Other Titles • The Dead Zone • Dead Zone - Der Attentäter (1984) • Stephen Kings Dead Zone (1984)
Synopses for The Dead Zone (1983)
1.
The Dead Zone is based on a novel by Stephen King, directed by David Cronenberg (Scanners, The Fly) and produced by Debra Hill (Halloween, The Fog). Such a trio of horror vets would be expected to come up with an evening of shocks and gore, but The Dead Zone is a surprise. While it has great atmospheric eeriness and undeniably scary moments, The Dead Zone is at heart a sensitive and thoughtful portrayal of main character Johnny Smith's dilemma. Christopher Walken, king of the vaguely creepy, plays Smith, a man who awakens from a five-year coma with the very mixed blessing of second sight. At the mere touch of a hand, Smith is unwillingly launched into scenes of past and future terror. (Director Cronenberg is said to have fired blanks from a .357 Magnum just out of camera range to keep Walken's flinching spontaneous.) The Dead Zone wisely takes its time telling the story, and thus allows for some great performances. Walken gives a rich portrayal of the conflicted Smith, and Colleen Dewhurst and Tom Skerritt both do welcome turns in smaller roles. The most fun of all, though, is clearly being had by Martin Sheen, who gives a spirited performance as a complete sleazebag. --Ali Davis
2.
Cronenberg's first foray into mainstream filmmaking is also one of his most satisfying pictures. Adapted from a Stephen King novel, it stars Walken as Johnny, a man who has been in a coma for five years and wakes up to realize that he can tell a person's fate just by touching them. Realizing that he can change the future as well, Johnny soon gets intervenes in a number of would-be tragedies. Consequently, he soon becomes famous for his gift, but he longs for his former life, when he still had his job, his fiancee, and a normal life. However, when he shakes hands with a future president of the US (Sheen, in a wonderfully hammy performance) who could end up being the biggest mass murderer since Hitler, Johnny wrestles with what seems to be his destiny. Walken's bravura performance forms the soul of this excellent and touching thriller.
3.
Christopher Walken stars in this tense, gripping adaptation of Stephen King's best-selling novel, The Dead Zone. One fateful night, Johnny Smith (Walken) smashes head-on into an enormous truck. For five long years, Johnny is plunged into a deep coma. When he awakens, he discovers that his youth, his career and his fiance, Sarah (Brooke Adams), have all been lost. But Johnny has gained something -- extraordinary psychic powers allowing him to see visions of the past, present and future. In episode after episode, Johnny is propelled into horror-filled, supernatural experiences. Desperately, Johnny seeks seclusion, but a moral decision must be made -- should he use his powers to change the future of mankind? Martin Sheen gives a chilling portrayal as a sinister, psychotic Senate hopeful aspiring to the U.S. Presidency.
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