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[Exclusive] ‘Pontypool’ Spinoff Coming Soon and Direct Sequel in the Works!

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Fans of the 2008 Canadian horror film Pontypool have long been awaiting the arrival of a sequel, and it is finally here… sort of.

The film, a clever reinvention of the zombie mythos directed by iconoclastic director Bruce McDonald and written by Tony Burgess (based on his own novel), garnered an immediate cult following for its surprising take on the subgenre and its strong performances. Rumors of a sequel have been circling since 2009 with the expected title of Pontypool Changes, and there was even poster art back in 2012.

Well, a sequel has arrived, but with a strange caveat. Writer Burgess and director McDonald have re-teamed with star Stephen McHattie for a new film called Dreamland, a film with nowhere near as much coverage as its description deserves:

“Stephen McHattie stars alongside Juliette Lewis, Tómas Lemarquis and Henry Rollins in the darkly comedic tale about a reluctant hitman who chases his jazz legend doppelganger through a city populated by street urchins, a vampire, and a crime kingpin.”

The big surprise, however, came when I recently spoke with writer Tony Burgess after noticing this tweet in his feed. I asked him about the use of the word sequel to describe Dreamland, and Burgess said:

“Well, it’s a strange thing… a sequel to the post-credit non-sequitur scene, with McHattie and [Lisa] Houle and Juliette Lewis and Henry Rollins. It’s in post now.”

The ending of the original Pontypool film (SPOILER ALERT) shows McHattie and Houle in some kind of fever dream otherworld shot in black and white, speaking to each other in a strange slang language and dressed in period garb. Burgess says this new movie is a sequel to that segment, but not really to the rest of the original movie.

So, does that mean we’ll ever get to see a genuine sequel to the beloved cult film? While it might be a tad premature to celebrate just yet, Burgess seems confident.

“The same producers [as Dreamland] are on the Pontypool sequel and have some confidence we will go in production this year,” he says. And as for the title, once thought to be Pontypool Changes? “It’s called Typo Chan,” he says, adding, “Haha!”

What does this mean? Is it another version of the story from Burgess’ original book, which contained many other narratives about the outbreak? Or is the zombie outbreak spreading somewhere new? Is the title Typo Chan a hint? The first film was about (SPOILER ALERT) a zombie virus spreading through the spoken word, and the film took place in a radio station. Could Typo Chan point towards 4Chan, the controversial anonymous posting site? Could the new film be about the disease spreading through the written word online?

We’ll just have to wait and see, but hopefully, we won’t have to wait very long!

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New ‘Infested’ Exclusive Clip Will Make You Intensely Afraid of Bathroom Drains

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Shudder Infested clip, spider horror

Director Sébastien Vaniček has been set to helm the next Evil Dead movie, but up first from the filmmaker is the creepy crawly spider horror movie Infested. An exclusive new clip gives a discomfiting closer look at the spider terror, and it’ll make you intensely afraid of all bathroom drains and fixtures.

Infested will induce a new wave of arachnophobia this week; the spider horror film arrives on Shudder on April 26, 2024.

If you’re brave enough to face your fears, watch the new clip below to get a feel for the unrelenting wave of spiders that the characters (and the audience) will face in the film.

In the film, “An underprivileged suburb has been thrown into chaos following an invasion of venomous spiders. Ordered to be placed in quarantine, the project sees inhabitants living on lockdown alongside terrifying spiders that are becoming bigger and bigger.

“The story revolves around Kaleb, who’s about to turn 30 and has never been lonelier. He’s fighting with his sister over a matter of inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend.

“Passionate about exotic animals, he comes home one day with a venomous spider and accidentally lets it slip away.”

Théo Christine (“Suprêmes”), Finnegan Oldfield (“Final Cut”), Jérôme Niel (“Smoking Causes Coughing”), Sofia Lesaffre (“Les Misérables”) and Lisa Nyarko star.

Florent Bernard co-wrote the script.

In his review out of Fantastic Fest last year, Bloody Disgusting’s Trace Thurman raved that Infested (aka Vermines) is “one of the best spider attack movies in years,” noting in his 4-star review that the creature feature uses practical spiders – REAL SPIDERS – as much as possible. Thurman also wrote that the spider horror movie is “full of moments that will get under your skin (I kicked my legs up more than a few times in my screening).”

The spiders will be everywhere in Infested, are you ready?

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