The Dead Zone (1983)

Featured Audience Ratings

• xGary X

  
  A teacher involved in a near fatal car crash reawakens from a coma five years later with the power of second sight. David Cronenberg's most restrained and mainstream movie is based upon a Stephen King novel, but don't let that put you off. The Dead Zone, along with The… More
  A teacher involved in a near fatal car crash reawakens from a coma five years later with the power of second sight. David Cronenberg's most restrained and mainstream movie is based upon a Stephen King novel, but don't let that put you off. The Dead Zone, along with The Shining, is one of the very best examples of his numerous adaptations and is a fine exercise in supernatural suspense. The inventive plot sees a man haunted by images of future events, finely played by Christopher Walken in one of his least flamboyant performances. His hollow eyed, almost shell shocked interpretation strikes the mark perfectly and he is ably supported by Herbert Lom as a pragmatic doctor and holocaust survivor and Martin Sheen as an insidious senatorial candidate. The score also deserves a mention, providing exactly the right mix of the otherwordly and oppressive and the film as a whole is a perfectly engineered, tightly plotted and tautly paced chiller which still stands as one of Cronenberg's best.

• AJ V

  
  An interesting story from King, and a good cast too, but Cronenberg made this movie slightly too weird, so some of the less interesting scenes are pretty boring. Overall, I liked this movie, though, the story is cool and Walken is perfect in the lead.

• Dan S

  
  A meandering, slightly disappointing film from the master of body horror David Cronenberg, who adapts a Stephen King novel about a teacher (Christopher Walken) involved in a horrific car accident, and how he tries to get his life back on track after awaking from a 5-year coma with a… More
  A meandering, slightly disappointing film from the master of body horror David Cronenberg, who adapts a Stephen King novel about a teacher (Christopher Walken) involved in a horrific car accident, and how he tries to get his life back on track after awaking from a 5-year coma with a rare psychic ability. Walken's performance makes this movie almost worth seeing, since he does a phenomenal job really sinking his teeth into the character and going all-out for it. Sadly, an over-the-top Martin Sheen, some very noticeable plot holes, and a sometimes slow pace hamper this film from becoming a solid, respectable thriller.

• Jeff "

  
  The Dead Zone is a departure from David Cronenberg's previous works such as Scanners and Videodrome. This is a departure for Director David Cronenberg because this film unlike his previous repertoire of work, does not deal with the Body Horror genre. Instead, Cronenberg Adapts a… More
  The Dead Zone is a departure from David Cronenberg's previous works such as Scanners and Videodrome. This is a departure for Director David Cronenberg because this film unlike his previous repertoire of work, does not deal with the Body Horror genre. Instead, Cronenberg Adapts a Stephen King Novel, and does it with quite the flair that he is famous for. Even thought it doesn't deal with themes such as body horror, The Dead Zone just by viewing it you know it's a Cronenberg Oeuvre, just because it has his sense of style to it. The Dead Zone is really a horrifying film to watch, and the cast is brilliant, this is one of the best casts to act in a Stephen King adaptations. Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen are superb, no words can describe how great they are in this film. The Dead Zone is a a solid Horror film from David Cronenberg and is actually, one of his best films that has not spawned from his own imagination.

• Tim S

  
  A decent adaptation of the novel, but not all that great.

• Conner R

  
  Amazing in every sense of the word. Christopher Walken gave such a great performance and made Stephen King lines seem completely normal. It's such a great story and concept, fitting perfectly into the directing style of David Cronenberg. It has a very great tone to it, mystery… More
  Amazing in every sense of the word. Christopher Walken gave such a great performance and made Stephen King lines seem completely normal. It's such a great story and concept, fitting perfectly into the directing style of David Cronenberg. It has a very great tone to it, mystery thrown in with horror.

• Stephen M

  
  I'm pretty sure this was the first Cronenberg movie I ever saw and I still have a soft spot for it, even if I'm now old enough to appreciate that the story is kind of flimsy and the director is flirting with the mainstream by watering down his trademark body horror. As… More
  I'm pretty sure this was the first Cronenberg movie I ever saw and I still have a soft spot for it, even if I'm now old enough to appreciate that the story is kind of flimsy and the director is flirting with the mainstream by watering down his trademark body horror. As usual, Cronenberg assembles a fine supporting cast (Herbert Lom, Anthony Zerbe, Tom Skerritt, Martin Sheen) and the sensitive performances of Christopher Walken and Brooke Adams give the movie an emotional pull generally lacking in this director's work, making it, if not one of his best films, certainly one of his most moving. <I>The Dead Zone</I> also stands out in Cronenberg's filmography as being his only movie since <I>The Brood</I>, in 1979, <I>not</I> scored by Howard Shore; Michael Kamen did the music here. Ironically, Walken quotes <I>Sleepy Hollow</I> and went on to play the Headless Horseman for Tim Burton, and Martin Sheen, who plays a senatorial candidate hell-bent on the US presidency, ended up in <I>The West Wing</I>.

• Cassandra M

  
  A schoolteacher Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) a survivor of a road accident awakes from a five-year coma to discover he has psychic abilities, which he gets visions of the past, present and the deadly future. And how he does it, is through the use of touch. But life has changed… More
  A schoolteacher Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) a survivor of a road accident awakes from a five-year coma to discover he has psychic abilities, which he gets visions of the past, present and the deadly future. And how he does it, is through the use of touch. But life has changed within that time with his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) being married; he's basically crippled and no longer having a job. So now he uses his abilities to help a sheriff (Tom Skerritt) solve a murder case, to save a child's life and predicting world's fate from an evilly corrupt politician (Martin Sheen) who plans to be president. It's definitely one of my favourite King adaptations and you could say Cronenberg at his best. This time around Cronenberg has taken a more mainstream (even though depressing) approach with none of his grotesque and disturbing visuals evident, but that doesn't take away from the experience - as on show is good story telling, performances and film-making. Visually the film does hold strong imagery (especially the vision scenes) and also the picture truly captures the unsaturated colours of the wintry backdrop, which makes the bleak atmosphere such a dour affair. Though the sharp stabbing sounds when Johnny gets a vision truly knocks you, but it's the stinging outcome that made the film for me. Distinctive photography by Mark Irwin was beautifully constructed and pretty smooth in the detail of the settings. While, the driving score stood out and was particularly on the spot with capturing the right mood. Sound performances are given by the likes of the sympathetic Christopher Walken and the innocent Brooke Adams. Martian Sheen delivers a rather hammy performance and Tom Skerritt's performance is the total opposite, being rather toned down. Cronenberg's solid direction paces the film swiftly and also creates some well-staged sequences of tension that stick in your head. In all you can always expect dashing film-making by Cronenberg and that's what you get in this picture. The story is what I had some gripes with. At times it felt like writer Jeffrey Boam was trying to squeeze too much into the story. Some interesting and intelligent sub-plots (murder investigation) felt hurried and rather contrived - it was like it was concentrating and building more towards the final act instead. But then again time is money and it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of this film. The plot is basically a portrait of a man coming to grips with his pain and accepting the fate his been chosen and also throw in some social commentary into the mix. Also added is the occasional dabbing of dry/witty remarks, but for me it was uncomfortable humour. That being pretty much the state of the film. One thing I noticed, but don't know if this symbolism was intended but the way Johnny is always wearing the black coat reminded me of death (fate). Especially with touch his can see into the future and actually alter what can happen (say death). Perhaps it was just I? It isn't gut wrenching stuff we've come to expect by Cronenberg, but still he nails down a well drawn up and gripping drama/thriller.

• Luke B

  
  One of the best Stephen King movies. One of Cronenberg's best movies. Both Walken and Sheen giving two of their finest performances. The Dead Zone is a simple idea that has been complicated. Walken is a man who can get glimpses of the past and the future by touching people. This… More
  One of the best Stephen King movies. One of Cronenberg's best movies. Both Walken and Sheen giving two of their finest performances. The Dead Zone is a simple idea that has been complicated. Walken is a man who can get glimpses of the past and the future by touching people. This leads to all sorts of problems which conflict with Walken wanting to live a normal life. He's already lost the girl of his dreams because of a 5 year coma. Cronenberg is very, very restrained in this film. He uses violence and gore only when absolutely necessary, which isn't that often. The film manages to escape it's episodic narrative by some clever editing techniques and time jumps. It plays out more like biopic than your average thriller. Sheen is gloriously manic on screen. Tearing it up and becoming a terrifying villain. That's only half the story though, as The Dead Zone has two distinct plots and two very separate cases. It's no surprise that this has been adapted into a TV show. This film is brilliant and really makes me want to watch the TV show and read the book.

• Michael G

  
  Reading Stephen King's work to me is just like watching paint dry in a Midwestern state and for the most part, the film adaptations of his work resemble that sentiment even more so. But David Cronenberg's adaptation kind of had me curious and I haven't seen The Dead… More
  Reading Stephen King's work to me is just like watching paint dry in a Midwestern state and for the most part, the film adaptations of his work resemble that sentiment even more so. But David Cronenberg's adaptation kind of had me curious and I haven't seen The Dead Zone (or the pieces of it I remember) in decades. It's kind of fitting that the USA network turned The Dead Zone into a TV series because that's all this movie felt like--a few TV episodes tied together. Christopher Walken was alright and Cronenberg managed to put enough of his twist on it to make The Dead Zone interesting. It's no Shawshank Redemption, Carrie or The Shining but it's no... anything else of King's that ended up on a screen.

• Ginny  

  
  Chistopher Walken plays Johnny Smiths character almost to perfection in this 1983 film adaptation of Stephen King's The Dead Zone. However, like most film adaptations of books, the imagination and the amount of information the reader has about the story will always surpass… More
  Chistopher Walken plays Johnny Smiths character almost to perfection in this 1983 film adaptation of Stephen King's The Dead Zone. However, like most film adaptations of books, the imagination and the amount of information the reader has about the story will always surpass book-based films. The Dead Zone was one of my most favorite books while growing up and I dont know what I was thinking when I expected to see the whole story on film just like how I pictured it in my head years ago. Nonetheless, they did get certain parts right on the nail and Oh wow! Walken really is just one heck of an awesome actor! Im just left wondering why Jeffrey Boam (the screenwriter) and Cronenberg decided to delete the history scene about Johnny playing Ice Hockey as a kid and that day at the carnival with the wheel of fortune, they skipped a whole bunch of interesting stories from the book which most S.King Fanatics are complaining about, but overall I think this was a pretty decent adaptation than the 2002 TV series (Which I also have but never bothered finishing because it was a total snoze). It took me about 2 years to hunt this movie down and Im pretty happy to have found this rare thing at the video store (It was the last copy too!) --- If it werent for the great performances of Walken, Herbert Lom and Martin Sheen this movie wouldnt be worth collecting. Get the book if you want to be truelly blown away, but watch the film to see the super-rific Walken in his Early years as an actor. <font size=1><u>Non-related Sidenotes</u><br><br>1: Its funny how Walken continues talking about Ichabod Crane and Sleepy Hollow throughout patches of the film, I wonder if it was really included in the script or did he just mesh that in there, its like he really likes that story. 2: Time seems to be in love with Walken, Martin Sheen is 3 years younger than him. </font><br><br><b>Directed by: David Cronenberg</b>

• Ken S

  
  My new favorite "office supply plunged into someones face" scene of 2008 1) The Dead Zone 2) Dark Knight 3) The Furies This was back in the day when Walken was still an actor, before...whatever it is that happened.

• Lady D

  
  Dated, yet enjoyable, I like the idea of obtaining future telling abilities from having been woken from a long coma. It's a little weird, but it wouldn't be Stephen King if it wasn't now would it?

• Greg S

  
  High school English teacher Christoper Walken falls into coma while sporting an awful bowl haircut, and wakes five years later with a slightly better 'do. Oh, and the ability to tell the future. A nicely doomed performance by a bedraggled Walken and a strong finish make this… More
  High school English teacher Christoper Walken falls into coma while sporting an awful bowl haircut, and wakes five years later with a slightly better 'do. Oh, and the ability to tell the future. A nicely doomed performance by a bedraggled Walken and a strong finish make this pyshcological horror film loom in the memory longer than it perhaps deserves.

• Curtis L

  
  Knowing that Walken quotes the Raven in this movie alone should make you forget to pick up your children from school and go rent this movie. Classic Walken getting visions by touching people. A must see for all fans out there.

• Craig S

  
  <u><b>Directed by:</u> David Cronenberg.</b> <u><b>Starring:</u> Christopher Walken, Tom Skerritt, Anthony Zerbe, Brooke Adams, Martin Sheen.</b> I am hearing the sentence said about this film....'Arguably, the best Stephen King… More
  <u><b>Directed by:</u> David Cronenberg.</b> <u><b>Starring:</u> Christopher Walken, Tom Skerritt, Anthony Zerbe, Brooke Adams, Martin Sheen.</b> I am hearing the sentence said about this film....'Arguably, the best Stephen King adaption'....and the key word there is 'arguably', because many will say yes and others will say no....I am the latter. The story, based on the Stephen King novel, follows Johnny Smith, a young school teacher with his whole life ahead of him and a women to share it with. When a car accident puts Johnny into a coma, he awakens 5 years later to find his love has married, his job is gone and he now has a power to see past and future, but does he have the power to change it? There are two sides to this story, one of them more thriller/horror based and the other being a character drama and a romantic melodrama and The Dead Zone doesn't quite balance the two. I have always been intrigued by Stephen King, but never have found the time to read his books, so I take the closest source and watch the recommended adaption's. What I felt The Dead Zone should have been was a mini-series. The pacing too fast and the running time too short to translate the material to brilliance, instead it turns in very well as a character drama, but lacking in the depth on the horror and thriller elements. David Cronenberg moves the film at a fast pace and keeps us very engrossed despite the flaws. Although its a change from his usual style, he works the editing brilliantly to create some thrilling sequences....and of course, technically, there are key scenes that are staged beautifully and they are memorable. The supporting cast are great, with Martin Sheen delivering an intensely chilling performance, but its Christopher Walken who is in one of his best roles of the 80's. His charisma is here, but not as quirky as his most recent efforts, but he channels a rather chilling and memorable entity. Had it been made at least an hour longer or made into a mini-series, this adaption could have been brilliant. Still, its a great adaption of the novel that is engrossed from first frame and delivers both some memorable sequences and performances. Really good, but not great.

• Aaron N

  
  Johnny Smith: "Bless me"? Do you know what God did for me? He threw an 18-wheeled truck at me and bounced me into nowhere for five years! When I woke up, my girl was gone, my job was gone, my legs are just about useless... Blessed me? God's been a real sport to me!… More
  Johnny Smith: "Bless me"? Do you know what God did for me? He threw an 18-wheeled truck at me and bounced me into nowhere for five years! When I woke up, my girl was gone, my job was gone, my legs are just about useless... Blessed me? God's been a real sport to me! Now here's a good combination, sci-fi/horror maestro David Cronenberg, Christopher Walken, and a good Stephen King premise with an ending that doesn't suck. Walken stars as Johnny Smith, easily one of his best roles. He starts off as a teacher, in love with one of his fellow colleagues, but all of that changes after he goes through a terrible car accident resulting in a five-year coma, a permanent limp...oh and he has mental powers allowing him to change the future. Johnny Smith: Your house is burning! There's still time! After awakening, Johnny views what he has gained as a curse, but still makes some good use out of it, in an effort to save lives. He becomes involved in a murder case with town sheriff, played by Tom Skerrit, but later moves on to another town to avoid using the power he has. Johnny Smith: It reminds me of a line from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" the last story I read to my class before... the accident. Ichabod Crane disappears... the line goes: "As he was a bachelor, and in nobody's debt, nobody troubled their head about him anymore." Sarah Bracknell: Is that what you feel? Johnny Smith: Is what I want... what I want. Eventually Martin Sheen comes into the fold as a seedy politician with his own predictions and aspirations, and Johnny becomes involved. This movie works because like most Cronenberg films, the movies are about the characters that must deal with the extraordinary situations. Walken is great in this role, combining his sadness, his intensity, and his Walkenness to Johnny Smith, making it work all the better. This is also just a well made movie at that. It takes a high concept and moves with it, but doesn't dumb things down to standard thriller cliches. It also has a good musical score, a few thrilling scenes, neat premonition stuff, some good supporting characters, and a little humor to brighten things up. This is a well made movie, with a great performance from my man Walken, and one of the best Stephen King adaptations I have seen. Johnny Smith: The ice is going to break!

• Daniel H

  
  Well done adaptation, with enough star-power to dispel the lingering aftertastes of a rather simplistic plot and altogether mellow mood for a psychological horror film. It's the acting that makes the film creepy, with Walken giving a restrained, spot-on performance and Sheen… More
  Well done adaptation, with enough star-power to dispel the lingering aftertastes of a rather simplistic plot and altogether mellow mood for a psychological horror film. It's the acting that makes the film creepy, with Walken giving a restrained, spot-on performance and Sheen hamming it up to enforce his dislikability. More of a creepy drama than a modern horror film... but then again, creepy dramas WERE horror films back in the day, such as Frankenstein. Not Cronenbergs best, but he works well with what he has.

• Arash X

  
  One of the best Stephen king Adaptations with a great performance from walken

• Emily A

  
  I really wish I had seen this before I saw South Park parody it. This is pretty good, but I'm not a huge fan of Christopher Walken. Plus this movie was slower than it had to be. Apart from that it was interesting and really rather tragic in the way Walken needs to rejoin the… More
  I really wish I had seen this before I saw South Park parody it. This is pretty good, but I'm not a huge fan of Christopher Walken. Plus this movie was slower than it had to be. Apart from that it was interesting and really rather tragic in the way Walken needs to rejoin the world after completely missing five years. I think that's where more of the horror should have come from.

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