same effect.Acting, sound, camera work are all top notch.If you want to be freaked out by your imagination, this film is for you.
If you haven't seen this film then watch it now.A kind of zombie virus that turns people into insane monsters who want to bite their way inside people to hide, all unfolding in real time from to point of view of an alcoholic radio DJ live on air locked in his studio and not sure whether the callers and news feeds are playing a cruel trick on him...
(It helped that almost all of the movie takes place in one basic location.) The movie also has an original idea concerning a new kind of zombie infection not seen in a movie before.But in the end, I don't think the movie quite worked.
It's winter time in Canada.Stephen McHattie plays early-morning DJ Grant who works in broadcasting radio station in a small town of Pontypool.But some kind of a deadly virus is spreading horror in Pontypool turning people into spouting gibberish and murdering zombies.The callers are terrified and the survival begins..."Pontypool" is refreshingly original zombie flick with very slow set-up.The suggestions of approaching apocalypse work nicely and create an atmosphere of upcoming dread.The shocks are subtle and there is very little gore.The main idea is fantastic:the infection is spread by language words.8 broadcasts out of 10.Very enjoyable and original zombie flick.Kill is definitely kiss..
Originally conceived as a film with no visuals (an idea later abandoned), this claustrophobic thriller focus on a maverick radio talk show host who continues to keep broadcasting while outside reports suggest that a deadly virus has infected his small town.
As events outside the radio station escalate, what seems to be behind the outbreak is revealed to be the words being spoken themselves....Pontypool is a very clever variation of the zombie/virus storyline.
Being told via events taken place within the radio station, things start slowly, before building to a tense, gripping climax.Despite the low budget, the writer Tony Burgess and director Bruce McDonald have done a wonderful job, using the location to wonderful effect, and getting excellent performances from the cast.The idea of the language being the cause of the spread of the virus is a great idea, as the very voice warning you of the danger, may actually be spreading it.
I just so love small-set and small-cast movies, and it works perfectly here: They're all given lots of screen time in their claustrophobic little radio studio and it feels like you're in there with them.
When the disease gets to the radio station, it turns into a small zombie horror movie.
This virus makes people act kind of like zombies.
The virus is transmitted in a strange and unique way which is why having this movie set almost entirely in a radio station makes complete sense.