The Dead Zone backdrop
The Dead Zone poster

THE DEAD ZONE

1983 US HMDB
October 21, 1983

Johnny Smith is a schoolteacher with his whole life ahead of him but, after leaving his fiancee's home one night, is involved in a car crash which leaves him in a coma for 5 years. When he wakes, he discovers he has an ability to see into the past, present and future life of anyone with whom he comes into physical contact.

Cast

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Crew

Production: Debra Hill (Producer)Dino De Laurentiis (Executive Producer)
Screenplay: Jeffrey Boam (Screenplay)
Music: Michael Kamen (Original Music Composer)
Cinematography: Mark Irwin (Director of Photography)

REVIEWS (1)

Marco Castellini
After five years of deep coma, Johnny wakes up and finds his life turned upside down: his girlfriend has married another man, his friends have disappeared, and even his job as a teacher is lost. The coma, however, gave him the power to predict part of the future, and thanks to this gift Johnny will succeed in saving humanity. Directed by the always great David Cronenberg and starring the equally stunning Christopher Walken, "The Dead Zone" is one of the most effective Stephen King adaptations ever made. All of the Canadian director's films are linked by the common theme of the mutation of the human body (and also its fusion with other elements), and this film is no exception. The protagonist's body undergoes a very strong mutation thanks to the precognitive abilities acquired after the accident, but we are dealing with an "invisible" mutation to the eye. Cronenberg then shows us the visions that occur through physical contact, thanks to Johnny's hands, with which the protagonist merges with what he is touching (and here is the theme of fusion). The film offers good moments of suspense, but no purely "horrific" sequence, for once Cronenberg sets aside his taste for the "strong" image, for the "overflowing" makeup, limiting himself to spilling a few drops of blood. Curiosity: in one of the first sequences of the film we witness one of the protagonist's visions that project him into the center of a room on fire; this is the room of the daughter of a nurse with whom he has just had a simple physical contact. In this sequence we see an E.T. doll on a shelf. Cronenberg was forced to reshoot the scene without the doll because Universal Pictures threatened to sue him!
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COMMUNITY REVIEWS (3)

talisencrw

9 /10

This was outstanding, and ranks right up there for me, both in terms of Stephen King adaptations in general and Cronenberg's work in particular. It also houses one of my very favourite Christopher Walken performances. When I see Martin Sheen be such a jerk here, it both makes me realize where his son Charlie gets that side of his personality from and makes me fear, even though I'm Canadian, the fact that Donald Trump actually has a chance of being the next president of the United States. It also reaffirms in my heart the great adoration I have for Brooke Adams.

JPV852

JPV852

6 /10

Pretty good paranormal thriller with a nice, and strangely normal, performance from Christopher Walken. Kept my attention throughout even if the finale felt a bit rushed and, the final scene, pretty laughable. Still found it entertaining though not sure how much desire I have to re-watch, although I may give the TV series a shot down the line. 3.25/5

SplintDixon

8 /10

The Dead Zone is a movie that hits several genres and carries itself very well. It's able to do so due to the strength of the main character, Johnny Smith, played so well by Christopher Walken. Walken's performance is casual at times and absolutely stunning at others. To think that Bill Murray was thought by Stephen King to be a better option is crazy. Walken's performance brings out the best in the rest of the ensemble as the movie goes through 3 acts, with several stories intermingled quite nicely with each other. While it is not a true horror movie, in my opinion, the work of David Cronenberg comes out nicely in some scene's that remind you he is in charge of our minds during the 100 minute or so feature.

I highly recommend this to anyone that loves Stephen King adaptions or psychological thrillers. It is a movie, that in my opinion, has aged very nicely and holds it's own in any era. Great film! I give this movie a solid 8 out of 10.

Reviews provided by TMDB