Sci-Fi Film and Television Developments

Pontypool Changes Everything
9/11/08 – SCI FI Wire reported that making an original zombie movie is a challenge, but Canadian director Bruce McDonald managed it in his minimalist adaptation of Tony Burgess' novel Pontypool Changes Everything.  "We thought of combining War of the Worlds done by Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre in 1938 with some concepts from Tony's novel and make it a radio drama," McDonald said in an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Pontypool debuted.  The film focuses on a radio-show host (Stephen McHattie) who is stuck in his station while his tiny town is invaded by an alien human-altering virus.  A low budget compelled McDonald to exploit the fear of the unknown to ratchet up the tension by not showing much. "It's a radio drama, and scary movies are often scariest in the moments where you don't see a monster," the director said. "Sound and imagination are very potent in scary films, and we couldn't afford to go out and see the horrors, so we made the most of it by staying inside. The limitations of setting the story entirely inside a radio station set us free."

AlienAlmanac.com 2008