The Dead Zone (1983)

Director: David Cronenberg:

Starring: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt

A man awakens from a coma to discover he has a psychic ability.

What was this about again? Ah yes, a guy who acquires psychic powers when he wakes up after a 5-year coma, having been in a car accident.

Classified as a horror, ‘The Dead Zone’ was boring as a horror, and ok as a drama. The film never manifested itself as a horror. I was eagerly waiting for it to develop into something sinister, but it never did. On the contrary, the film jumped from solving a serial killer case to politics!! Yawn, that was the point when I officially lost interest.

What was the film’s purpose? It plays like two entirely different movies, with nothing connecting them, except the main character, Johnny (played by Christopher Walken). The serial killer case was fairly interesting, but then it becomes obsessed with politics and election campaigns, and Johnny rekindling his lost love. Martin Sheen over-acted the worst he possibly could and was beyond annoying. The film’s final act was melodramatic and silly. What a waste of time…

‘The Dead Zone’ won Best Horror Film award…uhm, seriously?? Why, this is not a horror film. A thriller maybe, but that’s pushing it…Let alone horror!

Would I watch it again? No.