[Elvis_Christ]

Originally Posted by missmacabre

First thing I picked up on was the weather in central Ontario, and mention of Seasonal Affective Disorder. I think that was a nice way to set up the depression, paranoia and being stuck inside. Even without "conversationalists" running around, the movie could have played out similarly.

Sense of place, and small town boredom is huge. Maybe I found that more effective because I can relate, but it was pretty apparent. Mazzy was a Toronto talk radio artist before getting fired and started working in a town as small as Pontypool. He's clearly bored, and trying to stir shit up, make the small minded small-towners think about something, anything. He was so excited when shit started happening that he didn't really think about the hysteria he was causing. I just liked that because I know first hand that people in a small town will do anything for fun/attention. (Some kids in my town beat a carny to death with a baseball bat. We're desperate for excitement and it's sad.)

French/English relations. Firstly the BBC asking if the attacks were related to separatist terrorist attacks (In the 60s a group called the FLQ would set up mailbox bombs to try to kill English speaking Canadians in Quebec). Then Mazzy's distaste for speaking french near the end of the film. Look on his face was priceless.

That does put a different spin on it all. Thanks for sharing :)