The Dead Zone

"In his mind, he has the power to see the future. In his hands, he has the power to change it."

1983 1h 43m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 1,923

ThrillerHorrorScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Johnny Smith is a schoolteacher with his whole life ahead of him but, after leaving his fiancee's home one night, is involved in a car crash which leaves him in a coma for 5 years. When he wakes, he discovers he has an ability to see into the past, present and future life of anyone with whom he comes into physical contact.

“In his mind, he has the power to see the future. In his hands, he has the power to change it.”

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Cast

Christopher Walken
Johnny Smith
Brooke Adams
Sarah Bracknell
Tom Skerritt
Sheriff Bannerman
Herbert Lom
Dr. Sam Weizak
Anthony Zerbe
Roger Stuart
Colleen Dewhurst
Henrietta Dodd
Martin Sheen
Greg Stillson
Nicholas Campbell
Frank Dodd

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Cronenberg
Writers: Jeffrey Boam, Jim Craig
Languages: English, Russian
Countries: United States of America, Canada

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Russian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Canada.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Cronenberg, shot by Mark Irwin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Kamen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ronald Sanders shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Christopher Walken and Brooke Adams and Tom Skerritt carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "In his mind, he has the power to see the future. In his hands, he has the power to change it.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Cronenberg directs. Mark Irwin behind the camera. Michael Kamen scores. Ronald Sanders cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America, Canada. Dialogue in English, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

143 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Russian.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Canada.
4Directed by David Cronenberg, shot by Mark Irwin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Michael Kamen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Ronald Sanders shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Christopher Walken and Brooke Adams and Tom Skerritt carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "In his mind, he has the power to see the future. In his hands, he has the power to change it.".
9IMDB entry: tt0085407 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 14 themes, including "sheriff", "coma", "based on novel or book", "sacrifice".
11Released under 20 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Mark Irwin
Original score: Michael Kamen
Editing: Ronald Sanders
Production design: Carol Spier
Costume design: Olga Dimitrovová
Makeup / hair: Jenny Arbour
Sound: Gregg Landaker
Stunt coordinator: Carey Loftin
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $20,766,616
Return: 208% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Dead Zone (1983)

Also by

David Cronenberg

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What people are saying

talisencrw2016-07-12
★ 9/10
This was outstanding, and ranks right up there for me, both in terms of Stephen King adaptations in general and Cronenberg's work in particular. It also houses one of my very favourite Christopher Walken performances. When I see Martin Sheen be such a jerk here, it both makes me realize where his son Charlie gets that side of his personality from and makes me fear, even though I'm Canadian, the fact that Donald Trump actually has a chance of being the next president of the United States. It also reaffirms in my heart the great adoration I have for Brooke Adams.
JPV8522020-09-07
★ 6/10
Pretty good paranormal thriller with a nice, and strangely normal, performance from Christopher Walken. Kept my attention throughout even if the finale felt a bit rushed and, the final scene, pretty laughable. Still found it entertaining though not sure how much desire I have to re-watch, although I may give the TV series a shot down the line. 3.25/5
SplintDixon2021-01-22
★ 8/10
The Dead Zone is a movie that hits several genres and carries itself very well. It's able to do so due to the strength of the main character, Johnny Smith, played so well by Christopher Walken. Walken's performance is casual at times and absolutely stunning at others. To think that Bill Murray was thought by Stephen King to be a better option is crazy. Walken's performance brings out the best in the rest of the ensemble as the movie goes through 3 acts, with several stories intermingled quite nicely with each other. While it is not a true horror movie, in my opinion, the work of David Cronenberg comes out nicely in some scene's that remind you he is in charge of our minds during the 100 minute or so feature. I highly recommend this to anyone that loves Stephen King adaptions or psychological thrillers. It is a movie, that in my opinion, has aged very nicely and holds it's own in any era. Great film! I give this movie a solid 8 out of 10.