The newest adaptation of H.G. Wells’War of the Worldshas been met with scathing reviews from critics and outright hostility from audiences. One of the most adapted works of science fiction, Wells’ novel about an alien invasion has long captured the imagination. In 1938, Orson Welles, then the director of the Mercury Theater, presented a radio play based on the novel.War of the Worldscaused panic among some of the public, who misinterpreted the drama as coverage of a real alien invasion.
70 years later,Pontypoolcaptured the same feelings of dread and paranoia elicited by Welles’ broadcast. Set in a radio station amidst a zombie outbreak,Pontypoolmight be one of the best spiritual successors toWar of the Worlds, while not being a direct adaptation.
Subverting Expectations in a Single Location
Pontypoolbreaks from the expectations of hordes of marauding ghouls and violence on an operatic scale that usually comes with zombie movies, opting instead to use a single location.The world ofPontypool, limited to a radio station, is ruled over by shock jock Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie). Mazzy is the voice that the residents of Pontypool tune into each morning for news, weather, and antagonistic barbs. Mazzy refers to his quick-witted repartee as a “take-no-prisoners” approach to broadcasting, despite some misgivings from producer Sydney Briar (Lisa Houle).
From the very beginning,Pontypoolillustrates the wonderful deception of radio. There’s a separation between the audience and the broadcast.With no visual accompaniment, listeners rely on their imagination to formulate images based on the words and sounds that are delivered to them. Mazzy’s broadcasting colleague, a chopper pilot, later revealed as nothing more than a resident in a car overlooking the city and fluffing his reports with sound effects, reinforces this clever illusion. The deceptive nature of radio plays a crucial role in sowing the seeds of dread and paranoia that begin to permeate the station.
The separation between a radio broadcast and the audience becomes inverted when reports of a quarantine and strange behavior from infected citizens arrive. The seeds of confusion and doubt begin to “infect” the radio station. Revisiting Orson Welles’ 1938 broadcast, one can see some parallels withPontypool. The dramatization limited to audio frequencies possesses realism and makes someone question the validity of what they’re listening to.The roles get reversed inPontypool, with Grant Mazzy wondering if the events in the outside world are nothing more than a clever hoax being perpetrated.
Weaponizing the Spoken Word
Two crucial aspects ofPontypoolandOrson Welles’War of the Worldsradio broadcast are invasion and epidemic. The methods in which both are depicted share a striking similarity. In Welles’ broadcast, the illusion of radio allowed images to form in the minds of its listeners. InPontypool, the spoken word becomes weaponized and a vehicle for the zombie invasion to manifest and spread throughout the local community. Because the epidemic occurs outside the radio station and is never shown, the audience is forced to imagine the chaos unfolding.Dialogue and sound propel both vehicles forward.
The cause of any zombie invasion is always ambiguous. Many films have taken different routes to explain cause and effect.Pontypoolis unique in that it chooses to have the epidemic spread through language itself. Because the events ofPontypooltake place in a singular location, it effectively becomes ground zero. The root cause is explained away as certain words being infected, which allows the epidemic to spread from host to host.
Pontypool’suse of dialogueand sound design is crucial for depicting the epidemic, infection, and reaction. The infection of Mazzy’s assistant, Laurel-Anne (Georgina Reilly), is accompanied by an inability to form complete sentences and a lack of communication.It’s a unique way to depict the loss of humanity as someone succumbs to the epidemic. The discord and disorientation that arise from panic are accompanied by overlapping audio signals that occur within the radio station. The loss of reason and panic within Pontypool’s narrative mirrors the public reaction to theWar of the Worldsbroadcast.
Something can be said about the underlying theme inPontypoolof language becoming weaponized. One of the most fundamental aspects of the human experience, communication, becomes detrimental to our existence. There are many things that one takes away from viewingPontypool. Perhaps the most important thing is the reminder that words have a larger impact than we sometimes think.More than being just a zombie horror movie,Pontypoolis a commentary on the impact of mass media and language.
Where Can I Watch ‘Pontypool’?
Pontypoolis the spiritual successor toWar of the Worlds.You can stream the 2008 zombie film on Shudder.
