The Dead Zone

The New Flesh:
David Cronenberg’s Body Horror, Part VI

After the hallucinatory violence of VIDEODROME, David Cronenberg took a sharp turn into more restrained territory with THE DEAD ZONE, a 1983 adaptation of Stephen King’s best-selling novel.

Starring Christopher Walken as Johnny Smith — a schoolteacher who awakens from a coma with psychic abilities — THE DEAD ZONE trades visceral body horror for emotional devastation, political paranoia, and questions of fate, morality, and personal sacrifice.

In this episode, we dive into how Cronenberg came to direct the project, the film’s stellar cast and evocative tone, and how it stands apart in both Cronenberg’s and King’s cinematic canons. Plus: how THE DEAD ZONE quietly helped shape the prestige horror boom we see today.

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Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.

This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, and Todd A. Davis.