I was watching The Dead Zone again the other week, and thought that Johnny Smith might be the perfect horror Protagonist.

This movie, and the Stephen King book it's based on, might be a little bit under the radar; I'm not sure how well known it is in general, so I won't spoil too much about it. I definitely recommend the movie, directed by David Cronenberg and starring Christopher Walken. If memory serves, the book is quite good, too.

It starts off with Johnny Smith, a regular guy who's in an accident that puts him into a coma for several years. When he wakes up, he's somehow gained psychic powers. Touching a person's hand, or even certain objects, I think, allows him to see things: the future, mostly, but sometimes the past and other bits of knowledge.

As a Protagonist, I like the fact that Johnny is the one who brings the supernatural into the world, with his visions. It gives him the ability to change the future, or at least try to. The world around him has evil in it, and horrible accidents and tragedies and so on - Johnny is not evil - but he brings the paranormal into it. He creates the stories. He really impacts the world, as unassuming a guy as he is.

And what makes him an iconic HORROR hero are a few other things:

Like I said, he's a normal guy, who is traumatized and haunted by what he's been through, the life he's lost and the abilities he's gained. The ability comes with a cost, too.

There's also his look. It's Christopher Walken at his best, in my opinion - Johnny is a good, caring guy who puts himself out there to help people and try to right the wrongs he sees. The slightly wild hair, the long black coat and cane, the pale face and Chris Walken eyes - he just LOOKS like a dark hero. Or the hero in a dark story.

Deeper than that, Johnny living his haunted, damaged, sad, fairly isolated life while still trying to do the right thing against the darkness around him - that's pure horror hero! Johnny gets extra points from me, because like I said, he's still a nice, caring guy. Not the edgy, grimdark antihero we often see.

In thinking about it more, I realized that “the perfect horror hero” is not the right take - a horror hero can be many different things (just like the Protagonist or hero of any genre).

A horror story might be best served by an unrepenting jerk or villain, or a purely normal teen or 20-something who becomes a ‘final girl’ only in the last act, or a tough-as-nails monster hunter, or a clever but vulnerable law officer, or a caring mother or father, whatever.

But I really like Johnny Smith in the Dead Zone, and it gets a big Halloween recommendation from me!

By the way, if and when you watch The Dead Zone, you could then check this out - an SNL parody with Christopher Walken
about a TRIVIAL PSYCHIC! Fun stuff!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=h-xz0z1gU1M

Who's your favorite horror hero, heroine, or Protagonist?

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