It’s no secret that the zombie genre has experienced quite the renaissance over the last decade, but with that kind of overexposure, it was only a matter of time before the well began to run dry. If you look hard enough, however, there are still a few undiscovered gems lurking about, and the Canadian horror-thriller, “Pontypool,” is proof of that. Set almost exclusively inside an abandoned church-turned-radio station, the film stars Stephen McHattie as Grant Mazzy, a former big-city shock jock who now hosts the morning show in the small town of Pontypool, Ontario. When reports start coming in of locals exhibiting strange behavior and brutal acts of violence, Grant and his fellow co-workers (Lisa Houle and Georgina Reilly) hole up in the building relaying news updates over the air. To say what is actually causing the infection would ruin the tense atmosphere that director Bruce McDonald has created, because even though it offers a unique spin on the genre, the very thing that makes the story so original is also what undoes the film in its final minutes. Audiences will still enjoy the ride thanks to some great performances from its three leads, but the clumsy ending prevents “Pontypool” from living up to its full potential.
