Pontypool (2008)

Director:

Bruce McDonald

Writer:

Tony Burgess (written by)

Release Date:

18 September 2009 (Turkey)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Shut Up Or Die

Plot:

A psychological thriller in which a deadly virus infects a small Ontario town. |

Plot Keywords:

Virus | Psychological Thriller | Baby | Corpse | Booth

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Stephen McHattie	...	Grant Mazzy
Lisa Houle	...	Sydney Briar
Georgina Reilly	...	Laurel-Ann Drummond
Hrant Alianak	...	Dr. Mendez
Rick Roberts	...	Ken Loney (voice)
Daniel Fathers	...	Nigel Healing (voice)
Beatriz Yuste	...	Nancy Freethy
Tony Burgess	...	Tony / Lawrence
Boyd Banks	...	Jay / Osama
Hannah Fleming	...	Maureen / Faraj
Rachel Burns	...	Colin / Daud
Laura Nordin	...	Spooky Woman
Louis Negin	...	Conversationalist
Diane Gordon	...	Conversationalist
Daniel Park	...	Conversationalist

Also Known As:

Pontypool - Radio Zombie (Germany) (DVD title) [de]
Pontypool: Öldüren kelimeler (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

Runtime:

Canada:95 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Canada

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | South Korea:15 | UK:15 | USA:Not Rated | Australia:MA (2009)

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Ponty Up Pictures

Trivia:

One scene features Neal Stephenson's novel Snow Crash, a book featuring an ear worm or memetic virus that transfers itself through verbal information.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Grant Mazzy: Mrs. French's cat is missing. The signs are posted all over town. "Have you seen Honey?" We've all seen the posters, but nobody has seen Honey the cat. Nobody. Until last Thursday morning, when Miss Colette Piscine swerved her car to miss Honey the cat as she drove across a bridge...

Movie Connections:

References Outbreak (1995)

Zombiegeddon with a scholarly slant.

A radio talk-show host, his co-host, and their young tech girl are live on the air while a bizarre crisis is emerging in the very town they're broadcasting from. It seems that people are being attacked by large groups of maniacs who are constantly repeating various bits of random babble. When our protagonists realize the nature of the mass hysteria(that certain words in the English language are infected by some mysterious virus), an entirely new dilemma takes root...how to communicate with each other and tell the outside world about what's happening without the risk of infecting them, themselves, and each other. The resolve is satisfactory, if a tad on the anticlimactic side.

Fresh ideas with crisp direction and able performances...this is a smart-thinking' horror film, although one which may have some trouble finding an appreciative audience. Thrill-seekers and goremongers should be alerted...this one might not be to your liking. 6/10