Stephen King truly was the King of Horror in the 1980s, but this underrated gem is the author's best movie adaptation of the decade. After skyrocketing to the top of the bestseller list with the release of Carrie, Stephen King soon launched a half-century-long career that saw him publish a plethora of amazing horror novels. Naturally, Hollywood came calling, and it quickly became apparent that King's works were the perfect fodder for movie and TV adaptations. Though the '70s only saw the release of two Stephen King projects, his filmography exploded in the 1980s.

Kicking off the decade with Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining, the '80s would see many of Stephen King's novels come to life on the large and small screens. Though there were varying levels of quality, anything with King's name attached was bound to be a hit. However, some of his movies did manage to slip through the cracks and weren't as popular as the rest of his filmography. One such hidden gem represents the best of what the author had to offer, and is actually a better example of Stephen King's prowess than the beloved adaptation of The Shining.

The Dead Zone Is A Better Stephen King Adaptation Than The Shining

The David Cronenberg Film Sticks Closer To The Book

The 1983 adaptation of The Dead Zone is something of a black sheep in the Stephen King filmography, much like the novel itself. The story is one of tragedy and follows a school teacher named Johnny Smith, who awakens from a five-year coma to discover that he can see someone's future simply by touching them. While trying to piece his shattered life back together, Smith helps catch a serial killer, and begins to obsess over a political candidate who may bring about a nuclear war.

The Dead Zone stands as the far superior Stephen King adaptation because of what it doesn't change.

Unlike The Shining, which notably diverged from its book source, The Dead Zone is one of King's more literal adaptations. This is actually for the better, and director David Cronenberg's version only makes minor trims for clarity and narrative cohesion. Most King adaptations struggle with the author's epic scope and meandering storylines, but The Dead Zone novel is nearly as succinct as its movie counterpart. While The Shining may be a better movie overall, The Dead Zone stands as the far superior Stephen King adaptation because of what it doesn't change.

Kubrick made so many alterations to the novel that the movie changed the underlying tone of what King intended with the story. The results are undeniably strong, but even the author himself is not a fan of what Kubrick did to The Shining. On the other hand, Cronenberg's unique eye for horror storytelling added a creepiness that was only hinted at in the book, and it did so without taking away the underlying tragedy of Johnny's plight. The horror comes from the fatalistic nature of inevitable death, a theme that's actually made stronger when it's adapted to the screen.

How The Dead Zone Compares To Other Stephen King Movies

The Dead Zone Deserves More Love Than It Gets

Some of Stephen King's movies have entered into popular culture as touchstones of the horror genre, while others have sadly been forgotten. The Dead Zone falls into the latter category, though it certainly doesn't deserve to be overshadowed. While Carrie, The Shining, and The Green Mile are often held in high esteem as excellent films, The Dead Zone is lumped in with the dozens of other King adaptations that get mild applause but would normally be completely forgotten if it wasn't for the author's famous name.

The Dead Zone grossed around $20 million (via Box Office Mojo).

This is likely due to the fact that The Dead Zone is first and foremost a tragedy with some supernatural elements thrown in as well. While there are certainly some unsettling moments, the film is infinitely more dramatic than it is frightening, and it was designed to be that way. Some horror films try and fail to be scary, and they often gain cult followings from those who like cheesy movies. However, The Dead Zone is never trying to be a pulse-pounding nightmare, but more of a thought piece about life, politics, and fatalism.

Stephen King's five highest-rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes include:

Stephen King now gets appropriate praise for his brilliant non-horror writing, but when The Dead Zone arrived, he was still shoehorned into the strict horror category. This is likely what undercut the 1983 classic, though it is head and shoulders above most other adaptations of the author's work. Audiences in the early '80s were expecting to be terrified by the "King of Horror", but instead they were challenged to think about what they would do if they had Johnny's powers, a truly harrowing proposition.