The Dead Zone – Collector’s Edition

Summary

“You’re not the voice of the people! I am the voice of the people!”

I am a fan of director David Cronenberg, which puts me into a certain cinephile group that celebrates his films. For some, his films don’t appeal due to his body horror moments or the film’s almost undefinable stranger qualities. I began enjoying his films late in his career when I saw the film A History of Violence while I was still in college. I thought the film was absolutely brilliant and I soon found myself watching any Cronenberg films I could get my hands on. This newfound enjoyment of the director coincided with my interest in the Criterion Collection and along with that came my discovery of Blu-ray film presentations. I tried my best to only view Cronenberg’s films in the optimal presentation available. This caused me to hold off on viewing his film The Dead Zone until I could watch it on Blu-ray. 

Last year when the film became available in the Stephen King 5-Movie Collection that Paramount released, I took the plunge and purchased the set essentially just to be able to finally watch the film on Blu-ray. Unfortunately, the viewing experience was far from optimal visually. I indicated in my review at that time that I hoped that Shout! Factory would gain the rights to the film. I was delighted to see that within less than a year of writing that review, Shout! Factory has given fans of the film the release that they have always wanted.

A school teacher, Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken,) takes his girlfriend Sarah Bracknell (Brooke Adams) to an amusement park. On a rollercoaster a strange feeling comes over him. He takes her back to her home and decides to not come in, because he believes that some things are worth waiting for. It is raining outside. On his drive home he is involved in a serious car accident and his injuries put him into a coma. He awakens and five years have passed. His parents dote on him and then they let him know the sad truth – Sarah has left him and married another. His doctor Sam (Herbert Lom) assures Johnny that his therapy will bring back his ability to walk. When a nurse comes into Johnny’s room, he grabs her hand and has a vision of her daughter Amy in imminent danger from a fire. Johnny’s vision saves Amy’s life. This is the first of many visions that Johnny has. These visions gain Johnny media attention against his wishes. Soon people want to see what he can see, including an officer named Sheriff Bannerman (Tom Skerritt) working a serial killer case. The film unfolds from there and I don’t want to spoil how it unravels.

First and foremost: The Dead Zone is a terrific film. Christopher Walken is great in the lead role with an understated performance that fits the character perfectly. This is not a performance in which Walken tries to be bombastic at all, instead he truly settles in to the quiet and reserved nature of the character. I love watching Walken when he really embodies a role, and he is exceptional in the film. Martin Sheen is wonderful as a politician with allusions of manifest destiny and unstoppable desire for power. Herbert Lom, Brooke Adams, and Tom Skerritt round out the cast capably. There is not a bad performance in the film. 

The script by Jeffrey Boam is very well paced and clever, condensing the novel down to the most important elements of the story to fit onto the silver screen. The source material by Stephen King has great ideas that translate well. The cynical view of politicians within the film still holds up beautifully over thirty seven years after the film’s release. Sadly, Jeffrey Boam died too young in 2000 at the age of 53. I wish he could have stayed alive to write some more films. He was incredibly talented. The Dead Zone is one of the better Stephen King adaptations, and one of Jeffrey Boam’s best scripts.

A lot of the reason the film works so well can be credited to the work of director David Cronenberg. Working with cinematographer Mark Irwin, The Dead Zone is one of Cronenberg’s most visually appealing films. On the prior Blu-ray, Paramount used a dated master that made it difficult to enjoy the film as intended. Luckily, for this release, the visual impact comes across as intended and the film looks amazing. The film does an incredible job of developing the setting of Stephen King’s town of Castle Rock. Cronenberg draws great performances from everyone and he keeps the film moving towards the climax without a wasted moment. The score by Michael Kamen is very economically used in the first half so when it does begin to interject itself in the second half, it makes a great impact. For a David Cronenberg film, this may be one of the most accessible. The ideas in the film should appeal to many, the body horror moments are kept to a minimum, and the film has some great actors in the lead roles. The film is also at its core very empathetic.

At the end of the day, The Dead Zone is one the best David Cronenberg films that I have seen. I am so thankful that it has been given the deluxe treatment by Shout! Factory!

Video

The prior Paramount release featured in the Stephen King 5-Movie Collection provided a dated transfer of the film using an MPEG-4 AVC codec in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. It was an extremely disappointing presentation, because the cinematography by Mark Irwin is beautifully done, and the Blu-ray presentation did not capably show it off. Thankfully, Shout! Factory has completed a brand new 4K restoration from the film from the original camera negatives presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. This was the news that every fan of the film had been waiting for. Where fine detail seemed artificial and faces were smoothed over in the prior release, Shout! Factory’s new release has excellent fine detail. Filmic grain lies over the imagery and color tones are vastly improved over the prior release. There is really no comparison. This is how The Dead Zone was meant to be experienced.

Audio

Shout! Factory has provided a very capable DTS-HD MA 5.1 track that sounds good. The score by Michael Kamen sounds very nice when used and the surrounds help to make the film feel more alive. Like other films with remixed surround tracks, it is still a little front heavy, but overall I was definitely pleased. Shout! Factory has also included a DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo track.

Supplements:

• Sarah’s Story – in this new interview with actress Brooke Adams, she discusses how she first came to know Christopher Walken who helped her land the part in the film, her recollections of Martin Sheen, and her thoughts on David Cronenberg.
• Cold Visions: Producing The Dead Zone – this new piece featuring interviews with production manager John M. Eckert and associate producer Jeffrey Chernov, from the talented Michael Felsher, does a good job of discussing how the project was brought to life. It talks about numerous facets of the production including the ice breaking sequence, fire in the bedroom scene, and more. This feature is well worth your time.
• New Audio Commentary with director of photography Mark Irwin
• New Audio Commentary with film historian Michael Gingold
• New Audio Commentary with film historian/author Dr. Steve Haberman and filmmaker/film historian Constantine Nasr
• New Audio Commentary with film music historian Daniel Schweiger with isolated score selections
• Trailers from Hell – Mick Garris on The Dead Zone
• Memories from The Dead Zone
• The Look of The Dead Zone
• Visions of The Dead Zone
• The Politics of The Dead Zone
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Behind the Scenes still gallery
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 4.5/5

Overall – 5/5

The Dead Zone is a fantastic film. It is one of the most accessible films by David Cronenberg and in my estimation also one of the director’s best. With great performances by Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Herbert Lom, and Tom Skerritt, the film capably brings to life Stephen King’s town of Castle Rock. The film has a political cynicism that is still totally relevant today. The script by Jeffrey Boam is very well paced. I highly recommend the film. The cinematography by Mark Irwin stands out as some of his best work with Cronenberg. The prior release by Paramount was very disappointing due to the lack of supplements and dated transfer. Thankfully, the Shout! Factory Collector’s Edition has given fans of the film everything that they have been wanting. The archival supplements are enjoyable and the new supplements are welcome. Most importantly, the new video transfer from a brand new 4K restoration is a huge leap forward from prior releases and allows viewers to enjoy the cinematography by Mark Irwin without any technical issues hampering it. I love the movie and I love that this release gives the film the respect that it deserves. Highly recommended!