The film stars Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom, Martin Sheen, Anthony Zerbe, and Colleen Dewhurst.

The novel also inspired a television series of the same name in the early 2000s, starring Anthony Michael Hall, the pilot episode of which borrowed some ideas and changes used in the 1983 film.

In the novel, the phrase "dead zone" refers to the part of Johnny's brain that is irreparably damaged, resulting in his dormant psychic potential awakening.

After having a headache following a ride on a roller coaster in Castle Rock, Maine, schoolteacher Johnny Smith politely declines when his girlfriend Sarah asks if he wants to spend the night with her.

Johnny discovers that he has gained the ability to psychically see aspects of people's lives (past, present, and future) through physical contact.

He also sees that Weizak's mother, long thought to have died during World War II, is still alive, and how a pushy reporter's sister committed suicide, hinting at abuse by his hand.

As news of his gift spreads, Sheriff George Bannerman from nearby Castle Rock asks Johnny for help with a series of murders.

Through Stuart, Johnny meets Greg Stillson, a superficially charismatic third-party candidate for the United States Senate, for whom Sarah and her husband, Walt, volunteer.

[7] Lorimar eventually closed its film division after a series of box-office failures, and soon after, producer Dino De Laurentiis bought the rights to The Dead Zone.

[1][9] The film was finally on track to be made when De Laurentiis hired producer Debra Hill to work with Cronenberg and Boam.

[13] Boam abandoned King's parallel story structure for The Dead Zone's screenplay, turning the plot into separate episodes.

"[4] His script was revised and condensed four times by Cronenberg, who eliminated large portions of the novel's story,[14] including plot points about Johnny Smith having a brain tumor.

Boam said he enjoyed writing character development for Smith, having him struggle with the responsibility of his psychic abilities, and ultimately giving up his life for the greater good.

[9] King is reported to have told Cronenberg that the changes the director and Boam made to the story "improved and intensified the power of the narrative.

[16] Cronenberg initially wanted Nicholas Campbell to portray Johnny, but the director wound up casting him as the Castle Rock Killer instead.

[19] Shooting started in early January 1983[20] and took place in the Greater Toronto Area and the Regional Municipality of Niagara of Cronenberg's native Ontario, Canada.

[21] According to a David Cronenberg interview on the DVD, The Dead Zone was filmed during a relentless deep freeze in southern Ontario, which lasted for weeks, creating an authentic atmosphere of subzero temperatures and icy, snow-packed terrain, which made for great natural shooting locations, despite it being almost too cold for cast and crew to tolerate at times.

The music soundtrack, composed by Michael Kamen, was recorded by the National Philharmonic Orchestra, London, at the famous EMI Abbey Road Studios.

The site's consensus reads, "The Dead Zone combines taut direction from David Cronenberg and a rich performance from Christopher Walken to create one of the strongest Stephen King adaptations.

[27] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three-and-a-half stars, describing The Dead Zone as by far the best of the half-a-dozen cinematic adaptations of King's novels to that date.

"[28] Janet Maslin of The New York Times referred to the film as "a well-acted drama more eerie than terrifying, more rooted in the occult than in sheer horror.