Movie junkie Jessie Robbins picks a fright flick for a Saturday night.
Following the icy, wintry theme of last week’s look at 1982’s THE THING, this time on Jessies Saturday Night Fright Flick we will be discussing a film very close to my heart (and area code) with 2008s PONTYPOOL.
How close to my area code? About four highway exits. Pontypool is a very real small town in the amalgamated City of Kawartha Lakes region of Southern Ontario. I dont really have a specific relation to this town, I pretty much just pass it on my way to Toronto.
General vicinity however is not the only thing that makes this little film worthy of being on my DVD shelf. Based on the novel Pontypool Changes Everything by Tony Burgess, and directed by Bruce McDonald, PONTYPOOL stars one of my voice crushes, Stephen McHattie, as edgy radio personality Grant Mazzy who after a strange encounter with a seemingly sick woman on his snowy drive to work starts receiving ominous reports of people babbling and attacking each other from outside the studio. As the shift continues, Grant, with coworkers Sydney (Lisa Houle) and Laurel-Ann (Georgina Reilly), realize that something terrifying is going on in their little town and theres a chance its already made its way inside.
Influenced by Orson Welles’ infamous performance of War of the Worlds, PONTYPOOL was originally adapted into screenplay and radio play format, which is evident as 99% of the film takes place inside of a radio studio.
What really works in PONTYPOOL is the fear of the unknown, is this really happening, or is it just a big joke? Stephen McHattie characteristically turns in a stellar performance as a jaded, and smart-mouthed DJ, bored with the small town life and hoping for something bigger and more controversial. All of his lines are my favorite lines. Could listen to him read the phone book.
There is little gore in this flick but when it does show up, it presents itself unsettlingly and elicits more of an emotion than a gut reaction.
If you are like me and like a little foreplay with your horror, a slow burn, then PONTYPOOL is definitely something to check out.
Fun Fact: Tony Burgess also wrote a book called The Hellmouths of Bewdley. Having actually grown up in Bewdley, a town so small it is actually considered a hamlet I can attest to the parallels made to the fiery depths of hell and will be adding it to my Amazon wish list. If only for a little nostalgia.
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