Pontypool

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Logan D Shock jock Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) and his assistants (Lisa Houle and Georgina Reilly) are shocked themselves when reports begin of people turning into flesh devourers. A claustrophobic film that focuses on the reactions of the characters within their studio. There is one scene outside and one physically violent sequence but for the most part we are treated to utilizing our imaginations as people call into the show to explain what is occurring in the world. A very intelligent film, I thought, and McHattie, a veteran, delivers one of his best performances. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/07/24 Full Review Dave C Seemingly built on William Burroughs’s old dictum “language is a virus from outer space”, this is a zombie horror unlike any other, in that communication itself is the killer! “While driven to hunt and bite like regular zombies, these echolalic infected communicate their disease not through blood and bodily fluids, but through words and phrases on which they fixate.” - BFI - 10 great zombie films: Tracing the evolution of the living dead on screen. 20 October 2022 Whilst such an unusual concept naturally allows terror to thrive in the absence of any explanation or reasoning, BM and MB work to ramp this up even more by having the story playout in one small, claustrophobic setting. As a result, although the zombie apocalypse happens off screen and on air, we only see a limited amount of what’s really happening The film is deliberately – cleverly, elusive and ambiguous, though it does suffer some damning plot assumptions that let it down Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/25/24 Full Review Matthew B After watching (and thoroughly enjoying) this film, I cannot help but wonder why it is not brought up more in discussions about quality horror movies. Even as a hardcore zombie fan, I hadn't heard about this film until recently. Pontypool is an extremely unique zombie movie that MASTERFULLY uses atmosphere to creep the absolute f*** out of you and keep you on the edge of your seat. The way I would describe this movie to someone who hasn't seen it, is that it is a zombie movie "without" zombies... well, until the end. We spend a majority of our time with this film inside a claustrophobic radio recording booth where our protagonists are receiving news of an ongoing zombie outbreak that is happening around them. With most of the story being delivered to us through audial means rather than visual, it forces you to use your imagination and I can't help but believe that is a major contributing factor to how unsettling this movie really is. That, and the zombies f***ing talk... when we finally see said zombies, the big reveal is tense and unnerving. The film also uses language in a clever way, with the zombie "virus" being infected words that upon being said / heard, transforms you into one of the infected. I love the implications of the post credit scene, and the open ended nature of the entire film. My guess is the filmmakers intended for us to speculate and make our own theories, which is brilliant. My personal theory is some kind of alien weapon... but that's a discussion for a different day. Acting is solid, and Stephen McHattie's voice is awesome. Highly recommend this film, it's insanely unique and WILL stick with you. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/01/24 Full Review Raiodesol S Eu vou escrever essa review em português pois, dessa forma, estou seguro. Este filme é extremamente engenhoso com a sua estrutura, orçamento e set. Incrivelmente bem pensado com um roteiro congruente (embora não devesse). Seus personagens são cativantes, embora não sejam muito desenvolvidos, e conseguem transformar toda a narrativa. Os pontos fracos do filme derivam de seus pontos fortes: o baixo orçamento nos deixa presos na estação de rádio, o que nos deixa curiosos em relação ao que se passa fora; os personagens são marcantes mas nada desenvolvidos, não sabemos suas histórias; enquanto estruturalmente faz sentido, a razão por trás do vírus se torna ambígua a partir do ponto em que não se sabe exatamente o que causa a transmissão. Assista! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/18/24 Full Review Audience Member I really enjoyed this disquieting zombie movie. There were a few moments where it felt like a page of dialogue was skipped and the characters suddenly had new information that I didn’t, but overall it was so well acted and did so much with so little. (They also flash a glimpse of the Neal Stephenson novel Snowcrash which explains the contagion, for anyone who wants more.) Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/15/24 Full Review R Z Great idea and great low budget setting. But the execution's a lil iffy. Good example is when the letters are fading in on the title screen it says "TY POO" for a bit. Like come on guys. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/14/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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