Pontypool

"Shut up or die."

2009 1h 36m EN

😐

6.5

MID

🍅

83%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.5

IMDB

★6.5TMDB · 736🍅83%Rotten Tomatoes●54Metacritic★6.5IMDB · 37,926

HorrorMysteryScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When disc jockey Grant Mazzy reports to his basement radio station in the Canadian town of Pontypool, he thinks it's just another day at work. But when he hears reports of a virus that turns people into zombies, Mazzy barricades himself in the radio booth and tries to figure out a way to warn his listeners about the virus and its unlikely mode of transmission.

“Shut up or die.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

PhiloSubscription

Cast

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
Boyd Banks
Jay (Osama)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Bruce McDonald
Writers: Tony Burgess
Languages: Armenian, English, French
Countries: Canada

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 2% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Armenian, English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Bruce McDonald, shot by Mirosław Baszak. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Claude Foisy. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jeremiah Munce shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Stephen McHattie and Lisa Houle and Georgina Reilly carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bruce McDonald directs. Mirosław Baszak behind the camera. Claude Foisy scores. Jeremiah Munce cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Canada. Dialogue in Armenian, English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 2% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 17 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Armenian, English, French.
5Directed by Bruce McDonald, shot by Mirosław Baszak. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Claude Foisy. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Jeremiah Munce shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Stephen McHattie and Lisa Houle and Georgina Reilly carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Shut up or die.".
10IMDB entry: tt1226681 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 13 themes, including "based on novel or book", "winter", "radio station", "disc jockey".

The technical file

Cinematography: Mirosław Baszak
Original score: Claude Foisy
Editing: Jeremiah Munce
Production design: Lea Carlson
Costume design: Sarah Armstrong
Makeup / hair: Davida Gragor
VFX supervisor: Aaron Weintraub
Sound: Steve Munro
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,500,000
Box office: $32,000
Return: 2% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Pontypool (2009)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 54/100
IMDB rating: 6.5/10 · 37,926 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

1 win & 11 nominations total

Also by

Bruce McDonald

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Oldnewbie2017-07-11
Upon watching this film for a second time I realized just how much it reminded me of the famous "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast Orson Welles aired in 1939. With just the medium of radio he successfully created an atmosphere of panic so real people listening (who had not caught the beginning where it stated that the following was a radio drama) fled their homes thinking aliens from Mars had invaded Grovers Mill, New Jersey! "Pontypool" takes place almost exclusively inside a small radio station in the town of Pontypool, Ontario Canada. What starts out as an ordinary day slowly morphs into an extraordinary situation told almost entirely through eye witness call ins, a weather reporters sky view, and eventually the towns doctor who has a preposterous yet undeniably believable theory as to what is going on. Director Bruce McDonald and writer Tony Burgess expertly create an atmosphere of frustration, disbelief, and panic all within the confines of a single set. Never once did I feel limited by not seeing what was going on outside. Like the aforementioned "War of the Worlds" radio drama, the situation unfolds by audio reports coupled with the unexpected entrance of the doctor. For blood and gore fans there is a scene that is both shocking and heartbreaking. But this film is generally not for that audience... unless they have good imaginations and can be taken in by "eyewitness" accounts of brutality. The other part of the tale that is refreshing is that the antagonism that is affecting the outside world is not a virus nor is it the dead come back to life. No... it is something... as the doctor explains... preposterous yet undeniably believable. The casting of Stephen McHattie as the past his prime but not ready to go quietly DJ was a masterstroke. He brings to life Grant Mazzy in a way I cannot imagine another doing as perfectly. He mixes a jaded world view with pathos, anger, humor, and a just the right touch of madness as all around him slides into madness. It is to be noted that in the IMDB trivia section, the writer admits to being heavily influenced by Orson Welles legendary radio drama when conceiving first the book, then radio broadcast, and finally film. It shows, as stated, and it shows gloriously.

Production companies