Frecuencia macabra

One of the things the great Orson Welles is known for is a radio broadcast reporting on an alien invasion. Credulous folks did not see the hoax. Pontypool follows a similar line with Martians replaced by zombies and hoax by satire.

In my hierarchy zombie films are the cheapjack of cinema. Surprising then I would be watching one. 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. The evening serials for children with voices and sound effects elicited an imagery of thrilling adventures and exciting conflicts of good versus evil. Would not miss a single episode. In this there was a counterexample to the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words.

Second, the core conceit of a zombie-inducing disease transmitted by a word, or words, ties in nicely with the viral memes of Dawkins. (See his talk at TED for a short explanation.) If the word is mightier than the sword, here a word is more virulent than a bomb. The zombie state is a metaphor for anti-social acts that otherwise normal people are led to commit because their minds have been contaminated.

Third, the self-deprecating humor. The bits about the poisoning of the public airwaves. The chopper-riding reporter in the middle of a blinding snow storm reporting on the traffic. The irritating language tics -- you know -- of some, here captured by endless zombie repetitiveness and the tendency of the zombies to chew their own tongues into a bloody mass. 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. If there is a single reason to watch this film it is McHattie.

The film is beautifully economical. The entire action, except for the opening scene, takes places in a radio station. As such the film is mostly words. In that it is self-referential: a film about a day at a radio station's studio that is a purveyor of words. I would not be surprised to find Pontypool reach the level of cult film.

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. The story circles around a local radio station and its crew of three people. As the day moves on they slowly start to here reports of violence happening all over the region. This includes riots, people killing each other and intervention from the Canadian Government. Soon they find themselves hiding in the station from the horror out side they are reporting. If that was not bad enough, they can't figure what's going on. Pontypool takes a very different and more effective way at trying to scare its audience. Most western horror these days seem to mainly focus on jump scares or brutal kill scenes alone. Pontypool on the other hand gives a few vague descriptions on what's actually going on out there. For most of the movie you really are just listening to a broadcast and testimonies of eye witness. This leaves the viewer having his own imagination working against him for a big chunk of the film. For me this was the most strongest for the first half of the film when we don't know what's causing the hysteria. I actually only have one real complaint which I felt the ending could have been better. I didn't hate the ending it just feels kind of weak compared to what we see earlier. I would go into more detail but that would results in some spoilers.

Overall it's a fun creepy horror movie that could be enjoyable for Halloween. I give it a few extra points for what they were able to pull off on a low budget and for an interesting experiment in horror.

Thats why I give this radio broadcast from hell an 8 out of 10.

A remarkably fresh & highly original example of restrained craftsmanship that's clever, captivating & at times amusing, Pontypool is a smartly structured, patiently narrated & brilliantly performed Canadian horror that establishes an aura of unrelenting tension & mystery with immaculate precision during its first half but loses some of its potency when it lets the cat out of the bag in the remaining half.

The story of Pontypool takes place in the titular town and unfolds at a radio station where a radio announcer is going through his usual morning schedule with two of his associates before they are interrupted by one of their reporters who feeds them disturbing intel about an uprising in the small town that is rapidly getting out of control, but they are left shell-shocked when they learn the true nature of it.

Directed by Bruce McDonald, the first half of Pontypool is a thrilling exercise in tension building as it provides only bits n pieces of information regarding the horror that's unfolding in the town, that too through second hand accounts instead of taking the viewers right into the middle of the crime scene, thus bringing their imagination into play. Less is more is the approach here and McDonald employs it really well for the most part.

The script is penned down by the author of the novel this film is adapted from, and the decision to narrate the story like a radio play gives Pontypool a uniqueness of its own. Its minimal & enclosed setting helps in sustaining its already tense ambiance as our characters are just as oblivious as us and have to rely on reported accounts to make a sense of what's happening outside. However, when we do get to the part when the secret comes out, it all seems a bit absurd.

The camera rarely sways its focus away from the characters inhabiting this tale and it makes really effective use of close-ups throughout its runtime. Editing in the first half is nearly flawless but the next half is a hit or miss, depending on how the big reveal works out for you. The cast comprises of Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle & Georgina Reilly, with McHattie carrying the entire film on his own with a cool, confident & charismatic performance and is finely supported by Houle & Reilly.

On an overall scale, Pontypool works amazingly well during its first half, takes an unexpected turn in the middle that requires some time to get comfortable with but the film still wraps itself up on a satisfying note with a finale that's heartbreaking yet brims with heartfelt warmth. Whether you approach it as a zombie film or a psychological horror, this Canadian flick is a welcome entry in the world of horror that's undeterred by budgetary constraints and finds creative ways to realise its own ambitions. Definitely recommended... recommended... recommended...!

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. That, my friend, is the sign of a good film. The only real trepidation the film caused me is the ending which I found awfully lackluster. Otherwise, the film caught my fancy.

Ps: Stick through the credits as the movie isn't truly over

I avoided Pontypool for a long time mistaking it for a conventional zombie movie but it absolutely is not. Pontypool is a twist on both the zombie concept and the way the story is told which leaves a great deal to the audience's imagination. The lead actor is charismatic and has an incredible voice for radio and the professional chemistry with his producer is really exciting to watch. There is the occasional cliche and needless, clumsy exposition but there is a huge amount of originality which places this well into the upper echelons of psychological horror films. It's also very funny in places.