Pontypool Review

Pontypool
When a zombie virus is spreading through a Canadian town through spoken English words, the inhabitants must resort to broken French to try and head-off the infection.

by Kim Newman |
Published on
Release Date:

16 Oct 2009

Running Time:

96 minutes

Certificate:

Original Title:

Pontypool

Yet another zombie/virus movie, but this looks to Cronenberg rather than Romero and features a Canadian plague spread by infected words in the English language. Stephen McHattie’s radio host and Lisa Houle’s producer learn about the crisis swamping their town through phone-ins and loopy guests, and resort to broken French to avoid traps littered throughout English vocabulary (terms of endearment are toxic, and it’s Valentine’s Day!).

McHattie, aka Nite Owl in Watchmen, runs with a rare lead role; besides suspense and a satisfying finish, there’s also a mini-movie after the end credits. After countless zombie hackworks, here’s proof the genre can still be cool.

Inventive and genuinely suspenseful, this is a welcome addition to the expanding zombie/virus canon.
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