One of the very best Stephen King film adaptations, The Dead Zone is imbued with an ever-present atmosphere of dread. Shot in a permanently...... more

One of the very best Stephen King film adaptations, The Dead Zone is imbued with an ever-present atmosphere of dread. Shot in a permanently wintry Canada (standing in for New England), the icy backdrops are subtly employed by director David Cronenberg to accentuate the storys fatalistic tone. Cronenbergs welcome emphasis for the most part on psychological terror over physical shocks (something of a change of direction for him after The Brood and Scanners) is further enhanced by composer Michael Kamens marvellously chilly music score and Christopher Walkens understated yet dominating central performance as high school teacher Johnny Smith, who wakes from a coma following a car crash to learn that he has been cursed with the gift of second sight. That his uncanny ability is indeed a curse and definitely not a blessing is made abundantly clear: even when Johnny is able to save peoples lives, there is always a price to pay. The cosmic law of Karma is grimly unforgiving. Herbert Lom, as Johnnys sympathetic doctor, sums up the characters plight, "Some things just werent meant to be." And even when Johnny learns the terrible secret of future Presidential candidate Greg Stillson (a villainous Martin Sheen), he knows he cannot act without accepting the fatal consequences. Brooke Adams, as the love of Johnnys life, and Tom Skerrit, as the quietly desperate sheriff on the trail of a serial killer, are excellent in support.On the DVD: this disc comes with a chunky accompanying booklet with background notes on the film, cast and director, as well as a script excerpt for the originally planned pre-credits sequence (in the finished film we assume Johnnys second sight is a result of the car accident--this earlier screenplay follows the book more closely). The movie itself--which features the "scissor-suicide" scene uncut--is accompanied by a chatty and informative commentary from film critics Stephen Jones and Kim Newman (a regular Amazon.co.uk contributor). Both the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture and the Dolby 5.1 sound are adequate if unexceptional. --Mark Walker

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director david cronenberg ean 5050159430154 leading role anthony zerbe leading role brooke adams leading role christopher walken leading role colleen dewhurst...... more

director david cronenberg ean 5050159430154 leading role anthony zerbe leading role brooke adams leading role christopher walken leading role colleen dewhurst leading role geza kovacs leading role herbert lom leading role jackie burroughs leading role martin sheen leading role nicholas campbell leading role roberta weiss leading role tom skerritt rating 18 release year 2002 title the dead zone dvd 2002 new and sealed see image for details industry reviews 1025006574 03 01 1984 philip strick cron

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director david cronenberg ean 5014293159050 leading role anthony zerbe leading role brooke adams leading role christopher walken leading role colleen dewhurst...... more

director david cronenberg ean 5014293159050 leading role anthony zerbe leading role brooke adams leading role christopher walken leading role colleen dewhurst leading role geza kovacs leading role herbert lom leading role jackie burroughs leading role martin sheen leading role nicholas campbell leading role roberta weiss leading role tom skerritt rating 18 release year 2004 title the dead zone dvd 2004 new and sealed see image for details muzeuk video category catlevel 1 horror occult muzeuk vid

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