Pontypool (2009)
83%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 11 nominations
Witty and restrained but still taut and funny, this Pontypool is a different breed of low-budget zombie film
Pontypool is a movie that will make you want to lock yourself in a soundproof room and never speak again. It’s a zombie movie, but not like any you’ve seen before. The tension builds and builds until you’re on the edge of your seat, and then it just keeps going. The performances are fantastic, especially Stephen McHattie, who manages to be both terrifying and sympathetic. And the ending will leave you thinking about it for days. Just make sure you don’t listen to any strange words on the radio afterwards.
Production Company(ies)
Produzioni Europee Associate, Arturo González Producciones Cinematográficas, Constantin Film
Distributor
IFC Films
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2009
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 36m
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Language(s):English, French, Armenian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 29, 2009 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 21, 2009
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
Pontypool, Horror, Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle, Georgina Reilly, Hrant Alianak, Rick Roberts, Boyd Banks, Bruce McDonald, Jeffrey Coghlan, Tony Burgess, low-budget, zombie film, virus, English language, radio station, Canadian town, suspenseful, original, clever, witty, restrained, taut, funny, different breed, critic reviews, Tomatometer, audience score, box office, gross USA, IFC Films, MPAA rating, rent/buy, streaming, horror movies, zombie/virus canon, Scrabble, cerebral horror, strong performances, frightening, terrifying, thought-provoking, localized fright, inexplicable, well-acted, creepy, weird, suspense, implied violence, shoestring budget
Worldwide gross: $32,118
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $44,391
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,089
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 4,841
US/Canada gross: $3,865
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,342
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,830
US/Canada opening weekend: $1,541
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $2,130
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,850
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $15,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $20,732
Production budget ranking: 2,155
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $11,164
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $12,495
ROI to date (est.): 39%
ROI ranking: 1,202
Lisa Houle – Sydney Briar
Georgina Reilly – Laurel Ann
Hrant Alianak – Dr. Mendez
Rick Roberts – Ken Loney
Boyd Banks – Jay, Osama
Director(s)
Bruce McDonald
Writer(s)
Tony Burgess
Producer(s)
Jeffrey Coghlan
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 11 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (88) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (74) | Rotten (14)
It’s when our grasping for digestible concepts, clear causality, or anything resembling resolution is as thwarted as the characters’ struggle to articulate or take action, that we’re in the best position to absorb Pontypool’s full impact.
March 27, 2018
José Teodoro
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
This low-budget picture is a little too claustrophobic, and it grows tedious. The ominous, overbearing musical score tries but fails to jack up the tension.
December 17, 2009
Stephen Farber
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
An original take on genre movies of its kind.
October 20, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
Derek Malcolm
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Inventive and genuinely suspenseful, this is a welcome addition to the expanding zombie/virus canon.
October 16, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
This cerebral horror movie plays Scrabble with the genre’s cinematic lingo.
October 16, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
Nigel Floyd
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
It’s always an unexpected bonus in a zombie film to find the brains evident in the screenplay rather than splattered all over the scenery.
October 16, 2009
Wendy Ide
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
it has so many cool vibes to it… it’s actually really clever.
May 11, 2021 | Rating: 8/10
Emma Wolfe
SpookyAstronauts
An original story. Strong performances, particularly from Stephen McHattie. A film that prays on innermost fears of society and individuals. Frightening. Terrifying. Thought provoking.
November 13, 2019
Debbie Lynn Elias
Behind The Lens
An all-time great zombie film.
January 19, 2019
Evan Dossey
Midwest Film Journal
I liked it, with some reservations.
December 16, 2017
Brian D. Johnson
Maclean’s Magazine
Pontypool’s very resonant, localized fright, is to make sense of – to define – the inexplicable.
August 23, 2017
Mark Asch
Stop Smiling
Pontypool has an awful lot going for it. It’s technically well made, well acted, creepy, funny, and weird. It’s the kind of movie that, if it’s seen in the right place and right time, can really have an effect on you.
June 24, 2017
Abby Olcese
Scene-Stealers.com…
Plot
A radio host interprets the possible outbreak of a deadly virus which infects the small Ontario town he is stationed in.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Pontypool on Fresh Kernels.
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