The Dead Zone

Johnny first comes to terms with his power when he agrees to help the police discover the identity of an elusive serial killer walking the streets of Castle Rock (which, for some strange reason, is supposedly located in New Hampshire rather than Maine). This experience only makes him retreat farther into himself, compelling him to move to another town and try to begin a new life within the comfort of his own protective walls. A traumatic vision concerning one of the students he is tutoring leads him to discover a new aspect of his power, and this discovery comes just in time for him to make a difficult decision as to whether or not to sacrifice his own life in order to prevent a truly cataclysmic event from taking place in the future.

David Cronenberg directs this bleak but absorbing film, but don't expect the kind of gore Cronenberg is famous for, as this is not a gore-mired film by any means (although the deaths we do witness are pretty satisfyingly presented). The Dead Zone is a psychological study of human nature and a suspenseful thriller, not a horror movie per se. Martin Sheen leaves an unforgettable mark on the film with his portrayal of as slimy and dangerous a politician as you would ever want to meet (and, as a side note, impersonating Elvis Presley's voice apparently goes over big among New England voters for some reason).

A lot of care and detail went into the making of The Dead Zone, and it shows. The atmosphere is dark and palpable from start to finish, and Christopher Walken commands the viewer's rapt attention at all times. There are a number of very moving scenes, particularly in relation to Johnny's new relationship with his former fiancée, so don't be surprised if Walken coaxes a tear or two out of the corners of your eyes. Many of the early movies based on King novels did not translate to the big screen very effectively, but The Dead Zone is an often overlooked and very impressive exception.


Dead Zone finally delivers dead-on King adaptation   July 10, 1999
22 out of 23 found this review helpful

The Dead Zone is the finest movie adaptation of a Stephen King novel because it captures perfectly the essence of true terror: the haunts of the past mixed with the unpredictability of the future. Christopher Walken captures this concoction and presents a dead-on performance as a man who awakens from a lengthy coma to discover he has the gift(or curse)of not only being able to predict the future but to change it. The Dead Zone works so well because most of it takes place in a small town atmosphere, which gives the characters the opportunity to fully develop. It also helps to have a first-rate supporting cast with the likes of accomplished actors such as Anthony Zerbe, Tom Skeritt, and Martin Sheen among many others. And since the tone of the film is largely grim, most of the scenes are shot appropriately in winter(with minimalist surroundings and less emphasis on special effects). But all told, it's just great to see a King adaptation that doesn't center around one gory fright after another, but instead presents the frightening unpredictability of the human soul in stark (almost Orwellian) terms.


Genuinely haunting   March 13, 2001
17 out of 18 found this review helpful

In my opinion, this is the best film made from a Stephen King work, but it may be too understated for its own good. I've visited many Stephen King discussion websites, and "The Dead Zone" appears surprisingly rarely in the threads about movies made from King works.

One would expect that in a film featuring Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen, Walken would play the villain and Sheen the hero. This film turns that assumption neatly on its head, and it's a wise choice, too; for all his talent and oddball appeal, Walken does not have the type of oily charisma needed for Greg Stillson, the character Sheen plays. Sheen, however, does a terrific (though at times over-the-top) job of playing a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing politician, a far cry from the saintly President Bartlett he currently plays on TV's "The West Wing."

Walken's performance as Johnny Smith (great name) is more muted--although that scene where he smashes the vase and yells "THE ICE IS GONNA BREAK!" never fails to startle me--and he hits all of the right notes playing a protagonist who is atypically complex for movies, and certainly for "horror" movies (the genre this movie is generally relegated to). Smith starts out righteously wounded, then becomes withdrawn and self-pitying, and finally is faced with a Cassandra-like dilemma (he knows the dreadful future, and also that no one will believe him), but unlike Cassandra, he can do something to prevent it, even though it will mean sacrificing himself. With this knowledge, he realizes that what he'd thought was a curse was really a gift, as he himself says.

This film is also atypical for the "horror" genre in that it has more than its share of heartbreaking scenes. The scene that is most so, for me anyway, is when Smith tells Sarah (Brooke Adams, who gives another of the film's roundly excellent performances) that he wishes to be like Irving's Ichabod Crane: "And as he was a bachelor and in nobody's debt, nobody troubled their heads about him anymore."


Intelligent, sophisticated and Heart-breaking Adaptation   September 28, 2000
D. Ian Crutchley (Downpatrick, UK United Kingdom)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This has to be one of the most over-looked adaptations of any Stephen King book ( And there have been a few stinkers!) Told at a leisurely pace initially, the film allows the tension to build, and features one of the best performances of Christopher Walken's career. He plays the central character in the story, with a haunted and understated performance that allows you to empathise with, and pity the agonies his character has to endure. There are strong performances all round, with director Cronenberg keeping a close rein on all his performers, with the exception of Martin Sheen who has to play his character as 'barking' in a few key scenes. The film is shot with a minimalist style right through, and even the music beautifully evokes the impending sense of tragedy that we can all feel coming. I remember seeing the film for the first time nearly fifteen years ago, and I hadn't read the book. Today, shock endings are almost expected, with 'The Sixth Sense' being one of the most notable examples. The ending to this film still leaves me tingling, as it did when I first saw it all those years ago. I just didn't see it coming, and it remains to me one of the most poignant bittersweet endings in cinema. I was delighted when this film was released onto DVD, as my old VHS copy was getting a tad grainy. Now I can watch one of my favourite all-time movies over and over with no deterioration in picture or sound quality. This film is one of those little gems that tend to lie undiscovered in the video store, with most patrons passing it over as 'just another Stephen King movie.' It isn't. This is probably cleverer than 'The Sixth Sense' ( Where I always felt the ending owed more to the ending in James Herbert's 'The Survivor' than anything else - I actually guessed the ending before seeing the film!) and definitely more heart-breaking. If the climax of this film doesn't leave you moved, then you have no soul! Rent it, buy it or borrow it, but see it you must!


I thought "Oh, no, not another lousy Stephen King movie"   January 30, 2001
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I do not like most Stephen King movies--but I will have to say this movie is in every way superior to the book. I first viewed this film about fifteen years ago--I have watched it endless times and always have tears left for the ending. It is one of my favorite movies and I'm a littlle surprised at that because I tend to like "larger than life" films like Schindler's List, The Godfather, Ben Hur, etc. It is a subtle masterpiece--about an extraordinary man with an ordinary name (John Smith). I have loved Christopher Walken since I first saw this film--he IS John Smith and he makes you feel every emotion of his character. Please, give this gem a chance. It WILL haunt you all your days......................