The Dead Zone (1983)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1983
Running Times: 103 mins
Format: Technicolor     35mm
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: Dolby

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Dino De Laurentiis Productions / Lorimar Film Entertainment
Executive Producer: Dino De Laurentiis
Producer: Debra Hill
Associate Producer: Jeffrey Chernov
Production Manager: John M. Eckert
Production Coordinator: Philippa King

SCRIPT
Script: Jeffrey Boam
Novel: Stephen King

DIRECTION
Director: David Cronenberg
1st Assistant Director: John Board
2nd Assistant Director: Otta Hanus
3rd Assistant Director: Lydia Wozana

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Mark Irwin
Underwater Camera Operator: John Stoneman
1st Assistant Camera: Robin Miller
2nd Assistant Camera: Donna Mobbs
Gaffer: Jock Brandis
Best Boy: Scotty Allan
Lamp Operator: Ira Cohen
Key Grip: Maris Jansons
Camera Trainee: David Woods
Stills: Rick Porter
Panaflex Cameras and Lenses: Panavision
Labs: Medallion Film Laboratories, Toronto, Canada; Technicolor

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Ronald Sanders
Assistant Editors: Elaine Foreman, Michael Rea
Trainee Editor: Tim Dunphy

MUSIC
Music: Michael Kamen
Musical Sound Effects Engineer: James Guthrie

SOUND
Sound Mixer: Bryan Day
Boom Operator: Michael LaCroix
Re-Recording Mixers: Bill Varney, Gregg Landaker, Steve Maslow
Sound Re-Recording: Goldwyn Sound Facility
Sound Editorial Coordinator: Devon Heffley Curry
Supervising Sound Editor: David Yewdall
Sound Editor: David E. Stone
ADR Recordist: Don White

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up: Shonagh Jabour
Hair: Jenny Arbour
Hair Assistant: Maureen Mestan
Costume Designer: Olga Dimitrov
Wardrobe Master: Arthur Rowsell
Wardrobe Mistress: Denise Woodley

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects Coordinator: Jon Belyeu
Special Effects Foreman: Calvin Acord
Special Effects: Clark Johnson, D. Harry Persad, David Zimmerman, Derek Howard, Gianico Pretto, Laird McMurray, Mark Molin, Michael Kavanagh, Michael Newman, Sonan Sookad

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual And Electronic Effects Supervisor: Michael Lennick
Titles: R/Greenberg Associates Inc

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Carol Spier
Art Director: Barbara Dunphy
Set Decorators: Yuda Ako, Tom Coulter
Property Master: Peter Lauterman
Construction Manager: Joe Curtin
Head Carpenter: Kirk Cheney
Storyboard Artist: Jim Craig

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Gilliam Richardson
Transportation Coordinator: Michael Curran
Weapons: Special Missions Group
Weapons Handler: Richard Cornblum
Biomedical Advisor: Jeremy F. Keable
Horse Wranglers: John Scott, Richard Cosgrave, Tom Glass
Publicist: Prudence Emery

LOCATIONS
Locations: Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada; Orono, Ontario, Canada; Stouffville, Ontario, Canada
Location Manager: David Coatsworth

STUNTS
Stunt Coordinators: Carey Loftin, Dick Warlock
Stunts: David Rigby, Dwayne McLean, Greg Walker, Jérôme Tiberghien, Leslie Munro, Loren Janes, Peter Cox, Rick Forsayeth, Shane Cardwell

CASTING
Casting: Deirdre Bowen, Janet Hirshenson, Jane Jenkin
Extras Casting: Peter Lavender

CAST
Christopher Walken (Johnny Smith)
Brooke Adams (Sarah Hazlett Bracknell)
Tom Skerritt (Sheriff George Bannerman)
Herbert Lom (Dr Sam Weizak)
Anthony Zerbe (Roger Stuart)
Colleen Dewhurst (Henrietta Dodd)
Martin Sheen (Greg Stillson)
Nicholas Campbell (Frank Dodd)
Sean Sullivan (Herb Smith)
Jackie Burroughs (Vera Smith)
Géza Kovács (Sonny Elliman)
Roberta Weiss (Alma Frechette)
Simon Craig (Chris Stuart)
Peter Dvorsky (Dardis)
Julie-Ann Heathwood (Amy)
Barry Flatman (Walt Bracknell)
Raffi Tchalikian (Denny 1)
Ken Pogue (Vice President)
Gordon Jocelyn (Five-Star General)
Bill Copeland (Secretary of State)
Jack Messinger (therapist)
Chapelle Jaffe (nurse)
Cindy Hines (Natalie)
Helene Udy (Weizak's mother)
Ramon Estevez (teenage boy with camera)
Joseph Domenchini (young Weizak)
Roger Dunn, Wally Bondarenko, Claude Rae (reporters)
John Koensgen (TV anchorman)
Les Carlson (Brenner)
James Bearden (Deputy 1)
Hardee T. Lineham (Deputy 2)
William Davis (ambulance driver)
Seirge LeBlanc (Denny 2)
Vera Winiauski, Joe Kapnaiko (Polish peasants)
Dave Rigby (truck driver)

PLOT SUMMARY

School teacher Johnny Smith wakes from a five year coma to find that his entire life has been turned upside down. His girlfriend is now married and he now has the ability to see the future, a 'gift' that reveals a horrific fate for the entire world when he shakes hands with a fast-rising politician...

Cronenberg's most atypical film, this is fairly faithful adaptation of the Stephen King novel and remains one of the best films sourced from the best-selling novelist. Christopher Walken is fabulous as the tortured Johnny Smith and the supporting cast are first rate. It has little in common with the rest of Cronenberg's canon, but he brings his customary flair to the proceedings nonetheless.

UK
Video Distributor: Thorn-EMI

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Video Distributors: Paramount Home Video; Video Classics
Laserdisc Distributor: Paramount Home Video (LV 1646)
DVD Distributor: Paramount Home Video (01646)

Australia
Rating: M

Finland
Rating: K-16

Norway
Rating: 16 (1984); 18

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: 18
Initially cut by 13 seconds, removing some of the bloodier footage, notably the aftermath of Dodd's suicide. Recent video and DVD releases have restored the footage.

USA
Rating: R

West Germany
Rating: 18

1984
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, USA
Saturn Award Best Horror Film - winner

Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival
Critics Award (David Cronenberg) - winner
Grand Prize (David Cronenberg) - nominated

Fantafestival
Audience Award (David Cronenberg) - winner
Best Film (David Cronenberg) - winner

1983
January
10: USA – filming begins

March
26: USA – filming ends

October
21: USA – theatrical release

1984
January
6: Sweden – theatrical release

March
7: France – theatrical release
16: Finland – theatrical release

April
13: Norway – theatrical release

May
18: West Germany – theatrical release

2000
September
19: USA - DVD release (Paramount (01646))

2001
December
Day Unknown: Hungary - video release

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

Dead Zone - Der Attentäter – German title
Stephen Kings Dead Zone – German title
Strefa smierci – Polish title
Viimeinen yhteys: The Dead Zone – Finnish title
Zona de Perigo – Portugese title
La zona morta – Italian title
La zona muerta – Spanish title

REMAKE
The Dead Zone (2002 - )

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Cat's Eye (1985)
David Cronenberg: I Have to Make the Word be Flesh (1999)
Long Live the New Flesh: The Films of David Cronenberg (1987)

MAGAZINES

FilmMagasinet October / November 1995 p.73 (Norway)
review (by Dag Tufte)

Première March 1984 p.11 (France)
review (by Marc Esposito)

the apocalypse; babies; book into film; car accidents; comas; doctors; election campaigns; esp; the paranormal; political campaign; politicians; premonitions; psychics; scissors; serial killers; sheriffs; suicide; the supernatural; teachers; visions

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009