MAX: Yeah, man. I've got a really bad head ache today. This really hurts!
MIKE: Is it a migraine?
MAX: No...I think I am getting psychic visions of catastrophe in the future again...you know...from that dark place I go to....where I get the psychic visions. I can't remember what it's called.
MIKE: You mean The Dead Zone?
MIKE: ...I'm going to go get a drink. Want me to bring you back water or something.
MAX: You don't get it! THE ICE......IS GONNA BREAK!
MIKE: It's an ice machine, Max. Of COURSE the ice is going to break.
MIKE: ...Paid damn good money for it
MAX: As he was a bachelor and in nobody's debt, nobody troubled their head anymore about him.
MIKE: I'm coming right back! Christ, quit being so melodramatic. I'm going to grab you an Adderall too.
MAX: I really enjoyed re-watching The Dead Zone, and I think it's because this film is actually a very powerful drama. Don't get me wrong, there are supernatural and horror elements to be found everywhere in this story, but I think that this tale, somewhat along the lines of King adaptations like Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me, ultimately revolves around the lives of characters that we can deeply relate to. Walken, as Johnny, when we're initially introduced to him, is a really likeable small-town English teacher. The kind that we all wish we were lucky enough to have. He recites Poe's "The Raven" out loud to his students, and urges them to read Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving because, "It's about a school teacher who is chased by a headless demon!" (Nerdy side note: I found this ironic, seeing as Walken would later go on to portray the headless horseman himself in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, AMAZING movie..) Anyhow, Johnny is clearly in love with his fellow teacher, Sarah (Brooke Adams), and while their romance might seem a bit on the cheesy side, we still want things to work out for them. I will add something here that I think is significant too. The reason we want things to work out for this couple from the very beginning, is because we know that things are NOT going to work out. In classic moments of suspense that only Cronenberg can deliver, we see Johnny receiving premonitions of his own doom. First there is the ride on the rickety wooden roller coaster, where his head is literally reeling with an undefined sense of dread. Then there's the kiss goodnight, where Johnny, still stunned from earlier, ventures out into the stormy night unknowing of the danger that lurks before him. When that toppled milk truck comes careening at Johnny out of the fog, it appears to him like a space ship, and that's exactly how it collides with him too, immediately obliterating his life as he previously knew it. Not to mention any life with Sarah.
MIKE: Sarah and Johnny's relationship is a wholesome-ideological relationship that is often preached about from pulpits. What I mean is, Walken's character won't even consider spending the night with Sarah, because he feels that intercourse is best experienced when shared when you're married. It's a noble, albeit a bit corny, stance to take (I'm sorry to say, to our female readers who might want to tap this ass, that I do not share that same philosophy). Still, I think this dynamic between Johnny and Sarah is what really makes us viewers pang at the thought that their relationship is not going to work out. When Johnny wakes from his coma and his mother tells him that Sarah has turned her back on him, I couldn't help but feel daggers piercing my own heart when I saw Johnny's anguished face. Cronenberg really puts the viewer into the hearts and minds of these characters, and when the visions (nightmares to Johnny) start to happen, Cronenberg's craftsmanship has us strapped in for the wild, terrifying ride.
MAX: Yes, this is a very interesting point you raise. Walken's character Johnny is clearly of the old-school, and that might have been part of the reason that Sarah couldn't wait for five years. I mean it's almost painful in a way, if Johnny hadn't of walked away from her that night, not only would he probably not have been struck with the milk truck, he would have gotten laid. I also think that Johnny's mother's choice of words is very interesting when she tells him that, "she turned her back on you." That's a very harsh way to put it to someone who's just woken up from a five-year coma. Maybe it's appropriate however, given that this is certainly the way that Johnny feels. In his state, how could he not feel that way about it? One minute he was set to be married and the next he wakes up to find himself alone. When Sarah visits him, he even likens the situation to his favorite literary character Ichabod Crane, saying "As he was a bachelor and in nobody's debt, nobody troubled their head anymore about him." That's probably my favorite zinger he throws at Sarah. But I know you have another one Mike.
MIKE: Ha-ha-ha! Sarah: "You lost weight." Johnny: "Call it a coma diet - lose weight while you sleep." That is one of my favorite lines. However, I don't think his mother's response was very appropriate. It might have been appropriate for her character, and given her Christian background and Johnny's moralistic view on sex before marriage, I think it's why she said what she did, but like you had said, "That's a very harsh way to put it." I think Johnny's morals is very relevant to this story and worth talking about, because once his new powers have developed he is, at first, very reluctant in using them to help people - that is until, what I think, is his upbringing overriding any selfish feelings or trepidations he might have.
MAX: Yes. Once he comes to terms with the way his life is going to be, it becomes easier for him to use his powers to help others. He might have trouble accepting his ability as a "blessing", as he mentions in that famous scene with the sheriff. But once he intercedes and helps the local police to stop the town’s serial killer, I think he starts to feel better about what he's able to do for his community. Speaking of that serial killer, what a scene that is when Johnny and the sheriff go charging into that house? That's one place in the script where I feel this movie briefly flirts with straight-on horror. There are so many shades of Misery and Carrie in the mother who answers the door. There's the eerie green light on the staircase, the peeling cowboy themed wallpaper, and let's not forget the epic fall on the scissors.
MIKE: Fall on the scissors? You might want to look at that again, because the serial killer clearly thrusts his own head onto the splayed blades. What I love about this movie is the subtle use of make-up. Sure, when the killer's body is discovered, twitching in the tub, there's a lot of blood covering the bathroom, but I think it works for that particular scene. It jars the viewer who has, up to this point, been relatively safe in a Bob Ross New England painting. The use of special effects and make-up are works of art. Yes, I'm calling the craftsmanship of the bruises, blistering lips, gunshot wounds, scissors in mouth, and bloody bandages art! You know why? They looked realistic. The special effects in this film, alone are argument enough, at least for me, that CGI is completely overrated and unnecessary. I promise not to rant on this in every movie we watch, but The Dead Zone is practically flawless in its aesthetic direction, and I feel that young movie watchers/makers (hell, some of the old people too) need to pay special attention to the details that this movie so masterfully uses.
MAX: Absolutely. There are so many moments in this film that needed no computer enhancement in order to make them effective. Like when Johnny finds himself immersed in the room full of fire. Everything that burns in that little girl's room looks real and that's because it's really burning....the kind of hands on special effects that appear throughout this film, paired with the beautiful New England backdrops for a set, create a feeling of realism to all these events that’s irreplaceable. In my opinion, even a movie like The Mist (which I love) can't completely replicate it.
MIKE: Again, I won't rant about my dislike of the use of CGI with every film we review, but at least our viewers know my stance (I do love The Mist too). Anyway, The Dead Zone is a triumph in creating the perfect blend of on-the-edge-of-your-seat, unnerving suspense, and that lull feeling one gets in the eye of a storm - just when you think it's over here comes the next jaw-dropping shocker! I feel that the credit should go to Stephen King's skillful story-telling, but credit is also due to Cronenberg's style of directing: The Fly (86), The Brood (79), and Scanners (81) are just a couple more films that have benefited from his care for a well told story. Too often horror films rely on a concept or gore effects to carry it through, and forego developed characters, meaningful plot, and a satisfying ending (you know, an ending where the villain/monster DOESN'T come back from the dead). Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good slasher as much as anyone else, but the modern market is flooded with those rehashed themes, and I think it's important for the horror fan out there to discover and appreciate the films that are more than just blood-n-guts.
MAX: Cronenberg certainly has the market cornered where psychological horror is concerned, and this effort is no exception. A lot of the strengths of this movie lie in the performances like you said, as well as a cast of dynamic characters whom we can really love---and hate. And speaking of the hateable character, it's worth mentioning that Martin Sheen pulls off one hell of a role in this film (a politician as we've seen him play before, although this time much different than that paternal president we're used to on episodes the West Wing). Sheen's character Greg Stillson is a presidential candidate but a real scum bag too. Not just the usual bribe taking corruption stuff either. When Johnny shakes his hand, he gets a direct vision that Stillson, if elected, will actually take the country straight into some kind of nuclear war. Sheen plays this Stillson character with a brilliant menacing arrogance. He's such a despicable little Hitler in training, we really want to tear him limb from limb. By the time Johnny decides that he has to do something with this premonition he's received in his "dead zone" and take a stand, we are just about ready to fire the assassin’s bullet for him.
MIKE: Martin Sheen's character is awesome! When I watch this movie I wonder how a character like Greg Stillson would hold up in today's political climate. It's funny that he is referred to as the state's "third party candidate," because he is the equivalent to the more modern movement of the Tea Party. Sometimes I think I should run for some sort of office, but use all of Greg Stillson's lines from the movie for my speeches. Politics and Stillson aside, Stillson's right-hand man, Sonny, is a force to reckon with. He comes across as a mafia gun-for-hire, but the performance delivered by Geza Kovacs made the character even more menacing than just a hired thug. What did you think, Max?
MAX: Yeah, I think the two of them together make for a thoroughly dislikeable duo. I also caught myself thinking about the Tea Party while we watched their campaign. I think the interesting point of contemplation for me is the same question that Johnny asks his doctor. If I knew that I could save the world from certain demise by taking out a politician who is to be a future dictator, would I do it? I'm not going to answer that question, just in case the State Department happens to be reading this.
MIKE: I don't know what you're talking about, Max. I love my government *holds a little American flag out and waves it around*
MAX: That is very patriotic of you, Mike. I would never belittle you for being patriotic. That would be un-patriotic of me.
MAX: Seriously, though I don't want the Feds in the balcony...
MIKE: Or in the dungeon...just saying.
MIKE: Well this brings us to a close for the night (barring a federal investigation that might otherwise shut us down. I mean, ha-ha-ha-ha, why would the feds bother little ol' us?). The Dead Zone is a work of art: the acting, directing, make-up, and score are skillfully interwoven to create this breath taking masterpiece. If you are a Stephen King fan, enjoy a well thought out horror story, and want to go on a thrilling ride that guarantees seat gripping suspense, then I cannot stress how much you NEED to see this movie. I am giving The Dead Zone two Bloody Nubs up!
MAX: I must concur with my fellow screamer's assessment. This film possesses great re-watchability in all of the previously mentioned categories. Another aspect that I think we nearly neglected to mention is that this is a love story. Sarah never does really "turn her back" on Johnny, which is what makes the outcome of this film all the more tragic. The Dead Zone is one of the few in the suspense/horror genre that is likely to choke you up as well, and that's always a nice surprise. Two Bloody Nubs up from me too, as we send off our magnificent month of King.
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