Stephen King fans can get the Amazon-exclusive Steelbook Edition of The Dead Zone on 4K Blu-ray for its best price yet. Released in June with a $45 list price, The Dead Zone Limited Edition Steelbook is on sale for only $32. Up until this week, the biggest discount had been a few bucks, so the 30% price cut is by far the best deal since launch. The steelbook case features artwork inspired by the the 1983 film’s eerie promotional poster.
Adapted from King’s classic 1979 novel, the 1983 sci-fi thriller was directed by David Cronenberg and features a stellar performance from legendary actor Christopher Walken. The Dead Zone is one of the few Stephen King adaptations that is as good as the book–and the book is really good.
The Dead Zone Steelbook Edition is part of this week’s sale on Shout Factory 4K Blu-rays. The promotion also features a few other Steelbook Editions of Stephen King adaptations, including Carrie (1976) for $19 and Creepshow for $20.
$32 (was $45) | Amazon Exclusive
Like many of Shout Factory’s 4K remasters, The Dead Zone originally released as a Collector’s Edition with a standard plastic case and slipcover. The 2023 Collector’s Edition is on sale for $19 (was $40), so you can save an extra $13 if you skip the fancy steelbook case.
The Dead Zone was restored from the original camera negatives in native 4K (2160p) resolution with Dolby Vision and HDR10. For sound, you can choose between DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.
The Dead Zone is one of many Stephen King adaptations from the 1980s with incredible 4K Blu-ray editions. If you’re a King fan who wants to revisit adaptations filmed 40-plus years ago, the 4K Blu-ray editions are easily the best way to watch The Dead Zone, The Shining, Stand by Me, Creepshow, Cujo, Misery, and many others.
Regardless of which edition you choose, you’ll get 4K Blu-ray and 1080p Blu-ray discs with a bunch of audio commentaries and other special features.
The Dead Zone: Special Features
Disc 1: 4K Blu-ray
- Audio commentary: Filmmaker Mike Flanagan / Eric Vespe and Scott Wampler of The Kingcast
- Audio commentary: Director of photography Mark Irwin
- Audio commentary: Film historian Michael Gingold
- Audio commentary: Film historians Dr. Steve Haberman & Constantine Nasr
- Audio commentary with isolated score selections: Film music historian Daniel Schweiger
Disc 2: Blu-ray
- All five audio commentaries
- Interview with actress Brooke Adams
- Cold Visions: Producing The Dead Zone – Interviews with production manager John M. Eckert and associate producer Jeffrey Chernov
- Trailers from Hell: Mick Garris on The Dead Zone
- Memories from The Dead Zone featurette
- The Look of The Dead Zone featurette
- Visions of The Dead Zone featurette
- The Politics of The Dead Zone featurette
- Theatrical trailer
- TV commercials
- Behind-the-scenes image gallery
Directed by David Cronenberg and written by Jeffrey Boam, The Dead Zone stars Christopher Walken as Johnny Smith, a schoolteacher who wakes from a coma with psychic powers that allow him to see the future of people he makes physical contact with. There is a limit to Johnny’s visions–he refers to gaps in his readings as being in the “dead zone”–and as he gains mastery over his powers, he soon finds himself burdened with terrible knowledge of the future.
More deals from The Dead Zone
Nearly two decades after the film’s release, The Dead Zone was adapted into a long-running TV series starring Anthony Michael Hall. The anthology series used the premise as a springboard, but it was a much looser adaptation. Instead of following the novel’s plot beats, the series saw Johnny use his psychic abilities to solve crimes in a police procedural format. It’s a pretty good show in its own right, and the full six-season run is very cheap in box set format. The Dead Zone: The Complete Series is on sale for $18 (was $30) and includes all 80 episodes.
Of course, if you haven’t read King’s original 1979 novel, we’d recommend reading it before watching the film or TV adaptations. One of King’s earliest novels, The Dead Zone showed off the horror writer’s range. It’s a gripping sci-fi thriller that was named Runner-up for the Locus Award in 1980. You can pick up a trade paperback copy of The Dead Zone for $11.15 (was $20) at Amazon.
Stephen King Movies on 4K Blu-ray
As mentioned, The Dead Zone Steelbook Edition is one of numerous deals on Stephen King 4K Blu-rays this week. Other Shout Factory Steelbook Edition deals include the 1976 adaptation of Carrie for $19 and the 1982 horror anthology film Creepshow for $20. Carrie was King’s debut novel and the first feature film adaptation of his work. Creepshow was King’s first screenwriting gig. He adapted several of his short stories for the beloved anthology film directed by George A. Romero.
Amazon also has a handful of deals on King adaptations on 4K Blu-ray without steelbook cases, including Cujo for $12.59, The Shining for $14, Needful Things for $12.84, Misery for $15, and The Monkey for $16.49. It’s only available on 1080p Blu-ray, but the 1997 TV miniseries adaptation of The Shining is discounted to only $15 at Amazon.
The Dead Zone isn’t the only Stephen King Steelbook exclusive to Amazon. The excellent adaptation of King’s novel The Long Walk received a 4K Steelbook Edition on November 25. Amazon’s $35 price is cheaper than the upcoming standard edition ($43). The 2007 supernatural horror film 1408 finally releases on 4K Blu-ray on January 13, and the Amazon-exclusive edition looks awesome. The three-disc set includes 4K Blu-ray editions of the theatrical and director’s cuts as well as new special features. You can preorder 1408 Limited Edition Steelbook for $40 at Amazon. The most recent King adaptation, The Running Man, has a Walmart-exclusive combo pack. The Running Man 2-Movie Steelbook Collection is up for preorder for $60. This set includes the Steelbook Editions of the new adaptation and the original 1987 film. Technically, you can buy both of these editions at other retailers, but Walmart’s bundle is a much better deal.
Big fans of Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining should check out The Film Vault’s recently released Special Edition. Currently going for $92.37, The Shining: Steelbook Special Edition 4K Blu-ray set includes a steelbook case, two posters, eight art cards, a cigar box, and an acetate slipcover.
Check out more Stephen King movies on 4K Blu-ray below:
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