The Screenplay for The Dead Zone (1983) is a Structural Marvel Worth Studying

Reader, I have to start today’s newsletter with a bit of a downer. Two weeks ago, one of my favorite podcasters—Scott Wampler, cohost of The Kingcast, a years-running podcast about Stephen King books and films—passed away in his early 40s of natural causes. It hit me harder than expected; I never crossed paths with Scott, but his voice was a presence in my daily life. For a few hours every month, I would listen to his hilarious and insightful commentary on all things King. After a handful of already recorded episodes are released in the coming weeks, that will sadly no longer be the case.

Last week, I wrote about The Running Man, a title that Scott seemed to really enjoy digging into. This was just an eerie coincidence, as I watched the film a few days before his passing and already had the idea in mind. This week, I’m going back to the King well for a proper tribute, one that I hope Scott would’ve enjoyed. And yes, given that the man changed his Twitter handle to @ScottWamplerRIP years ago, I do think he’d appreciate the irony of the movie title that came to mind. (Also, Scott wouldn’t give a shit, but there are some minor plot spoilers ahead if you’ve never seen the film.)

Based on the pedigree involved, you’d think The Dead Zone would come up more often when we talk about Stephen King adaptations.

It was directed by Canadian horror auteur David Cronenberg and released the same year as Videodrome. It was produced by legendary producer Debra Hill, her first feature gig that wasn’t working for her former husband John Carpenter or on a Halloween sequel. It was the second feature screenplay from Jeffrey Boam, who would go on to pen The Lost Boys, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Lethal Weapon 2 and Lethal Weapon 3. And, of course, it stars a young Christopher Walken as he was becoming a bona fide movie star.

And yet, it’s rarely discussed among the best King fare.* Having seen The Dead Zone three times now, I can tell you it gets better every time I watch it—and not just because it contains the greatest line reading of Walken’s career. It features a great concept, a chilling atmosphere, a rather prescient conclusion, a handful of strong performances, and an eerie score from the guy who composed the X-Files theme.

It also has a screenplay that I believe to be a perfect template for the classic three-act structure. Each act is remarkably distinct, and they work together in harmony despite their differences.

The Dead Zone begins with a superhero origin story of sorts. Johnny Smith (played by Walken) falls into a coma after a car wreck, and when he wakes up, he discovers that five years have passed; not only has his girlfriend Sarah married someone else and started a family, Johnny now has the psychic ability to see anyone’s past, present, and future just by making physical contact with them.** Even if you take out the supernatural thread, you’ve got a full arc for a romantic drama right there. But that’s just the hero’s setup.

Now that Sarah is out of the picture and the second act has begun, Johnny’s gift is free to be used—or exploited. Enter Sheriff Bannerman (played by the legend Tom Skerritt) of nearby Castle Rock (wink wink), who has heard about Johnny’s superpower. Turns out there’s been a series of grisly murders and they could use some help solving them. I won’t go into detail about how Johnny goes about his business, but it’s an entire murder mystery saga cozily contained in one act. This is the point in the hero’s journey where he understands how to use his newfound capabilities for good, even if it’s just on a local level. If Johnny had an Uncle Ben, he’d probably tell him “With great power comes great responsibility.”***

The third act begins as Johnny moves to another town—and discovers that his responsibility may extend to the entire world. Enter third-party Senate candidate Gregg Stillson (played by the legend Martin Sheen), whose campaign is gaining serious(ly dangerous) momentum.**** When Johnny is introduced to Greg, he realizes that this man is harboring some destructive motivations, and if he ascends all the way to the U.S. Presidency—which he will, according to Johnny’s vision—then there’s nothing that can save the planet from nuclear war. Except for Johnny, realizes that he can change the future if he acts in certain ways.

Each act has an arc so clear and full that it could be an entire season of a TV show. Which it was, actually. Somehow, a Dead Zone series happened in 2002 starring Anthony Michael Hall, and it ran for a whopping six seasons. I’ll never watch it, but the fact that it exists speaks to the richness of the text here.

I haven’t even mentioned the most miraculous thing about The Dead Zone from a writing standpoint: It’s a scant 103 minutes. That’s perhaps the biggest reason why I believe this script is a worthy study for aspiring screenwriters. We’re living in an age where 2.5-hour movies abound and film ideas are stretched to miniseries length; good writers can pen fully developed characters and richly defined plots if they’re given infinite minutes, but a true talent like Boam can pack it all into a tight feature length.

Even if you don’t have filmmaking aspirations of your own, The Dead Zone is a nice reminder of the virtue in brevity that the film industry used to value. And if it’s a film that never comes up in King-adjacent conversations for you, it’s certainly worth a watch. Just remember: The ice…is gonna break.

*I can’t speak to how often it comes up in discussions of King’s actual novels because I’ve shamefully only read one. (The Green Mile, when I was in middle school.) Book people, sound off in the comments if you have insights here.

**I still can’t believe his name is Johnny Smith. Stephen King might be a genius, but he really phoned it in with that one.

***And if Johnny had a Madame Web, she would tell him “When you take on the responsibility, great power will come.”

****Seriously, you’ll know a new act has begun when another legendary actor appears. On that note, Sheen is absolutely terrific, even if you have to wait an hour for him to show up.

The Dead Zone is now streaming on Amazon Prime, Paramount+, and MGM+, and it’s available to rent elsewhere.