Canadian director Bruce McDonald delivers an inventive take on the well-trodden zombie movie in this compact and claustrophobic chiller that sees humans infected by the English language itself. As the residents of a sleepy Ontario town fall victim to the aurally received plague, cynical DJ Stephen McHattie (Watchmen) and his two colleagues piece together the unfolding story from incoming reports, while broadcasting from their basement radio station. Adapted by Tony Burgess from his own novel, the film is sparing with action and focuses on atmosphere. Events ooze with slow-burning suspense; but since the undead chaos occurs predominantly off-screen, viewers are left to imagine the actual carnage. The overall result is a low-budget lesson in the power of words that's elevated further by quick-firing McHattie's seamlessly natural performance. Sadly, the feature falters with the introduction of a histrionic doctor character, before squandering its taut build-up in a confusing and disappointing final act.

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.