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Wow, I just had my mind completely blown by a film that came onto my radar from out of nowhere and just may be the single best horror film that I have seen in the last few years. It's called PONTYPOOL it must be seen by each and every horror fan that reads this.
SPOILERS AHEAD SO PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
If you want to be shocked, surprised and thrilled then stop reading right now and go to IFC ON DEMAND and rent this extraordinary horror film. I'm going to reveal things that will probably ruin some of the fun for you so really, stop reading and go rent the film through IFC ON DEMAND and then come on back and we can chat about it a while.
If you're still around then I have got to proclaim my love for this original piece of genre goodness.
PONTYPOOL is the name of the town where this tale unfolds. It is in the middle of nowhere Canada and it is the middle of winter. It's dark, it's cold and it's snowing. It seems to be all of those things alot. We meet up with Grant Mazzy who is exceptionally portrayed by Stephen McHattie who it seems that I remember from something but it might just be the fact that he really looks like Hugh Laurie, the guy from HOUSE. Regardless he is spot on in this film as a shock jock radio host who has once again pissed off somebody and has found himself working in this little po dunk radio station that broadcasts out of the basement of a church. It appears that the broadcast day pretty much consists of weather reports and school closings and Mazzy predictably bored by it all does his best every day to stir up as much shit as he can. Joining him on his daily morning broadcast is his producer and another girl who answers phones and takes care of the tech end of things.
The daily grind is in full gear when they cut to the helicopter guy (who is actually just a guy driving around in a car, they explain) and he reports of some kind of a violent uprising has taken place outside a doctors office in town and that town folk seem to be wandering around committing random acts of violence upon one another. This is just the start of the fun.
What happens next is some of the most heart wrenching, gut twisting moments of horror that I can recall in recent memory. The cool thing is, you really don't see hardly any of it. It is all done through phone reports and eyewitness accounts of the horrific things happening just outside the studio walls. As our three person team attempts to confirm the seemingly unbelievable claims coming in on their phone lines the event spirals even more out of control.
It soon becomes apparent that what is happening is being caused by the English language. It is a virus that is spread through speaking. Words are infected and if the wrong word is said then those that hear it become blood thirsty maniacs. I know, it sounds a bit far fetched but it freakin works, and it works well.
Our radio heroes then have to wrestle with the fact that their continued broadcast may actually be enhancing if not actually causing the events occurring out on the streets. Before long things int he studio begin to unravel as one of the three become infected and attempts to attack. At this point the gore begins to flow a bit and the final resolution to the problem at hand is both shocking and intelligent.
I loved this movie and I can't tell you enough that you need to seek it out and watch it. Director Bruce McDonald does an amazing job of keeping the pace very high in a situation where pretty much 95% of the film takes place in 2 room studio. The use of emotion to drive the horror home is handled very deftly and Mr. McDonald deserves high praise for making this storyline work.
Fantastic performance are turned in by all the grace the screen with the above mention performance of Stephen McHattie being worthy of some type of award.
Smart, original and full of all the things that make this genre great PONTYPOOL is certainly one of the best examples of horror film making at its highest calibur.
Bravo......
As I stated above you can catch PONTYPOOL right now if you have digital cable as it is being shown on IFC ON DEMAND. If you don't watch well all I can say is you're a damn fool.
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