When he acquires a different kind of show for his station, a sleazy cable-TV programmer begins to see his life and the future of media spin out of control in a terrifying new reality.
A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.
After developing an addiction to the substance he uses to kill bugs, an exterminator accidentally kills his wife, and becomes involved in a secret government plot being orchestrated by giant bugs in a port town in North Africa.
The residents of a suburban high-rise apartment building are being infected by a strain of parasites that turn them into mindless, sex-crazed fiends out to infect others by the slightest sexual contact.
A mentally disturbed man takes residence in a halfway house. His mind gradually slips back into the realm created by his illness, where he replays a key part of his childhood.
Director:
David Cronenberg
Stars:
Ralph Fiennes,
Miranda Richardson,
Gabriel Byrne
Johnny Smith wakes from a coma due to a car accident, only to find he has lost five years of his life, and yet gained psychic powers. Foreseeing the future appears to be a 'gift' at first, but ends up causing problems...Written by
Paul Reynolds <pauljr@innotts.co.uk>
Martin Sheen and Coleen Dewhurst are in this Stephen King adaptation, and the next year, Sheen would appear with Dewhurst's ex-husband, George C. Scott, in another film based on a King novel, Firestarter. See more »
Goofs
During the scenes leading up to the car crash, it is raining heavily in some scene cuts and in others not at all. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Johnny Smith:
[Johnny is reading "The Raven" to his class]
And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting, on the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door, and his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming, and the lamp light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor, and my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor, shall be lifted... nevermore.
See more »
Crazy Credits
As 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." See more »
Alternate Versions
Although 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. See more »
Well-done big screen adaptation of the Stephen King novel is one of the most acclaimed King-based films ever, and rightfully so.
School teacher awakens from a five year coma to discover that he has the power to see into a person's past or future trauma by merely touching them.
The story that drives this solid thriller is a well-rounded and often moving character study. It's a compelling tale with some great sequences of suspense and the occasional good jolt. Director David Cronenberg delivers splendidly well-shot sequences in this film, as well as a nice atmospheric kind of bleakness that's completely in tune with our story. The music score is also quite beautiful.
The cast is the best highlight however. Star Christopher Walken does perhaps one of his best performances as our tormented hero, whom we build quite a bond with. Brook Adams is quite good as Walken's lost love. Martin Sheen is impressive as a sinister politician. Tom Skerritt and Colleen Dewhurst are also good in their small roles.
All around The Dead Zone is a wonderful film, even if you're not a fan of Stephen King.
Remade as a TV series in 2002
*** 1/2 out of ****
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Well-done big screen adaptation of the Stephen King novel is one of the most acclaimed King-based films ever, and rightfully so.
School teacher awakens from a five year coma to discover that he has the power to see into a person's past or future trauma by merely touching them.
The story that drives this solid thriller is a well-rounded and often moving character study. It's a compelling tale with some great sequences of suspense and the occasional good jolt. Director David Cronenberg delivers splendidly well-shot sequences in this film, as well as a nice atmospheric kind of bleakness that's completely in tune with our story. The music score is also quite beautiful.
The cast is the best highlight however. Star Christopher Walken does perhaps one of his best performances as our tormented hero, whom we build quite a bond with. Brook Adams is quite good as Walken's lost love. Martin Sheen is impressive as a sinister politician. Tom Skerritt and Colleen Dewhurst are also good in their small roles.
All around The Dead Zone is a wonderful film, even if you're not a fan of Stephen King.
Remade as a TV series in 2002
*** 1/2 out of ****