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
Gross revenue	$20,766,616 Domestic
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

The Dead Zone is a 1983 science fiction horror-thriller film based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. Directed by David Cronenberg, the film stars Christopher Walken, Tom Skerritt, Martin Sheen, 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. Image File history File links The_Dead_Zone. ... David Paul Cronenberg OC, FRSC (born March 15, 1943[2]) is a Canadian film director and occasional actor. ... Debra Hill (November 10, 1950–March 7, 2005) was an American screenwriter and film producer who co-wrote the horror movie Halloween. ... For other persons named Stephen King, see Stephen King (disambiguation). ... Jeffrey Boam (November 30, 1949 – January 24, 2000) was an American screenwriter and producer. ... Christopher Walken (born March 31, 1943) is an Academy Award-winning American film and theatre actor. ... Brooke Adams in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, (1978) Brooke Adams (born February 8, 1949 in New York) is an actress. ... Thomas Alderton Skerritt (born August 25, 1933) is an Emmy Award-Winning American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes (half Picket Fences). ... Martin Sheen (born August 3, 1940) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor. ... Michael Kamen (April 15, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, song writer, and session musician. ... Mark Irwin is a prolific Canadian cinematographer. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Horror can mean several things: Horror (emotion) Horror fiction Horror film This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Thriller films are movies that primarily use action and suspense to engage the audience. ... For other persons named Stephen King, see Stephen King (disambiguation). ... The Dead Zone is a novel by Stephen King published in 1979. ... David Paul Cronenberg OC, FRSC (born March 15, 1943[2]) is a Canadian film director and occasional actor. ... Christopher Walken (born March 31, 1943) is an Academy Award-winning American film and theatre actor. ... Thomas Alderton Skerritt (born August 25, 1933) is an Emmy Award-Winning American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes (half Picket Fences). ... Martin Sheen (born August 3, 1940) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor. ... Herbert Lom [Czech IPA: ] is an international film actor. ... Brooke Adams in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, (1978) Brooke Adams (born February 8, 1949 in New York) is an actress. ... Colleen Dewhurst (born June 3, 1924; died August 22, 1991) was a Canadian-born actress best known for playing Marilla Cuthbert in the various Anne of Green Gables productions from Sullivan Entertainment. ... For other uses, see Coma (disambiguation). ... Edgar Cayce (1877 – 1945) was one of the best-known American psychics of the 20th century and made many highly publicized predictions. ...

Plot

Johnny Smith (Walken) is a young New England schoolteacher in love with his colleague Sarah (Adams) when he is involved in a serious car accident that sends him into a coma. He awakes under the care of neurologist Dr. Weizak (Lom) and counts himself fortunate when he notes no casts, bandages or visible signs of injuries on his body. However, the awakening turns rude when he is told that five years have passed since he last knew consciousness: his girlfriend has long since married and had a child. This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... For other uses, see Coma (disambiguation). ...

Johnny's transition back to life is made rougher when he discovers that he has the ability to learn a person's secrets (past, present, future) through making physical contact with the person.

After reluctantly using his ability to help a local sheriff (Skerritt) solve a series of brutal murders, Johnny attempts to resume his profession, as a private tutor. However, his ability continues to haunt him, especially when he foresees that a rising local political star, Greg Stillson (Sheen), will someday be elected President of the United States, with disastrous consequences - in John's vision, Stillson starts a nuclear holocaust, presumably destroying all of civilization. Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ...

Johnny decides to avert this possible future by shooting Stillson at a meeting. He misses and winds up mortally wounded, but he has nonetheless accomplished his mission. During the shooting, the terrified Stillson grabbed a baby to use as a human shield. A photographer covering the meeting got a picture of this cowardly act and ran out before Stillson's security could stop him. Stillson goes to the dying Johnny, demanding to know who sent him. Johnny touches Stillson, and receives one final vision -- that of a haggard Stillson, ruined as a result of the scandal, killing himself. "You're finished," he tells the politician, before dieing in Sarah's arms.

See also

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

This article contains a trivia section. ...

External links

• The Dead Zone at the Internet Movie Database
• The Dead Zone at Rotten Tomatoes