The Dead Zone 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		5.0

The Dead Zone 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Scream Factory's new 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray combo represents the fourth major physical HD release of David Cronenberg's 1983 film. My colleagues Marty Liebman and Dr. Svet Atanasov covered, respectively, Paramount's US Blu-ray from the studio's Stephen King 5-Movie Collection released in 2020 and Via Vision Entertainment's Imprint "Special Edition" released in 2021. More than two year's ago, I reviewed Scream Factory's remastered Blu-ray "Collector's Edition". To read reviews of each release, please click on those links.

The Dead Zone 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scream's release comes with a slipcover that replicates the film's original theatrical poster artwork, which is also printed on Imprint's slipbox. Both the BD-100 and BD-50 derive from a 2023 transfer from the original camera negative. It is presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) on the UHD. The picture appears in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The Scream release from 2021 also was sourced from a 4K scan. However, the image on both of this year's discs is a little different from the prior one. I noticed from Screenshot #s 36 and 37 on this release that the facial tone on Walken is more natural looking than the '21 transfer where, at least in this shot, is more on the pink side. There is no dirt or artifacts on the most recent transfer. The DI looks very clean. I viewed Paramount's 1.33:1 presentation of The Dead Zone on LaserDisc to see if there are any discrepancies with the color timing compared to the Blu-ray and 4K transfers. (I have included ten screen captures from the LD.) Thankfully, there are hardly any. The only major difference is that the green lamp mounted on the wall in Mrs. Dodd's house (see frame grab #s 38-40) more clearly illuminates the staircase in the shot where Johnny confronts Frank's mother, Henrietta (cf. #8 with #9). On the LD, the steps on the stairs are green but they lack the BDs' green tint. You can also see differences in height and framing between the LD and BDs. Color definition, detail, and contrast are greatly improved compared to the 1984 transfer. I also viewed Imprint's 1.78:1 transfer, a 2K scan created from the negative, and have included a handful of screen grabs. Svet observed: "[G]rain can often appear a tad powdery. The effect, which is very common on older masters, impacts depth and fluidity. In close-ups clarity can be affected as well. In darker areas some fine nuances struggle to appear nicely defined." I concur with him about those aspects. Fortunately, none of those limitations are present on the 2023 transfer. Colors on both the 4K and Blu-ray equally stand out.

The feature on the BD-100 boasts an average video bitrate of 84.0 Mbps, with an overall bitrate of 93.6 Mbps for the whole disc. Both the 2021 and 2023 BD-50s from Scream sport a mean video bitrate of 34000 kbps. Imprint's MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50 carries a rough average video bitrate of 32627 kbps.

Screenshot #s 1-5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 28, 31, 34, 37, & 40 = Scream Factory 2023 Collector's Edition 4K Ultra HD (downsampled to 1080p)
Screenshot #s 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, & 22 = Paramount Home Video 1984 CLV LaserDisc
Screenshot #s 26, 29, 32, 35, & 38 = Imprint 2021 Special Edition 2K-scanned Blu-ray
Screenshot #s 27, 30, 33, 36, & 39 = Scream Factory 2023 Collector's Edition 4K-scanned Blu-ray

The 103-minute film receives twelve scene selections on both discs.

The Dead Zone 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround track (3510 kbps, 24-bit) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo mix (1998 kbps, 24-bit) on the 4K disc. Both audio codecs appear on the BD-50 but with lower bitrates: a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround track (2861 kbps, 24-bit) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo mix (1704 kbps, 24-bit). The latter's bitrates are identical to the lossless audio tracks on Scream's 2021 release. Imprint's disc includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround remix (3606 kbps, 24-bit) and an LPCM Audio 2.0 Stereo mix (2304 kbps, 24-bit).

The 2.0 Stereo track does a very nice job of extending the musical sounds from Michael Kamen's score from the front channels to the surrounds. I then listened to the 5.1 mix the next day and could hear a clearer separation of music and f/x between the fronts and satellite speakers. Dialogue is clear along the fronts.

I watched The Dead Zone with the optional English SDH switched on. They deliver a very complete and accurate transcription of the dialogue. The only error I spotted is "a thin line" is transcribed as "a certain line."

The Dead Zone 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

DISC ONE: 4K UHD

• NEW Audio Commentary with Filmmaker Mike Flanagan and Eric Vespe and Scott Wampler of The Kingcast - this feature-length track from the director of Doctor Sleep and the hosts of The Kingcast is a worthwhile listen. Flanagan, Wampler, and Vespe are all big fans of The Dead Zone and consider it one of the best adaptations of a Stephen King work. The participants discuss The Dead Zone in relation to King's literary and cinematic universe, making comparisons to such diverse novels as The Stand and Dolores Clairborne. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Director of Photography Mark Irwin, Moderated by Michael Felsher - Irwin is a fountain of information, with memories of The Dead Zone pouring out of him. He spends the first half of the track talking about the actors and sets. It isn't until the second half that he gets more into camera work and the lenses he used. Irwin has very few vocalized pauses, making this a treat to listen to. Felsher asks his prepared questions but if Irwin did the track on his own, there would be very little "dead air." In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Film Historian/Author Dr. Steve Haberman and Filmmaker/Film Historian Constantine Nasr - I haven't heard Haberman and Nasr do a commentary on a more modern film so I was looking forward to this. It doesn't disappoint. Both authors read two drafts of Jeffrey Boam's script and compare the changes that Cronenberg made to the film. Nasr's friend and King author, Bev Vincent, is edited into the track to give his impressions. Nasr knows King's oeuvre very well. He worked as a video archivist on The Green Mile (1999) and was on the set for Michael Clarke Duncan's momentous scenes. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Film Historian Michael Gingold - Gingold knows the novel very well and traces how the scenes and exposition dovetails or varies in the later adaptation. It's a very well-researched track. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Film Music Historian Daniel Schweiger with Isolated Score Selections - Schweiger presents an in-depth biography of Michael Kamen and traces his musical influences for The Dead Zone. There's excerpts from Kamen's score played independent from the f/x but silence exists in between commentary and music. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Audio Commentary with Filmmaker Mike Flanagan and Eric Vespe and Scott Wampler of The Kingcast - this feature-length track from the director of Doctor Sleep and the hosts of The Kingcast is a worthwhile listen. Flanagan, Wampler, and Vespe are all big fans of The Dead Zone and consider it one of the best adaptations of a Stephen King work. The participants discuss The Dead Zone in relation to King's literary and cinematic universe, making comparisons to such diverse novels as The Stand and Dolores Clairborne. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Director of Photography Mark Irwin, Moderated by Michael Felsher - Irwin is a fountain of information, with memories of The Dead Zone pouring out of him. He spends the first half of the track talking about the actors and sets. It isn't until the second half that he gets more into camera work and the lenses he used. Irwin has very few vocalized pauses, making this a treat to listen to. Felsher asks his prepared questions but if Irwin did the track on his own, there would be very little "dead air." In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Film Historian/Author Dr. Steve Haberman and Filmmaker/Film Historian Constantine Nasr - I haven't heard Haberman and Nasr do a commentary on a more modern film so I was looking forward to this. It doesn't disappoint. Both authors read two drafts of Jeffrey Boam's script and compare the changes that Cronenberg made to the film. Nasr's friend and King author, Bev Vincent, is edited into the track to give his impressions. Nasr knows King's oeuvre very well. He worked as a video archivist on The Green Mile (1999) and was on the set for Michael Clarke Duncan's momentous scenes. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Film Historian Michael Gingold - Gingold knows the novel very well and traces how the scenes and exposition dovetails or varies in the later adaptation. It's a very well-researched track. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Film Music Historian Daniel Schweiger with Isolated Score Selections - Schweiger presents an in-depth biography of Michael Kamen and traces his musical influences for The Dead Zone. There's excerpts from Kamen's score played independent from the f/x but silence exists in between commentary and music. In English, not subtitled.

• Cold Visions: Producing THE DEAD ZONE (20:32, 1080p) - Shout! filmed these interviews with production manager John M. Eckert and associate producer Jeffrey Chernov. Eckert and Chernov are interviewed in person and in separate locations. Eckert looks back at Cronenberg hooking up with Debra Hill, while Chernov shares his remembrances of Dino De Laurentiis. Eckert and Chernov also give their recollections of Cronenberg and the main acting principals. In English, not subtitled.

• Sarah's Story – An Interview with Actress Brooke Adams (10:37, 1080p) - Adams reminisces about the musical theater she partook in at the urging of her father, the play (The Philanderer) that she performed in with Christopher Walken, Walken as a stage actor versus a screen actor, Cronenberg's personality, the deep romance at the heart of The Dead Zone, and the unforgettable aspects of the movie. In English, not subtitled.

• Memories from THE DEAD ZONE (12:19, upconverted to 1080i) - one of four featurettes that Paramount produced in 2006. It presents interviews with director David Cronenberg, co-star Brooke Adams, Douglas E. Winter (author of Stephen King: The Art of Darkness), and editor Ronald Sanders. The piece intersperses talking points with vintage stills and film clips. In English, not subtitled.

• The Look of THE DEAD ZONE (9:25, upconverted to 1080i) - Winter and Cronenberg return for this program, and are also joined by Mark Irwin. (The participants were interviewed separately.) The interviewees focus on the Ontario locations, including the now well-known gazebo near Niagara, the outdoor scenes for Stillson's rally, and the Dodd home. In English, not subtitled.

• Visions and Horror from THE DEAD ZONE (9:44, upconverted to 1080i) - Irwin and Cronenberg go into detail about some of the most literally chilling and fiery moments in the film. Sanders and Winter are interviewed toward the end. In English, not subtitled.

• The Politics of THE DEAD ZONE (11:34, upconverted to 1080i) - Winter and Cronenberg profile senatorial candidate Greg Stillson. Martin Sheen is shown in a 1983 interview (either from a TV airing or Paramount's EPK). More excerpts from Sanders and Adams's interviews from '06 are added here. In English, not subtitled.

• Trailers from Hell – Mick Garris on THE DEAD ZONE (2:11, 1080p) - Garris introduces and delivers commentary about The Dead Zone while Paramount's theatrical trailer plays. In English, not subtitled.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:16, 1080p) - Paramount's original cinema trailer for The Dead Zone, which Shout! has restored and presents in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (192 kbps).

• TV Spots (1:05, upconverted to 1080i) - two TV spots promoting The Dead Zone that were broadcast in the fall of 1983. The first looks like it's taken from a master and sports very good quality. Second is noticeably inferior with VHS static lines and drained colors.

• Behind-the-Scenes Still Gallery (13:10, 1080i) - a slide show of on-set production photographs from The Dead Zone's shoot. A total of 157 distinct color images displays over the thirteen minutes. These are comprised entirely of interior scenes. They show Cronenberg at work with his crew and actors. Tim Lucas covered the movie as part of a feature article he wrote for a double issue in Cinefantastique and supplied Shout! Factory with these vintage photos.

The Dead Zone 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Scream Factory has made some slight but noticeable improvements to its 4K scan from 2021 and the result is a practically flawless transfer on this 4K/Blu-ray double pack. The image also looks superior compared to Imprint's from a few years ago. I am glad that I own this Australian LE, though, because it contains four exclusive featurettes and three archival extras. None of those seven appear on the Scream releases. The audio bitrates are higher on the UHD than they are on the Blu-ray. The recently recorded commentary track is well worth listening to. MY HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.