10 Terrifying Movie Characters You Never Actually Got To See
9. The Infected - Pontypool
Despite the slightly misleading title for UK viewers, Pontypool has nothing to do with Wales and, as it turns out, is a tiny village in Canada which is where our film is based. Set in a provincial radio station based underneath a local church, you meet the three-person team for Pontypools morning talk radio as they begin the show. Before long a report comes in from their field reporter, Ken, who states that there is a possible riot in the town, but gets unexpectedly cut off. The radio team try and confirm this, but witnesses who call in also end up getting cut off. As further reports come in they get more violent and more strange, leading radio presenter Grant Mazzy to become convinced that they were part of some elaborate prank, and as viewers you also have to call into question how real the reports actually are. When Grant tries to leave the station they soon realise that the reports are horribly right, and hands bang at the windows in traditional zombie fashion. For a long time, still, this is all you literally see of the threat. Reports from Ken describe with some intensity the carnage that is happening in the small town of Pontypool just outside of the doors of the station, and the majority of the fear is derived from these verbal descriptions alone. That is, until technical assistant Laurel-Ann gets infected. The usual mass attack that you see in zombie films is then totally bypassed in favour of individual intensity. Laurel-Anns behaviour and attack on Grant and radio manager Sydney is essentially all you see of what you know is a zombie apocalypse outside. Phone calls keep coming in the hordes remain unseen until nearly the end of the film when finally they start to break through the doors. Pontypool relies almost entirely on unauthenticated descriptions of events outside the radio station, and as such creates a claustrophobic film full of uncertainty. Its treatment of the traditional zombie film is unique and, despite the questionable origin of the virus, creates a truly unsettling viewing experience.