History Literature / TheDeadZone

** The book was published just a little too early, however, for him to have a similar reaction when he shakes the hand of UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan. A preemptive excuse for missing any such future developments is provided by saying that for many of the politicians, shaking hands has become so routine as to become meaningless, thus preventing Johnny from getting much of a read on them. Also, Reagan may only have been able to become president after [[spoiler:Stillson becoming president]] was averted, which hadn't happened yet.

* FictionalPoliticalParty: Stillson forms the America Now party after he gets into the House of Representatives as an independent. He's obviously inspired by certain radical right-wing movements, and he used to distribute John Birch-style tracts about Jewish/Communist conspiracies.
** When Johnny starts following Stillson's career in earnest, he notes that while Stillson talks a big game about independence and rejecting both parties, his actual voting record and legislative proposals are strictly right wing.

* AdaptationalJerkass: Johnny's employer to tutor his son, Roger Stuart, is more of a vehement FantasyForbiddingFather and a SupernaturalProofFather who disbelieves Johnny about the fatal hockey game in which the thin ice would break with his son Chris on it and fires him to get him off his and his son's back. When the incident happens, Roger the next day has a MyGodWhatHaveIDone JerkassRealization expression on his face whilst sitting in his armchair as he regrets not heeding Johnny's warnings, even though Chris actually listened and survived, possibly as the SoleSurvivor while his friends perished.

* CelebrityParadox: Johnny predicts that there will be a fire in a restaurant-lounge called Cathy's, during a graduation party. After this happens, someone [[CassandraDidIt accuses him of setting it on fire]] "by his mind, just like in that book ''Literature/{{Carrie}}''" (also written by Creator/StephenKing).

%%* TheFundamentalist: Vera Smith.

* MrSmith: Johnny [[spoiler:buys a rifle to shoot Stillson under his own name]]. The clerk is sure that he's using an alias.

* ATeamFiring: Johnny has a perfect vantage point, a clear view and a brand new, high-quality rifle. And [[spoiler: he misses Stillson with every one of his shots. Meanwhile, Stillson's security team avert the trope, as they riddle him with bullets pretty quickly.]]

* ConvenientComa: It's one of few examples where this trope is averted. Due to spending years in a coma, Johnny's legs deteriorate and he needs several surgeries and grueling physical therapy to be able to walk again.
* CowerPower: [[spoiler:When Johnny tries to shoot him, Stillson grabs a small child to shield himself. Unfortunately for him, the whole thing is captured on camera, and the resulting negative publicity is enough to ruin Stillson's rise to power]].

%%* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: Averted by Frank Dodd's appalling mother.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: While he's still a Bible salesman, Stillson stops at a house with a AngryGuardDog, he keeps his friendly, affable disposition - until he's sure [[WhatYouAreInTheDark nobody is home]], at which he maces and viscously beats the dog to death.

%%* FromNobodyToNightmare: Greg Stillson.

Not to be confused with the ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' movie ''Dead Zone''.

* ATeamFiring: Johnny has a perfect vantage point, a clear view and a brand new, high-quality rifle. And [[spoiler: he misses Stillson with every one of his shots. Meanwhile, Stillson's security team avert the trope, as they riddle him with bullets pretty quickly. Justified, as regardless of the advantages he has, Johnny is a (probably very nervous) amateur, and the security team are all professionals.]]

** The book was published just a little too early, however, for him to have a similar reaction when he shakes the hand of UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan. A preemptive excuse for missing any such future developments is provided by saying that for many of the politicians, shaking hands has become so routine as to become meaningless, thus preventing Johnny from getting much of a read on them.

* ATeamFiring: Johnny has a perfect vantage point, a clear view and a brand new, high-quality rifle. And [[spoiler: he misses Stillson with every one of his shots. Meanwhile, Stillson's security team avert the trope, as they riddle him with bullets pretty quickly.]]

** The possibly of electing a dangerous unstable psychopath to the highest position of power - particularly one who believes he has a divine mission to start World War III.

* PartySchedulingGambit: When Johnny foresees that most of his son Chuck's high school class will die in a fire when the restaurant their graduation celebration is to be held in is struck by lightning, Roger Chatsworth doesn't really believe it will happen, but humors Johnny by inviting the entire class to come to his home for an alternate party instead. [[spoiler: Those who accept his invitation survive, while most of those who stick with the original party die horribly.]]

* PresidentEvil: Johnny's vision of Stillson. Given Stillson's history of poor-impulse control and general hawkishness, it's left vague whether he causes the apocalypse out of genuine malice or blind incompetence.

* SerialKiller: [[spoiler:Frank Dodd]], a rapist and strangler of women. He was a [[spoiler:sheriff's deputy who lived with his mother in a childish clown-patterned bedroom]].

* TitleDrop: Every version features the phrase "the dead zone". However, oddly enough each version ascribes the phrase a different meaning. In the original novel it refers to parts of Johnny's brain which had died during his coma, leaving certain concepts, mostly relating to locations, inaccessible to him. This becomes important when he has a crucial vision of the future -- some elements of which he couldn't make out because they were in "the dead zone."

* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler:Frank Dodd's]] last victim is a nine-year-old girl whom he rapes and strangles to death.
** [[spoiler:This is what ultimately torpedoes Stillson's chance at the presidency-when Johnny tries to shoot him, he grabs a small child to use as a human shield. The whole thing is captured in a photo, and the image of Stillson putting a child in danger to save himself is enough to turn the public against him.]]

** One of the murder victims is 9 years old. The police chief's daughter knew her and came very close to being a victim herself, except she was walking with a friend that day. The horror of this is not overlooked in story.
** Some of the ones killed in the accident Johnny was in were high school students.
** The possibly of electing a dangerous unstable psyche to the highest position of power - particularly one who believes he has a divine mission to start World War III.
** Some of the murder victims are found by young children.

* CassandraDidIt: When the news confirms Johnny's predictions about the fire at Cathy's comes true and the party-goers at Chuck's House see it on the news, one of the party-goers hysterically blames Johnny for the fire using [[PlayingWithFire pyrokinesis]].

* BeingGoodSucks: Johnny wants nothing to do with the potential of his abilities, primarily due to the physical, psychological and sociological toll using them has on his life. Every time he involves himself with the content of his visions (a lot of them forcing him to see and feel horrifying things), he only does it when there are lives on the line, and even then [[TheCassandra no one actually believes him]] until its too late and requires extensive goading to do anything. [[spoiler: He even risks being seen as a historical villain and madman by trying to assassinate Greg Stillson just to save the lives of billions in a potential nuclear apocalypse, something that ends his life.]]

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: After Johnny becomes known as a clairvoyant, Dees, a reporter from ''Inside View'' magazine (a tabloid about supernatural things) comes to him and offers him a contract, while cheerfully admitting that he doesn't believe in any of the things his magazine writes about. Johnny gets quite upset over this:
-->'''Johnny:''' You asked me what I thought. I'll tell you. I think you're a ghoul. A grave robber of people's dreams. I think someone ought to put you to work at Roto-Rooter. I think your mother should have died of cancer the day after she conceived you. If there's a hell, I hope you burn there.\\
'''Dees:''' You can't talk to me like that! You're fucking crazy! Forget it! Forget the whole thing, you stupid hick son of a bitch, you had your chance! Don't come crawling around...\\
'''Johnny:''' Furthermore, you sound like you're talking through a Saltine box. (''kicks him off his porch'')

* PetTheDog: Despite being greatly angered by Johnny's constant warnings that he vehemently disbelieves that gets the latter fired, Roger Stuart after instantly mellowing out still has the courtesy to pay Johnny one last time, let Johnny say goodbye and even hug his son Chris on his way out despite stating earlier he doesn't want him in his son's life and offered his chauffeur a ride home when he did not need to and would have instead just not pay him at all, physically tried to separate Johnny and Chris from hugging and have them NeverGotToSayGoodbye and literally throw him out of his house to leave him to walk or find his own ride home if he hated Johnny that much for his CassandraTruth. Therefore Johnny should considered himself lucky for his firing to be not as abrasive despite angering his ex-boss as one thinks.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Sonny (Stillson's bodyguard) is a violent thug, but even he is repulsed by Stillson's cowardly use of a child as a human shield. When Stillson demands that the bodyguard track down the photographer who took incriminating photos, Sonny shrugs and sarcastically says that he didn't see any photographer.

* NoodleIncident: When the tabloid reporter pushes Johnny to demonstrate his alleged powers, Johnny asks him if he'd really like to know why his sister committed suicide. The reporter's reaction is one of fear and disgust, suggesting that something that he did [[DrivenToSuicide drove his sister to suicide]], or at least that he somehow bears some responsibility for what happened. We never find out what happened.

%%* BigBad: [[spoiler:Greg Stillson.]]

* SecondLove: Walt is this for Sarah.