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The Dead Zone
Theatrical poster
Directed by	David Cronenberg
Produced by	Debra Hill
Written by	Novel: Stephen King Screenplay: Jeffrey Boam
Starring	Christopher Walken Brooke Adams Tom Skerritt Martin Sheen
Music by	Michael Kamen
Cinematography	Mark Irwin
Editing by	Ronald Sanders
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures (USA) Dino De Laurentiis Productions (non-USA)
Release date(s)	October 21, 1983 (U.S.)
Running time	103 min.
Language	English
Budget	$10,000,000
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Dead Zone is a 1983 horror film/Thriller film based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. Directed by David Cronenberg, the film stars Christopher Walken, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom, Brooke Adams, and Colleen Dewhurst. The plot revolves around a schoolteacher, Johnny Smith (Walken), who awakens from a coma to find he has psychic powers.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Differences between the Film and Novel 3 See also 4 External links

Johnny Smith is a schoolteacher in a small Maine town, in love with his colleague and fellow teacher, Sarah (Adams). The film opens some time in Autumn as he reads an excerpt from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" to his class. He finished the class by telling his students to read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (later on in his career Christopher Walken actually played the headless horseman in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow). After school he meets up with Sarah in the hallway; they discuss a date they're having at the carnival that evening.

Later, at the carnival, Johnny and Sarah enjoy a roller coaster ride together until Johnny begins to have a severe headache. Johnny shakes it off and the two continue their date. That night it begins to rain heavily and after Johnny drives Sarah home, she asks him to stay the night -- he assures her he will be fine and heads home.

As Johnny drives home, the weather worsens and his vision deteriorates in the storm. Down the road a truck driver falls asleep and his tanker breaks off, sliding down the wet road. Johnny doesn't see the tanker until it's too late; his Volkswagen Beetle flips over as the two collide. The next day a distraught Sarah visits Johnny in the hospital and learns he is comatose.

Some time later Johnny has been moved to the Weizak Clinic, led by Sam Weizak (Lom), a noted neurologist. Johnny finally awakens from his coma and is greeted by Dr. Weizak who tells him his parents are waiting outside for him. Johnny begins to grow concerned about the fact he has no wounds and Dr. Weizak informs him he's been in a coma for 5 years. His parents then tell him Sarah has since moved on -- she has gotten married and had a baby. Dr. Weizak tells Johnny to relax and he falls asleep.

As Johnny sleeps, a nurse walks into the room to give Johnny new towels when he abruptly grabs her arm. He jerks awake and has a vision of a little girl in a burning house; the girl is the nurse's daughter. He yells at her to save the girl - she calls the Fire Department and her daughter is saved from the blaze. Later, Johnny sits with Dr. Weizak who talks with him about the months of physical therapy he has ahead. Afterward, Johnny shakes Dr. Weizak's hand and begins to have another vision. He sees Poland in 1939, in the middle of the Nazi invasion. He sees a young Dr. Weizak being saved from the Nazis while his mother is left behind. Johnny snaps out of his spell and a concerned Dr. Weizak asks him what happened. Johnny replies that Weizak's mother is alive. Dr. Weizak informs Johnny this is impossible, his mother died in the invasion. Johnny tells him that his mother in fact survived and started a new life in the United States. Later that night Dr. Weizak calls the phone number Johnny gave him and begins to tremble as he hears his mother's voice on the other end of the line.

The next day Johnny is in his physical therapy when Sarah arrives and visits him. After she leaves, Johnny tells Dr. Weizak he wants to hold a press conference about his new ability. Dr. Weizak objects but ends up giving in. At the conference he disproves a skeptical reporter by talking about the reporter's sister's suicide. As Johnny's parents watch the fiasco on television his mother has a severe stroke and is sent to the hospital. Johnny goes to see his mother and she passes away in his arms.

More time passes and it is now Christmas. Johnny is living with his father when he is visited by Sheriff George Bannerman (Skeritt) from nearby Castle Rock, Maine. Sheriff Bannerman tells Johnny that he's asking for his help to solve a string of murders in Castle Rock. Johnny gets angry and Sheriff Bannerman gives up. As he leaves, Sarah arrives with her son, Denny, to visit Johnny. Sarah and Johnny make love then talk over dinner. After she leaves, Johnny watches the news and learns the body of a sophomore at Castle Rock High School has just been discovered -- Johnny tells his father he's going to help Sheriff Bannerman.

Johnny travels to Castle Rock and meets Sheriff Bannerman and his Deputy, Frank Dodd. As they investigate the location where the latest victim was found, Bannerman receives a call that another body (of a local waitress) has been found at the town gazebo. As Johnny investigates the scene, he has a vision of her last moments. She is called up to the gazebo by a man, who she apparently knows, and he repeatedly stabs her with scissors. Before the vision ends Johnny sees the killer is none other than Deputy Dodd.

As he snaps out of the vision, he tells Sheriff Bannerman who it is and calls for Dodd. He is informed Dodd left in his squad car. Johnny and Bannerman arrive at Dodd's house and are greeted by his mother who tries to tell them Frank isn't home (although Johnny saw him in an upstairs window). Johnny grabs Frank's mother and, through a vision, learns she knew about the killings. She gets pushed out of the way and the two search for Dodd. When they reach his bedroom they are shocked to see his room is filled with childhood toys. Dodd is found in the bathroom where he has committed suicide with his scissors. As Johnny and Bannerman leave, Frank's mother shoots Johnny with Frank's gun; Sheriff Bannerman then shoots her.

More time passes and Johnny has now started a tutoring job. He is then offered another tutoring job by Roger Stuart, who is concerned about his son, Chris. When Johnny arrives, Roger is talking with Greg Stillson (Sheen), a candidate for the United States Senate. Johnny meets Chris and the two begin to bond. Later, Johnny and Roger watch a televised Greg Stillson rally and Roger tells Johnny he thinks Stillson is dangerous.

One day while Johnny tutors Chris, a man comes to Johnny's door to promote Stillson's campaign. Johnny tells the man he's busy, so the man calls his wife to come give him some pamphlets. The man's wife turns out to be Sarah. After Sarah and her husband leave, Johnny begins to cry and a concerned Chris asks Johnny if he's okay. Johnny gives Chris a hug and suddenly has a vision of Chris and several other children drowning during a hockey game.

As Chris returns home, Johnny learns that Roger has set up a peewee hockey league for Chris and his friends and their first game is that day. Johnny pleads with Roger to call off the game and gets into an argument with him. Roger agrees to cancel the game but tells Johnny that he doesn't want him tutoring Chris anymore. After Johnny has left, Roger decides to continue the game although Chris refuses to participate.

The next day Johnny sees the newspaper and learns several kids drowned during a hockey game the day before. Johnny calls the Stuart house as a depressed Roger sits, doing nothing. It initially appears Chris has drowned until he comes out and answers the phone. Johnny, relieved to know Chris is alive, hangs up without saying anything.

Later that day Johnny sits at home and decides to attend the Greg Stillson rally across the street. During the rally he shakes Stillson's hand and has a vision: some time in the near future Greg Stillson is president of the United States and Stillson believes it's his destiny to initiate nuclear war. Although a General pleads with Stillson not to do it, he eventually gives in and the war is initiated -- just as the vice president informs Stillson they have reached a diplomatic solution.

Back in the present, Johnny calls Dr. Weizak and asks him: if he could travel back in time before the Second World War and assassinate Adolf Hitler, would he do it. Dr. Weizak tells him yes and Johnny decides he must kill Stillson. Johnny travels to a Stillson rally and sneaks onto a balcony. As Stillson begins to speak, Johnny jumps up and prepares to shoot when Sarah, who's on stage with Denny, calls out Johnny's name. Johnny misses the shot and the rally erupts into panic. Stillson grabs Denny from Sarah's hands and uses him as a shield. Johnny refuses to shoot at Stillson as long as he has Denny. Sarah grabs Denny back, but before Johnny can shoot Stillson, he's shot in the hand and heart by Stillson's bodyguard, Sonny. Johnny falls to the ground and an infuriated Stillson asks Johnny who sent him. Johnny grabs Stillson's hand and has a final vision: a depressed Stillson sitting next to a copy of Newsweek; the cover photo shows Stillson holding up Denny as a shield and is captioned "No Future for Stillson." Stillson holds a pistol under his chin, the gun roars, and blood splatters on the magazine cover. The vision ends and Johnny tells Stillson, "It's over. You're finished." Stillson asks Sonny what happened to the kid who photographed him with Denny. Sonny, disgusted at Stillson's act of cowardice, tells him that he doesn't know. After Greg and Sonny leave, Sarah runs up to Johnny and begins to cry as he utters his final words, "I love you." Sarah cries over his body and John dies, shedding one final tear.

• The novel takes place over the course of 10 years (1970-1980), while the film is in much less time, and is presumably set in 1978 and 1983.
• In the novel, Sam Weizak is simply a doctor at a hospital, and there is no Weizak clinic.
• In the novel, Johnny's accident happens in a taxicab, when the cab crashes into two cars drag racing.
• The carnival scene is more detailed in the book.
• In the book, we are introduced to Stillson at the beginning.
• In the novel, Johnny has an early psychic episode when he's a child, after a skating accident.
• In the novel, Johnny learns he is dying of a brain tumor from his "dead zone", as opposed to being drained of his life force in the film.
• Dodd's suicide is different in the novel, and there is no shootout with his mother.
• In the novel, there is a sub-plot about Johnny's mother losing her sanity, and becoming overly-religious.
• In the novel, Sarah has nothing to do with Stillson, and it is a different child that Stillson uses as a human shield.
• The novel has an epilogue in which Sarah visits Johnny's grave, and a Senate hearing is held about the attempted assassination.
• More of Stillson's past is revealed in the book.
• In the novel Alma Frechsette (the waitress) is Dodd's first victim, and an elementary school girl is the victim found in the gazebo. Also, the high-school girl is a completely different victim.
• In the novel Johnny plays Roulette (called "The Wheel of Fortune") at the carnival, and wins a significant amount of money with his powers (unbeknownst to him) and the house numbers, double zero, are used in reference throughout the rest of the story.
• In the novel John drives Sarah home in Sarah's car because she was sick, forcing him to take a taxi, and has the accident.
• In the novel, John jokingly accuses Sarah of using cocaine on several occasions.
• In the novel, Dodd's victims are in fact all raped as well as murdered by strangulation.
• In the novel Dodd was not present at the investigation.
• In the novel whenever Dodd murdered someone he uses the phrase "Nasty Fucker" (Originally used by his mother) and believes himself "Slick" in reference to his wet raincoat, disallowing a struggle between him and his victims.
• In the novel Dodd shows Alma Frechsette a used prophylactic, thinking she was a prostitute and she had something to do with it.
• In the novel Chuck is a high school football star trying to graduate as opposed to his younger film counterpart renamed Chris.
• In the novel, John's vision of Chris' death involves a restaurant fire, rather than a skating accident.
• In the novel, the style of John's visions are less visual than in the film.
• In the novel, Johnny never properly meets Greg Stillson.
• In the novel, Roger is grateful that Johnny saved his son and he pays Johnny's medical bills.
• In the novel, Johnny gets the idea of killing Stillson from Rogers Asian gardener.
• In the novel, The gardener tells Johnny of a childhood game called "the laughing tiger" this disturbs Johnny and is frequently referenced throughout the novel.
• In the novel, it is not revealed what becomes of Stillson after the rally.

• The Dead Zone, a television series also based on the novel.

• The Dead Zone at the Internet Movie Database

v • d • e Films by David Cronenberg
"Transfer" • From the Drain • Stereo • Crimes of the Future • Shivers • Rabid • Fast Company • The Brood • Scanners • The Dead Zone • Videodrome • The Fly • Dead Ringers • Naked Lunch • M. Butterfly • Crash • "Camera" • eXistenZ • Spider • A History of Violence • Eastern Promises