Posted:
Fri Feb 19, 2010 10:30 pmby Flame of Udin
I just finished watching it. What a strange little film.
Overall I enjoyed it but, like most independent films it has been mislabeled to gain sales by the studios. In this case the DVD case has not one but two quotes stating how scary of a zombie film this is. Pontypool isn't really that. There are no undead flesh eating ghouls nor is there even much gore at all.
The entire movie takes place inside a radio station and all of the outside action is heard through the headphones of the shows host. It is a one of those films that let your imagination figure out what is going on outside the station's doors.
I am sure that will disappoint some people who are looking for a guts to the wall zombie flick, but if you come into the movie not expecting that but a creepy, claustrophobic film then you will be pleased as it completely works on that level.
Posted:
Tue Mar 16, 2010 5:23 amby MouthForWar
I thought this movie was brilliant. Has a very old school Cronenberg vibe. Its very original, moody, and funny. An intelligent, tongue in cheek mood piece. The violence is all off screen, which might turn some people off, but for my money, its a stroke of brilliance. The images your mind conjures up during this film will be downright bizarre and freaky (and moreso than anything you could ever SEE). Its astonishing how such fantastic horror films like Pontypool, Dread, Midnight Meat Train, Trick r Treat, etc. get such terrible releases. This is where the genre is thriving, not in gored up, sexed up remakes, torture porn, or dime a dozen teen slasher flicks. But I guess that's all the masses care about when it comes to horror these days. To lose your faith in the movie going public, simply go to the IMDB board for Pontypool and look at how many "WHERE WAS THE GORE, WHERE WERE THE ZOMBIES, I DIDN'T GET IT, IT WAS TOO WEIRD, NOT ENOUGH ACTION" posts there are.
I'm wondering how the sequel will be handled. Its planned as a trilogy right now and if the second and third installments are even a fraction as good, we could have a new Dead Trilogy on our hands. Its THAT good. This is probably the best horror film to come out of Canada since Scanners and Videodrome left you feeling violated, confused and uncomfortable.
Definitely one of the best horror movies of the 00's. Seriously folks, check this one out. 4.5/5, and that's simply because the character of the doctor seems more lazily written than the rest of the movie... if that element had been done better, this would have been a perfect horror film.