Pontypool (2008)

A radio host interprets the possible outbreak of a deadly virus which infects the small Ontario town he is stationed in.

Director:

Bruce McDonald

Writers:

Tony Burgess, Tony Burgess (novel)

Stars:

Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle, Georgina Reilly

1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stephen McHattie	...	Grant Mazzy
Lisa Houle	...	Sydney Briar
Georgina Reilly	...	Laurel-Ann Drummond
Hrant Alianak	...	Dr. Mendez
Rick Roberts	...	Ken Loney (voice)
Daniel Fathers	...	Nigel Healing
Beatriz Yuste	...	Nancy Freethy
Tony Burgess	...	Tony (Lawrence)
Boyd Banks	...	Jay (Osama)
Hannah Fleming	...	Maureen (Farraj)
Rachel Burns	...	Colleen (Daud)
Laura Nordin	...	Spooky Woman
Louis Negin	...	Conversationalist
Diane Gordon	...	Conversationalist
Daniel Park	...	Conversationalist

Storyline

A radio host interprets the possible outbreak of a deadly virus which infects the small Ontario town he is stationed in.

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Plot Keywords:

talk radio | virus | epidemic | vomiting blood | blood splatter | 

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Taglines:

Words lose their meaning when you repeat them.

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English French Armenian

Release Date:

18 September 2009 (Turkey)

Also Known As:

Fear of the Living Dead - Radio Zombie

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,541, 29 May 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,478, 7 June 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ponty Up Pictures,Shadow Shows

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 95 min

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Writer Tony Burgess and director Bruce McDonald are intending to include more exposition for two planned sequels.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Grant Mazzy: Mrs. French's cat is missing. The signs are posted all over town. "Have you seen Honey?" We've all seen the posters, but nobody has seen Honey the cat. Nobody. Until last Thursday morning, when Miss Colette Piscine swerved her car to miss Honey the cat as she drove across a bridge. Well this bridge, now slightly damaged, is a bit of a local treasure and even has its own fancy name; Pont de Flaque. Now Collette, that sounds like Culotte. That's Panty in French. And Piscine means ...

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Crazy Credits

There's a scene after the end credits.

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Connections

References Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

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Soundtracks

O Canada
(uncredited)
Music by Calixa Lavallée
French lyrics by Adolphe-Basile Routhier
English lyrics by Robert Stanley Weir

User Reviews

Memetics Writ Large

For a better understanding of this movie, search for this video on Youtube: Dan Dennett: Ants, terrorism, and the awesome power of memes.

Memes are like concepts that travel from one brain to another. They are viral, like a song you can't get out of your head, or if you say "don't think of elephants" you immediately cannot help but think of one. A word is a meme that can be spoken.

Humans are meant to survive, yet memes are so powerful they can cause us to threaten our own survival. Here are some memes people are willing to die for: Country, family, democracy, capitalism, socialism, Jesus, allah, individual rights, Jim Jones, love, etc.

Memes "infect" our minds, and the fittest memes survive. We used to have thousands of religions, now we are down to perhaps 6 major ones. Most songs only last a short while on the radio and are never heard again. Others survive and outlast the others "Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley, that any of you could sing right now, yet it was written more than 50 years ago. Understanding what memes are makes this movie even more scary and intriguing.

Rock that video mentioned above.