A man awakens from a coma to discover he has a psychic ability to foresee future events.A man awakens from a coma to discover he has a psychic ability to foresee future events.A man awakens from a coma to discover he has a psychic ability to foresee future events.
- Awards
- 7 wins & 4 nominations
Géza Kovács
- Sonny Elliman
- (as Geza Kovacs)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDirector David Cronenberg fired a .357 Magnum loaded with blanks just off camera to make Smith's flinches seem more involuntary; this was Christopher Walken's own idea.
- GoofsAll the lights on the tanker stay lit even though it completely detaches from the rig.
- Quotes
Johnny Smith: The ICE... is gonna BREAK!
- Crazy creditsAs the opening titles roll, certain parts (or "dead zones") of the screen become blocked out, until the part of the screen you can see spell out the title "The Dead Zone."
- Alternate versionsAlthough the UK cinema version was 18-rated and intact in 1986 Thorn-EMI released a British home video version with 13 seconds cut to obtain a 15 certificate rating from the BBFC. A scissor suicide sequence was re-edited to remove shots of the preparation and aftermath, and shots of topless nudity and the descending scissors were removed from the gazebo murder. Later 18-rated releases feature the full uncut print.
- SoundtracksThe Yankee Doodle Boy
(a.k.a., "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy") (uncredited)
Written by George M. Cohan
(Cohan included a snippet of "Yankee Doodle" (traditional) in his own composition)
Performed by Traditional
Featured review
Relatively gore-free but very well-made Stehen King adaptation.
One of the unwritten laws of the movies is that Stephen King books are nearly always disappointing when transferred to the big screen. One film which doesn't fit that rule is The Dead Zone. In the hands of David Cronenberg, you may expect this to be a gore-filled affair, but it is actually a very well-made, subtle film which emphasises the psychological sense of fear rather than settling for blood-spattered mayhem. There isn't a moment in the film that will make you jump out of your seat, but it is still an effectively scary film because it plays on your mind.
Normal, down-to-earth everyman Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) is involved in a terrible car crash which leaves him comatose. Four years later, he miraculously awakens. To begin with, he is devastated to learn that his girlfriend has moved on, marrying and starting a family with another man. But soon he realises that this is the least of his problems. He soon discovers that the accident has left him with remarkable powers, which enable him to see into people's futures just by touching their hand. And Johnny is in for one hell of a nasty shock when he shakes hands with potential senator Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen) at a political rally....
An intelligently paced and very well-acted film, The Dead Zone is also full of unpredictable plot developments. Walken elicits great sympathy as the normal guy who rapidly learns that his new gift is actually a curse, and there are fabulous supporting performances from Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom, Brooke Adams and the terrifying Martin Sheen. The film has several tremendous moments, but the climax in particular builds to an emotional crescendo. The premise of The Dead Zone is probably rather silly if you stop to think about it, but other than that it is a most impressive film - and still ranks as one of, if not THE, best adaptation of a Stephen King story so far.
Normal, down-to-earth everyman Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) is involved in a terrible car crash which leaves him comatose. Four years later, he miraculously awakens. To begin with, he is devastated to learn that his girlfriend has moved on, marrying and starting a family with another man. But soon he realises that this is the least of his problems. He soon discovers that the accident has left him with remarkable powers, which enable him to see into people's futures just by touching their hand. And Johnny is in for one hell of a nasty shock when he shakes hands with potential senator Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen) at a political rally....
An intelligently paced and very well-acted film, The Dead Zone is also full of unpredictable plot developments. Walken elicits great sympathy as the normal guy who rapidly learns that his new gift is actually a curse, and there are fabulous supporting performances from Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom, Brooke Adams and the terrifying Martin Sheen. The film has several tremendous moments, but the climax in particular builds to an emotional crescendo. The premise of The Dead Zone is probably rather silly if you stop to think about it, but other than that it is a most impressive film - and still ranks as one of, if not THE, best adaptation of a Stephen King story so far.
Helpful•438
- barnabyrudge
- Jun 29, 2004
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Stephen King's The Dead Zone
- Filming locations
- Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada(Downtown and gazebo scenes)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $20,766,616
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,556,083
- Oct 23, 1983
- Gross worldwide
- $20,766,616
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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