Pontypool

A pretentious low-budget horror movie, Bruce McDonald's adaptation of Tony Burgess' novel Pontypool Changes Everything is a cerebral zombie flick that wants to say something about the destructive effect of careless language. The claustrophobic setting is a radio station in Pontypool, a small town in rural Ontario, Canada, where over-the-hill shock jock Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) spews an endless string of nasty banter. Before long, reports start coming in of violent attacks on the local populace, after which the station itself comes under siege by zombiefied citizens who have been infected by a virus passed through language—English in particular, especially terms of endearment. The twist? The trapped staff of three (plus a doctor who joins them) have to fight off the attackers while conversing in French. As a thriller, Pontypool doesn't offer much, since the tense atmosphere is constantly dissipated by a jokey attitude. Instead, the film is more interested in looking at the malignant impact that the degradation of speech is having on modern life—but it never manages to make its message clear (despite all the verbiage). One can admire McDonald's desire to make more than a conventional piece of schlock, but in the end Pontypool succeeds neither as a horror film nor as a commentary on contemporary cultural decline. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Bruce McDonald and novelist/screenwriter Tony Burgess, a one-hour CBC radio broadcast play version, and a trio of short films. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a horror misfire.] (F. Swietek)