Let’s look at, The Dead Zone. By 1983, David Cronenberg had become associated with the horror genre through his bold and audacious style with films like Shivers (1975), Rabid (1977), The Brood (1979) and Scanners (1981). Following the completion of Videodrome, Cronenberg had been hired by the maverick producer Dino De Laurentiis to take the helm – after names like Stanley Donen, Michael Cimino and John Badham were considered – of the film adaptation of Stephen King’s epic novel The Dead Zone. Previously released on both DVD and Blu-ray by Paramount and in a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray by Scream Factory, the latter has brought the film back and given it a brand new UHD Blu-ray release.
The Production: 4.5/5
The life of Castle Rock, Maine schoolteacher Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) is turned upside down when – following a day spent with girlfriend Sarah (Brooke Adams) – he’s involved in a near-fatal car accident that puts him into a deep coma. When he awakens five years later at the clinic of Dr. Sam Weizak (Herbert Lom), he has gained the amazing ability of second sight, giving him the ability to look into the past, present and future by just touching the hand of those he comes in contact with. This skill is put to great use – although reluctantly on Johnny’s part – in saving children from house fires and thin ice, while helping Castle County Sheriff George Bannerman (Tom Skerritt) capture an elusive killer in the community. However, when Johnny crosses paths with U.S. Senate hopeful Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen), he witnesses a horrific vision of the future that will propel him to make a drastic action that may change the course of history and save everyone from a potential nuclear holocaust…
One of the best cinematic adaptations of Stephen King’s works, The Dead Zone transcends its horror roots and turns the story into a supernatural tragedy. Working from Jeffrey Boam’s script, David Cronenberg keeps much of the impact of the novel intact while condensing the book from its sprawling narrative into a triptych that preserves the heart and soul of the story. While condensing much of story and jettisoning quite a few subplots – like how Stillson rises on the political circuit prior to crossing paths with Johnny – the film’s streamlined approach to telling the story here is matched only by the strength of the atmosphere provided by cinematographer Mark Irwin and composer Michael Kamen; their contributions drive home Cronenberg’s approach to making this a tragic love story between Johnny and Sarah with some supernatural overtones. Best of all, the film is brilliantly cast from top to bottom and Cronenberg gets terrific performances from them. So, while some fans may have underrated the movie, The Dead Zone is still an exceptional visualization of Stephen King’s best novels and one of David Cronenberg’s best works, one that proved that he could expand his own horizons beyond the body horror subgenre; the story also found some mileage on television after this movie, when a TV series adapted from the book and starring Anthony Michael Hall ran for six seasons from 2002 to 2007.
Still relatively fresh off of winning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for The Deer Hunter (1978) – and chosen for the part here over castmate Nicholas Campbell and King’s first selection Bill Murray – Christopher Walken has one of his most career defining performances as Johnny; while this would be his only collaboration with David Cronenberg, he has since become a favorite of Tim Burton, notably returning to the horror genre with his portrayal of the Headless Horseman in Sleepy Hollow (1999). Personally requested by Walken for the part of Sarah, Brooke Adams has another of her best career performances, after Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Days of Heaven (both 1978); although this would be her last major film role in a Hollywood movie to date, she would return to the horror genre a few years later in The Unborn (1991). As the unhinged Stillson, Martin Sheen has one of his most chilling performances, coming in stark contrast to his much better-known performance as President Jed Bartlett in TV’s The West Wing; he would return to the cinematic world of Stephen King’s works with his portrayal of Captain Martin Hollister in Firestarter the year after this movie. Filling out the cast here are Herbert Lom as Dr. Sam Weizak, Tom Skerritt as Sheriff George Bannerman (cast after Dino De Laurentiis objected to Hal Holbrook – Cronenberg’s first choice for the part – playing the role), the previously mentioned Campbell as Deputy Frank Dodd, Colleen Dewhurst as his mother Henrietta, Anthony Zerbe as the wealthy businessman Roger Stuart (who knows that Stillson is very dangerous), Simon Craig as his son Chris (whom Johnny tutors and ends up convincing him not to go out and play hockey on the thin ice), Sean Sullivan and Jackie Burroughs as Johnny’s parents, Barry Flatman as Sarah’s husband Walt, Géza Kovács as Stillson’s bodyguard Sonny and Leslie Carlson as the newspaper editor Brenner, who’s “convinced” by Stillson to not publish a damaging editorial on him.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
The film is presented in its original 1:85: aspect ratio for this release, taken from a brand new HDR/Dolby Vision transfer created from a scan of the original camera negative; on the UHD Blu-ray disc, the film is presented in HDR, while the accompanying Blu-ray disc presents the film in high definition SDR (both discs utilize the newly created HD transfer). Film grain, fine details and the color palette are all faithfully presented with minor cases of scratches, tears and dirt present. Overall, this release bests the previous Scream Factory Blu-ray and is likely the best the movie will ever look on home video.
Audio: 5/5
There are two audio options for this release on both UHD and Blu-ray discs: a 2.0 and a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track on both discs. Both tracks showcase a faithful presentation in terms of sound mix, dialogue and Michael Kamen’s effective music score and only minor cases of distortion like crackling, popping and hissing present. Again, this release is likely the best the movie will ever sound on home video.
Special Features: 5/5
On both UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray discs
Commentary with filmmaker Mike Flanagan and podcasters Eric Vespe and Scott Wampler of The Kingcast – Newly recorded for this release, Flanagan, Vespe and Wampler give enthusiastic insight into the movie, even though much of the factual material covered here overlaps with a few of the legacy commentaries featured on this release.
Commentary with cinematographer Mark Irwin, moderated by Michael Felscher – Carried over from the previous Scream Factory Blu-ray, Irwin recounts his work on the film in this Q&A session with Felscher.
Commentary with film historian Michael Gingold – The second commentary track carried over from the Scream Factory Blu-ray has Gingold shares his appreciation for the film as well as detailing many of the aspects of the film’s production and differences from the novel.
Commentary with author/film historian Steve Haberman and filmmaker/film historian Constantine Nasr – Haberman and Nasr dissect the many facets of the film adaptation and the Stephen King novel in this third commentary track carried over from the Scream Factory Blu-ray.
Isolated Score Selections with commentary by film music historian Daniel Schweiger – Selections of cues from Michael Kamen’s score are presented here along with Schweiger’s insight into the life and career of Kamen as well as dissecting the mood and instrumentation of each selected cue; this was also carried over from the previous Scream Factory Blu-ray.
On Blu-ray disc only
Sarah’s Story (10:37) – Actress Brooke Adams – who played Sarah in the movie – reflects on her work on the movie and memories of Christopher Walken and her early childhood days in this interview carried over from the Scream Factory Blu-ray.
Cold Visions: Producing The Dead Zone (20:32) – Production manager John M. Eckert and associate producer Jeffrey Chernov reflect on their roles in the film’s production in this interview carried over from the Scream Factory Blu-ray.
Memories from The Dead Zone (12:19) – Originally created for Paramount’s 2006 Special Collector’s Edition DVD release of the movie, the first of this four-part documentary on the making of the movie by Laurent Bouzereau focuses on how its principal participants were assembled and the novel itself; featuring interviews with Adams, director David Cronenberg, Stephen King biographer Douglas E. Winter and cinematographer Mark Irwin.
The Look of The Dead Zone (9:25) – The second part of Bouzereau’s making-of documentary looks at the film’s visual style.
Visions of The Dead Zone (9:44) – Part 3 of the documentary looks at how Johnny’s visions in the movie are brought to life, including a prologue that was deleted from the film prior to its release.
The Politics of The Dead Zone (11:34) – The finale of the documentary looks at the character Greg Stillson and how politics plays a role in the film and the novel; featuring excerpts from an interview with Martin Sheen from around the film’s release in 1983.
Theatrical Trailer (2:16)
Trailers from Hell with Mick Garris (2:11)
TV Spots (2) (1:05)
Behind-the-Scenes Still Gallery (13:10)
Overall: 4.5/5
Bringing in strong critical notices and a decent box office intake, The Dead Zone stands out as one of the finest film adaptations of Stephen King’s works and as one of the best movies in the careers of David Cronenberg and Christopher Walken. Scream Factory has bested their previous Blu-ray release of the movie with a terrific HDR transfer and a brand new commentary track to go with the legacy special features carried over from previous home video releases. Very highly recommended and absolutely worth upgrading from previous DVD and Blu-ray releases.
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Mychal has been on the Home Theater Forum’s reviewing staff since 2018, with reviews numbering close to 300. During this time, he has also been working as an assistant manager at The Cotton Patch – his family’s fabric and quilting supplies business in Keizer, Oregon. When not working at reviewing movies or working at the family business, he enjoys exploring the Oregon Coast, playing video games and watching baseball in addition to his expansive collection of movies on DVD, Blu-ray and UHD, totalling over 3,000 movies.
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