The gazebo where the murder took place was built for the film, and was later donated to the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, where it was filmed and is now a favourite spot for wedding photographs.
Three people were involved in the James Bond franchise. Anthony Zerbe (Roger Stuart) would later appear in Licence to Kill (1989), while Christopher Walken (Johnny Smith) would later appear in A View to a Kill (1985). Michael Kamen, who did the music for this film, would later do the music for Licence to Kill (1989).
In the fire scene, right after Johnny Smith tells the nurse her daughter is trapped but alive, the camera crane is visible in the window of the Fire Fighter truck that is parked in the driveway.
Johnny Smith: It reminds me of a line from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" the last story I read to my class before... the accident. Ichabod Crane disappears... the line goes: "As he was a bachelor, and in nobody's debt, nobody troubled their head about him anymore."
The 'dead zone' refers to a blank spot during his visions into which Johnny cannot see. When he describes this dead zone to Dr Weizak (Herbert Lom), the doctor concludes that it is an indication of Johnny's ability to not only see into the future but to change it, to alter the outcome of his premonitions.
Q
Is 'The Dead Zone' based on a book?
A
Yes. The Dead Zone is based on the 1979 novel of the same name, written by American horror writer Stephen King. The novel was adapted for the movie by American screenwriter Jeffrey Boam. The book was also made into a television series, 'The Dead Zone', that ran from 2002-2007. It's said that the story might be based on the case of Peter Hurkos [1911-1988], a self-proclaimed psychic who, following a head injury, claimed to know things about people simply by touching them or objects belonging to them, an ability known as psychometry.
Q
A Note Regarding Spoilers
A
The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.