Directed by Bruce McDonald (best known stateside for Hardcore Logo) and written by Tony Burgess, Pontypool is an unlikely candidate for one of the best horror films on the last few years. It's not particularly epic in scope, it takes place almost entirely inside a radio station, it features a very small cast and it doesn't offer up much in the way of carnage or gore. There aren't any knife wielding maniacs skulking around in the shadows nor are there any overbearing musical cues or jump scares. What the film has in spades, however, is a really foreboding sense of dread and impending claustrophobia.

The film is set in the small titular town of Pontypool, located in Northern Ontario, Canada. When it starts, a morning show disc jockey named Grant Mazzy (Steven McHattie) and his pretty young technical assistant, Laurel Ann (Georgina Reilly) are getting ready to start their show. Their producer, Sydney Briar (Lisa Houle), rides Grant pretty hard, trying to reel him in. It seems he was let go from his last on-air position in an unnamed big city for treading into waters the station owners didn't want him in, and now he's here, possibly about to repeat some of the same mistakes. There's a bit of tension between the three of them - you can tell Laurel Ann wants Grant to be able to go off on whatever he wants, and you can tell that Sydney doesn't want to have to come down on him and you can tell Grant just wants to call it like he sees it.

The three put their differences aside, however, as soon reports start coming in from their 'eye in the sky' helicopter reporter with news of a strange riot taking place outside of the office of a Dr. Mendez. Initially they can't find any confirmation of what's happening. The three of them are stuck in the station, underground, with only their outside man's word to go off of but his reports are erratic and confusing at best. When the BBC calls the station to find out what's going on, however, they start to figure that there's got to be some truth to what they're hearing. As Grant tries to keep his cool on the air, the behavior of those around him starts to change, inexplicably at first, until a bizarre pattern develops and he and his crew find themselves surrounded by a very real danger.

Pontypool is a weird movie, one of those films that makes you think and doesn't wrap everything up all neat and tidy like with a nice little bow at the end. The film puts you in the station with the central characters and as such, we only know what they know. There aren't any pull away shots letting us know more than they do, and so as it all plays out, we're pulled along on their ride. The tension builds very quickly and very effectively, and before you know it, you're completely sucked in and on the edge of your seat. This is a film that relies as much on sound as on vision for its scares, which last right up to the finale.

Tony Burgess' script, based on his own novel, Pontypool Changes Everything, the stories moves at a good pace but doesn't overlook the characters. We learn just about Grant's past to 'get' him and little bits and pieces about Sydney's background help to make her a more likeable character as we get to know her. The premise is a deceptively simple one, but it's done with a refreshingly unique style that you don't really realize it until the movie's over and you're thinking about it. Saying much more about how the film plays out is doing a grave disservice to those who haven't seen it, as this is one of those movie that really needs to be seen knowing as little as possible beforehand, but let it suffice to say that it doesn't play out the way you think it will.

McDonald's direction is as quirky and near-brilliant as usual (those familiar with his work not only know this, but expect it from him) while the performances are strong all around. Steven McHattie is absolutely perfect in his role, as we witness his character's sense of cool unravel as the situation mounts around him, while Reilly and Houle round out the cast nicely. As the circumstances become increasingly dire, his obligation to his listener ship pushes him to stay on the air which leads to some interesting twists later in the film, all of which are handled really well.

This isn't a film that jumps off the screen at you, it creeps up subtly and sticks with you - as such, it's much more psychologically affecting than the slasher of the week ever could be. Everyone's got a fear of the unknown to a certain extent, and this is a movie that exploits that fear quite beautifully. The ending is a bit rushed (and sets up a sequel already in development) but everything else is done so well that it's easy to forgive.

Video:

IFC presents Pontypool in its original 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio in a very sharp, colorful transfer that looks very good indeed. Black levels are nice and stable and detail levels look good. Skin tones are realistic and lifelike and there are no problems with mpeg compression artifacts or edge enhancement to complain about. The transfer is flagged for progressive scan playback and generally looks crisp and sharp.