One story beat from a newStephen KingTV adaptation serves as the perfect reminder to watch a forgotten 89% RT thriller that is also based on the author’s work. The movie is relatively old as it came out in 1983, but it still easily ranks among some of the better big-screen takes onStephen King’s books.
Almost every single year, a new set ofStephen King adaptationsis scheduled to come out on both the big and small screens. 2025 has been no exception. However, what makes the ongoing year relatively different from its predecessors is that it has already seen a fair share of critically successful Stephen King adaptations.
Movies, likeThe Life of ChuckandThe Monkey, were widely appreciated as compelling adaptations of Stephen King stories, while even a new show based on the author’s five-year-old novel mostly earned optimistic reviews from viewers and critics. Interestingly, the show in question also adopts a familiar story beat that seems reminiscent of another epic but slightly obscureStephen King movie.
The Movie Remains Lesser-Known Despite Being Critically Acclaimed
Stephen Kingmovie adaptations, likeThe Shining,The Shawshank Redemption,Stand By Me, andThe Green Mile, remain incredibly popular decades after their release, and deservedly so. However, there is one film based on the author’s work that, despite having an impressive critical rating, remains quite obscure.
1983’sThe Dead Zone, which is based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, stars Christopher Walken as the main lead. When the movie first premiered, it was hailed as one of the better adaptations of the King of Horror’s works and currently has an above-average Rotten Tomatoes score of 89%.
Although the movie falls short of being as epic as some of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s novels, it perfectly captures the author’s original vision and delivers a cerebral blend of psychological horror and political intrigue. Like the original book, it focuses on Johnny Smith, a man who develops the ability to see the past, present, and future of an individual’s life by merely touching them.
Similar to the original book, the movie adaptation does not unfold like a straightforward thriller. Instead, using Johnny Smith’s psychic abilities as a narrative device, it dabbles with many intriguing ideas surrounding the consequences of messing with the future and the metaphorical implications of the “killing baby Hitler” thought experiment.
Both Feature Characters With Precognition Powers
InThe Dead Zone’s final arc, Johnny Smith has a vision when he shakes hands with Greg Stillson, a third-party candidate for the United States Senate. The vision reveals that after becoming President, Stillson will order a pre-emptive nuclear strike. Realizing how destructive the future event could be, Smith eventually sets out to stop him before it is too late.
Did You Know:The Dead Zonewas the first Stephen King story that unfolded in the fictional town of Castle Rock, which later became the primary setting ofCujo,Stand by Me, and several otherStephen Kingworks.
MGM+‘sadaptation ofStephen King’sThe Instituteintroduces a similar story beat, where a facility takes the help of young children with precognition abilities to predict potential future calamities. To prevent these future events from happening, the facility then forces children with telepathic and telekinetic powers to carry out assassinations in the present world.
The Institute
A kidnapped prodigy with special abilities, Luke, ends up at The Institute, while Tim, a former cop, seeks a new life in a nearby town. Their fates are inevitably linked.
The Dead Zone
Cast
The Dead Zone is a 1983 horror sci-fi film from David Cronenberg. The film is based on the novel by Stephen King and stars Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, and Tom Skerritt. The film centers on Walken’s character Johnny, who awakens from a coma only to find out he has a new psychic power.
