The Dead Zone: Collector's Edition – Shout! Factory (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA/Canada, 1983
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: Jeffrey Boam
Cast: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom, Anthony Zerbe, Colleen Dewhurst, Martin Sheen, Nicholas Campbell, Sean Sullivan, Jackie Burroughs, Simon Craig, Peter Dvorsky

Release Date: December 19th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 103 Minutes 44 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $39.98

"School teacher Johnny Smith (Chistopher Walken) had a beautiful fiancée, a rewarding career and a fortunate life … until one tragic accident changed everything. After slamming into an 18-wheeler, Johnny is plunged into a five-year coma. When he awakens, he finds his true collision was with destiny – he now has the remarkable gift (or curse) of seeing into the future. From horror master Stephen King and director David Cronenberg (Scanners, Dead Ringers), this supernatural thriller turns an everyday guy into a reluctant hero … saving children in danger, helping the police and finding a serial killer. But Johnny’s next vision may be his most terrifying yet …" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "New 2023 Transfer From The Original Camera Negative".

The Dead Zone comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 69.9 GB

Feature: 69 GB

This release uses the same 4K scan that Shout! Factory used for their 2021 Blu-ray release. That said, the source used for this transfer looks excellent. Flesh tones and colors look correct; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid; and the image always looks organic.

The Dead Zone comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.6 GB

Feature: 30.5 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Stereo English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a DTS-HD stereo mix in English. Both audio tracks sound excellent; they sound clean, clear, balanced, and robust when they should. The stereo audio mix is the more pleasing of these two audio mixes. Included are removable English SDH subtitles.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with filmmaker Mike Flanagan and Eric Vespe and Scott Wampler of the Kingcast, an archival audio commentary with cinematographer Mark Irwin,an archival audio commentary with film historian Michael Gingold, an archival audio commentary with film historian/author Dr. Steve Haberman and filmmaker/film historian Constantine Nasr, and an isolated score track with an introduction by film music historian Daniel Schweiger.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a behind the scenes gallery, 2 TV spots (1 minute 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled The Politics of The Dead Zone (11 minutes 34 seconds, Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Visions of The Dead Zone (9 minutes 44 seconds, Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled The Look of The Dead Zone (9 minutes 25 seconds, Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Memories From The Dead Zone (12 minutes 19 seconds, Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Trailers From Hell - Mick Garris on The Dead Zone (2 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with production manager John M. Eckert and associate producer Jeffrey Chernov titled Cold Visions: Producing The Dead Zone (20 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Brooke Adams titled Sarah's Story (10 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Mike Flanagan, Eric Vespe and Scott Wampler, an archival audio commentary with Mark Irwin,an archival audio commentary with Michael Gingold, an archival audio commentary with film Dr. Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr, and an isolated score track with an introduction by Daniel Schweiger.

Other extras include a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

Though there had been a few Stephen King adaptations before David Cronenberg’s adaptation of The Dead Zone. Most of these adaptations only used Stephen King’s novels as a foundation, and they often diverged away from their sources. That said, David Cronenberg’s adaption of The Dead Zone is arguably the closest any film has come to staying faithful to its source.

By the time that David Cronenberg directed The Dead Zone, he had already directed eight feature films, all of which he also wrote or co-wrote the screenplays. With The Dead Zone, it would mark the first time that David Cronenberg would not be involved in the writing of a screenplay for a film he directed.

Anyone who’s familiar with the cinema of David Cronenberg knows he has a distinctive style and type of stories that he likes to tell, most notably how most of his films deal with body horror. And though The Dead Zone employs many elements that are synonymous with the cinema of David Cronenberg, the result is David Cronenberg’s most mainstream film.

Besides being a solid adaptation, another area where The Dead Zone excels is its excellent cast, especially Christopher Walken (King of New York) in the role of Johnny Smith, the protagonist who sees visions after a near-fatal car accident. He delivers a superb performance that perfectly captures Johnny Smith's pathos as he struggles with his gift and/or curse known as a "dead zone."

Other notable performances include Brooke Adams (Shock Waves) in the role of Sarah Bracknell, a woman from Johnny Smith’s past whom he is still in love with; Herbert Lom (A Shot in the Dark) in the role of Johnny Smith’s psychiatrist; and Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now) in the role of Greg Stillson, a narcissist psychopath politician who’s on a path that could lead to the end of the world if he achieves his goals.

There’s no denying that David Cronenberg is one of cinema’s great auteurs. And though he has mostly worked on films that allowed him complete control of his cinematic vision, on a rare occasion like The Dead Zone, where he’s given a sufficient amount of resources, it is interesting to see how he is able to maintain a balance between his artistic intentions and the demands of commercial cinema. Ultimately, The Dead Zone is an exceptional piece of filmmaking that is among the best Stephen King adaptations.

The Dead Zone gets a definitive release from Shout! Factory, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer