A man awakens from a coma to discover he has a psychic ability to foresee future events.A man awakens from a coma to discover he has a psychic ability to foresee future events.A man awakens from a coma to discover he has a psychic ability to foresee future events.
- Awards
- 7 wins & 4 nominations
Géza Kovács
- Sonny Elliman
- (as Geza Kovacs)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDirector David Cronenberg fired a .357 Magnum loaded with blanks just off camera to make Smith's flinches seem more involuntary; this was Christopher Walken's own idea.
- GoofsAll the lights on the tanker stay lit even though it completely detaches from the rig.
- Quotes
Johnny Smith: The ICE... is gonna BREAK!
- Crazy creditsAs 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."
- Alternate versionsAlthough 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.
- SoundtracksThe Yankee Doodle Boy
(a.k.a., "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy") (uncredited)
Written by George M. Cohan
(Cohan included a snippet of "Yankee Doodle" (traditional) in his own composition)
Performed by Traditional
Featured review
I keep having to remind myself that David Cronenberg directed this, as it is so unlike his previous and subsequent work--more mainstream, less cold, and far less fixated on gooey special effects. What is going on here? One of the most stunning adaptations of a Stephen King novel with Christopher Walken absolutely brilliant as tortured coma victim Johnny Smith, that's what. An elementary-school teacher preparing to marry Sarah (Brooke Adams), Johnny has a run-in with fate that throws him into a coma for 5 years; when he awakens, he is plagued by psychic visions, including a chilling apocalypse that frames the film's final act. While the horror elements (including a suicide via scissors) carry an appropriate impact, the core of "The Dead Zone" is Walken's performance--he portrays Johnny as a recluse who regards his visions as a curse, and taps into a sensitivity and vulnerability that is rarely seen in male film characters; his interactions with others carry a down-home, plausible feel that gives the film a strong emotional resonance. Cronenberg directs Jeffrey Boam's script almost as a series of vignettes, but maintains a flowing pace and trusts Walken to deliver the film to a heartfelt, tragic conclusion.
- Jonny_Numb
- Sep 28, 2005
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- La zona muerta
- Filming locations
- Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada(Downtown and gazebo scenes)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $20,766,616
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,556,083
- Oct 23, 1983
- Gross worldwide
- $20,766,616
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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