Sample Chapter

The Dead Zone (1979)

 

Maine Street Horror

 
Summary:
 
In which a young man enters a four and a half-year coma following a car accident. When Johnny Smith recovers he finds that he has lost his girlfriend, Sarah Bracknell, but gained pre-cognitive powers. These powers are generated by touching others and result in visions. At the request of Sheriff Bannerman, he helps solve the baffling Castle Rock Strangler murders.

While at a political rally Smith shakes hands with Greg Stillson, a politician with presidential aspirations and realises that Stillson may lead the world to a total holocaust. After discovering he has an inoperable brain tumour he resolves that to save the world he must assassinate Stillson. During the attempt, Stillson holds a small boy up as a shield, effectively ending his political career. Johnny is shot dead but his mission has been achieved.

Notes:
 
  • King's first 'New York Times' bestseller. His first draft was apparently written in 1976 but the final version was not published until August 1979 as his first book with Viking.
Main Characters:
 
John (Johnny) Smith, Sarah Bracknell (Hazlett), Greg Stillson, Frank Dodd (the 'Castle Rock Strangler'), Sheriff George Bannerman; Dr Sam Weizak, Vera Smith, Herb Smith.
Main Places:
 
The story is largely set in New England. Johnny and Sarah met at the University of Maine at Orono (King's own alma mater) and both taught at Cleaves Mills High School in that state. Johnny solved the Castle Rock Strangler case in that Maine town. Much of the story is set in Ridgeway and Somersworth, New Hampshire with the assassination attempt taking place in the town of Jackson, NH. Johnny lived for a while in Phoenix, Arizona; while Dodd also killed in Colorado.
Main Timelines: 1970 - 1979.
 
  • 30 October 1970 - Smith's car accident. He enters a coma
  • 12 November 1970 - Castle Rock Strangler killings begin with Alma Frechette
  • 9 July 1972 - Sarah Bracknell marries Walter Hazlett
  • 1973 - Greg Stillson first elected, as Mayor of Ridgeway, NH
  • 17 May 1975 - John Smith comes out of his coma
  • October 1975 - Smith and Sarah made love for the first and last time
  • 17 December 1975 - Smith uncovers Frank Dodd as the Castle Rock Strangler
  • 19 August 1976 - Smith shook hands with Stillson at a rally and had a vision of Stillson causing a world holocaust
  • 23 June 1977 Cathy's Roadhouse burnt killing over 75 people. Chuck Chatsworth was saved as a result of another Smith vision and his subsequent warning
  • 27 January 1979 - Smith attempted to assassinate Stillson and was shot dead
Other Things:
 
The scandal magazine, 'Inside View'. The Wheel of Fortune at the Esty Fair.
Links:
 
  • Patty Strachan accused John Smith of setting Cathy's Roadhouse on fire: "It's his fault, that guy there! He made it happen! He set it on fire by his mind, just like in that book Carrie. You murderer! Killer! You …"
  • After her stroke Vera Smith was taken to Cumberland General Hospital. According to John Smith it is, "Just above Jerusalem's Lot', the town in 'Salem's Lot'.
  • Chuck Chatsworth began attending Stovington Preparatory Academy in Vermont in September 1977. In 'The Shining' Jack Torrance had been a teacher at the school before losing his job for assaulting a student.
  • Stovington, Vermont is also the site of the Plague Control Center where Stu Redman was held ('The Stand'). Later Redman, Fran Goldsmith and Harold Lauder visited the town as did Larry Underwood, Lucy Swann, Nadine Cross and Joe.
  • Bridgton, Maine. The site of the supermarket featuring in 'The Mist'. It appears in 'The Dead Zone' as the town in which John Smith and George Bannerman first met. It is 20 miles from Castle Rock. Routes 117 and 302 intersect outside the Supermarket ('The Mist') and Jon's Restaurant ('The Dead Zone'). They are therefore on the same intersection.
Errors.
 

There are many in this early book, possibly due to a lack of editorial time given to a relatively new writer at a new publisher.

  • In Chapter 5, section 4 of Sarah Bracknell: "That Saturday night she had gone to the Eastern Maine Medical Center . It lacked sixteen days of a year since the fair, the Wheel, and the head-on collision near the Bog." As the accident was on 30 October 1970 sixteen days earlier is 14 October. However 14 October 1970 was a Wednesday. The nearest Saturday is 17 October.
  • In Chapter 17, section 1 when John Smith and Roger Chatsworth first meet Roger is called 'Stuart' twice.
  • In Chapter 20, section 1 Ngo Phat says about Stillson: "He came to New Hampshire in 1964." In Chapter 21 John Smith's research states: "In Albany, he (Stillson) had gone to work for Prudential, and he stayed in the capital city until 1965." And: "In 1965, Prudential offered him a position in Ridgeway, New Hampshire, and Greg had taken it."
  • In Chapter 19, section 2 Harrison Fisher, the incumbent Republican 3rd District Congressman from New Hampshire is described: 'He is a powerful figure in the House, sitting on five committees and chairing the House Committee on Parks and Waterways'. This was in 1976. That year the Democrats had a large majority in the US House of Representatives and per tradition all Chairmen were Democrats.
  • In Chapter 27, section 5: "A young woman of about twenty three arrived with her son, who looked about four. The boy was wearing a blue snowmobile suit with bright yellow markings . The boy immediately began to kick his feet against the bench in front of him . 'Sean, stop that,' she said. Yet, in section 6: "Stillson moved with good speed for such a big man. The dark-haired young woman Johnny had noticed earlier was about halfway up the center aisle, holding her crying son in her arms, still trying to shield him with her body. And what Stillson did then . He snatched the boy from his mother's arms, whirled toward the gallery, holding the boy's body in front of him. It was no longer Greg Stillson in the front sight, but a small squirming figure in . a dark blue snowmobile suit with bright yellow piping. . "The mother screamed shrilly then . 'Tommy! Give him to me! Tommy! Give him to me, you bastard!'" In Chapter 27, section 6 the mother of the boy Greg Stillson grabbed and held to protect himself from John Smith's gunfire is Tommy: "The mother screamed shrilly then; but Johnny had heard it all somewhere before. 'Tommy! Give him to me! Tommy! Give him to me, you bastard' " Yet in Part 3, section 8 during Clawson's testimony: "R: You just snapped the photo when Stillson picked up the child? C: Matt Robeson, yessir." In Part Three, section 8: "R: You just snapped the photo when Stillson picked up the child. C: Matt Robeson, yessir."
    Is the boy's name is Matt, Tommy or Sean?
  • John Smith's moving age. In the prologue, section 1: ".that bad fall he took on the ice that January day in 1953. . At six, he was a pretty fair skater." If he was six in January 1953 he was born in the period from January 1946 (not quite 7 on the day) to January 1947 (just turned six). John awoke on 17 May 1975 (Chapter 6, section 3). In Chapter 6, section 4 (on the same day) he says, "I'm twenty-seven?" To be 27 in May 1975 he was born in the period May 1947 (not quite 28 on 17 May) to May 1948 (just turned 27). In Chapter 21, section 3 it is September 1976 when Herb Smith says to Johnny: "How do you feel about coming into a stepmother at the age of 29, John?" In this case he was born in the period September 1946 to September 1947. Finally, in Chapter 25, section 2, "It seemed impossible to believe that he himself was thirty-one." The time is not absolutely clear but is no later than December 1948, putting Johnny's birth no later earlier than December 1946 and no later than December 1947. In total he could be born sometime between January 1946 and December 1948, a very broad period.
  • In Chapter 16, section 4: "Then, this November 2, there had been another murder. The victim . Etta Ringgold." Yet in Chapter 16, section 11 it shows in a table Etta Ringgold as having died on 29 (?) October 1975.
  • In Chapter 16, section 4: ". eventually he came to the one he was looking for. The Sunday paper from three weeks ago." On the next page, "This Sunday supplement article, now nearly six weeks old ."
Adaptations:
 

Film: 'The Dead Zone' (1983). Regarded by many as a King classic. IMDB: 7.2 . Screenplay - Jeffrey Boam; Director - David Cronenberg. Actors - Christopher Walken (Johnny); Brooke Adams (Sarah); Tom Skerritt (Bannerman); Herbert Lom (Dr Weizak); Martin Sheen (Stillson). DVD (2002) includes Theatrical Trailer.

Television: 'The Dead Zone' (2002 on). Shown on the USA Network it received a second season for 2003. At a household rating of 4.7 and 6.4 million viewers it was the highest rating basic cable original dramatic series of all time (as of August 2002). Created by Michael Piller (of 'Star Trek' fame). Anthony Michael Hall played Smith. DVD Pilot (due November 2002); Series One (due March 2003).

Unproduced Screenplay: Producer Dino De Laurentiis asked King to write a screenplay but when King submitted it he rejected it.

Full character listing:
 
(1600 People) Turned up at the concert on Hake Jamieson's land in Trimbull about 1971        
(8 Year Old Girl) She suffered a broken arm and a dislocated neck at a Stillson rally at Capital City. Her mother claimed Stillson's men had pushed the girl from the stage        
(8 Year Old Girl's Mother) Her daughter suffered a broken arm and a dislocated neck at a Stillson rally at Capital City. The mother claimed Stillson's men had pushed the girl from the stage        
(Anaesthetist) At John Smith's first operation. She conversed with Johnny during the operation        
(Arabs) Mentioned by Greg Stillson        
(Attorney-General, The) According to Frank Dodd, the A.G. wanted to take over the Castle Rock Strangler case        
(Attorney-General's Special Investigator) Mentioned by Bannerman as not being exactly distinguished in the Castle Rock Strangler case        
(Baby) Its photo appeared in 'Inside View'        
(Bar Bag) With her friend Clarice in the Timmesdale Pub        
(Barker) Outside the kooch joint at Harrison Beach        
(Barkers) At the fair John Smith and Sarah Bracknell attended on 29 October 1970        
(Barmen) Two extra barmen were working at Cathy's Roadhouse on 23 June 1977        
(Bartender) At the Brass Rail in Bangor when Dan beat a man up. He called the police        
(Baton Twirler) She performed at Stillson's Trimbull rally as part of the Trimbull High School Marching Band        
(Beautician) A nurse at the Eastern Maine Medical Center was talking to her beautician on the phone when John Smith took the phone from the nurse to report the fire at Eileen Magown's        
(Beautiful Girl) At the Trimbull rally. She was about 18        
(Bigger Boys) They were playing hockey on Runaround Pond in Durham when John Smith took his fall in January 1953        
(Blacks) They took to the streets in 1970        
(Board Members) Of the Cleaves Mills High School. on 28 December 1975 they voted 5-2 to withdraw John Smith's contract. Two were members in October 1970. The five who voted nay were all old men        
(Boy) He was shown on TV in December 1975 raising a 4-H cow. Had cerebral palsy        
(Brother) Of the woman who sent John Smith a scarf. He became separated from his camping friends and drowned in quicksand two days later D      
(Cab Driver) He had been driving cabs since 1944 and had been held up six times. Working for Bangor and Orono Yellow Cabs, he was driving his cab with John Smith as a passenger on 30 October 1970 when he was killed in a head-on collision. Smith was left in a coma D      
(Cab Driver's Son) Mentioned by the driver just before his death        
(Candidate) Running for a local office in 1976, he asked Sarge Shriver to sign his nominating papers        
(Candidates) Running for President in 1976. John Smith would go down to New Hampshire to see them        
(Car Dealer) John Smith bought a 2 year old Chevrolet from him for $1200        
(Chickens) They belonged to a man on Back Ridgeway Road. There were fourteen or so who died of a mysterious ailment D A    
(Chief Justice Of The US Supreme Court) In John Smith's vision while grasping Stillson's hand. He saw this old man swearing Stillson in as President        
(Chief Of Police) Of Ridgeway, New Hampshire. Mentioned by Greg Stillson to Sonny Elliman in the summer of 1971        
(Chuck Chatsworth's Buddies) None of them were splashing in the pool when John Smith tried Stanney's reading ideas on Chuck Chatsworth        
(Chuck Chatsworth's Friends) Mentioned by Roger Chatsworth        
(Clumsy Skater) Weighing 160lbs, he hit John Smith and caused his injury at Runaround Pond, Durham in January 1953        
(Coach) Chuck Chatsworth's coach at Stovington Prep in September 1977        
(College Girlfriends) Sarah Bracknell had lost direct contact with most of hers by late 1970        
(College Kids) According to Sonny Elliman they were causing most of the trouble in the Hamptons in the summer of 1971        
(College Scouts) They were trying to recruit Chuck Chatsworth        
(Collies) A strange old woman kept them at her kennel in Durham   A    
(Congressman) Joined Stillson's America Now Party in 1978. Was the only one to do so not re-elected that November        
(Contributors) Vera Smith corresponded with the contributors to obscure cult magazines        
(Cop) In the town hall in Jackson, New Hampshire when John Smith cased it. He was giving Driver Examinations        
(Cop's Wife) Of the one in the Jackson Town Hall. She reads 'Yankee' magazine        
(Cops) Several of these Ridgeway cops bought .357 Magnum guns        
(Correspondent) A person who wrote to John Smith accusing him of being the Anti-Christ        
(Couple Of Friends) John Smith's. They were instructors from UMO who turned up at John's apartment when he and Sarah were necking        
(Cow) A boy with cerebral palsy was raising it in December 1975   A    
(Cow) At the farm near Ames, Iowa during the summer of 1955. It mooed from the barn just before Greg Stillson shot the farm dog with a flit gun   A    
(Crazies) Mentioned in passing as having discovered a fresher object than John Smith for their obsessions        
(Crazy Woman) Her dog had knocked over the Hazlett's lamp        
(Crazy Woman's Dog) It knocked over the Hazlett's lamp   A    
(Crossing Guards) Most of the crossing guards used in Castle Rock in 1975 were women        
(Crowd) At a David Bowes rally in 1976        
(Crowd) At a Harrison Fisher fundraising dinner in 1976        
(Crowd) At Greg Stillson's rally in Trimbull, New Hampshire on 19 August 1979. They were mostly from their mid-teens to mid-thirties        
(Crowd) Watching John Smith playing the Wheel of Fortune at the Esty Fair        
(Crowds) They gathered in Oklahoma City and jeered the ranchers who had short paid Greg Stillson        
(Cubans) They broke into the offices of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate Hotel and were caught        
(Custodian) Of the Jackson Town Hall. He opened up on the day John Smith shot at Greg Stillson. A burly man        
(Dead Woman) Her body was used as bait for a tiger in Ngo Phat's village during the Second World War D      
(Deejays) They drag out Beach Boys golden oldies during summer        
(Democratic Figurehead) Ran against Greg Stillson for Mayor of Ridgeway in 1973        
(Deputy) Took George Harvey's nephew's T-shirt        
(Desk Clerk) At the Holiday Inn in Portsmouth. John Smith asked him to have his bill ready        
(Director) Of the Eastern Maine Medical Center in 1975. He was angry that John Smith's prediction of the fire at Eileen Magown's had received media attention        
(Dissociated People) They wrote to John Smith while he was at Pownal. They included children who wanted his autograph, women who wanted to sleep with him and both men and women seeking advice to the lovelorn        
(Doctor) At Cumberland General. He asked Herb Smith whether 'heroic measures' should be taken to save Vera Smith's life        
(Doctor) Of Mr Starret. Mentioned in passing        
(Doctor) Told the Bannermans they could not have another baby        
(Doctor) Vera Smith's doctor. Put her on a drug called Hydrodiural        
(Doctors) At Eastern Maine Medical Center. They gathered to observe John Smith's ill-fated press conference        
(Dog Warden) Two reporters sat outside the Castle Rock dog warden's office on 17 December 1975        
(Dog) Dick O'Donnell had a big old mongrel dog trained to sic on command   A    
(Dog) It was at a farmhouse 20 miles west of Ames, Iowa. During the summer of 1955 Greg Stillson shot it with a flit gun and then kicked it to death   A    
(Dogs) They were running around prior to Greg Stillson's rally in Trimbull, New Hampshire on 17 August 1979   A    
(Drug, Alcohol And Road Offenders) Ridgeway, New Hampshire had an unusual plan, taking their services out in trade rather than fining them or locking them up        
(Drunks) John Smith's cab driver hated them for calling and then not turning up        
(Eighty-One Dead) The death toll from the Cathy's Roadhouse on 23 June 1977. Most were Senior High students from Durham High School. Among them were 12 boys suffocated by smoke in the men's room D      
(EPA Agent) Bribed by Greg Stillson        
(Farmer) Wearing biballs and with a picture of his son who had been reported MIA over Hanoi; in a dream John Smith had while Sam Weizak drove him to Cumberland        
(Farmer's Son) Air Force man MIA over Hanoi in 1972; in a dream John Smith had while Sam Weizak drove him to Cumberland        
(Fat Lady) She was at the Esty Fair, wearing blue slacks and penny loafers        
(Fat Woman) She embraced Stillson at the Trimbull rally        
(Father Of Vera Smith) Vera cried out for him in her delirium after suffering a stroke        
(Father's Friends) Herb Smith's friends would give John Smith a wave rather than touch him        
(FBI Agents) They interviewed Elton Curry        
(FBI Man) According to Bannerman their 'pet FBI man' hadn't distinguished himself in the Castle Rock Strangler case        
(Female) Her hand reached out at the Stillson rally in Trimbull but she yelled in dismay after one of Stillson's men moved in        
(Fifty Some People) At the Chatsworth's party on 23 June 1977. John Smith's warning about Cathy's Roadhouse carried to them. They included businessmen and their wives, professors and their wives, Durham's upper class        
(First Selectman) Of Jackson, New Hampshire. In January 1979 he/she was looking for someone who could take shorthand        
(Five Staff) Including Ngo Phat, the staff at the Chatsworth house in 1976        
(Folks) Parents of a girl Greg Stillson had sex with in summer 1955. They were in Davenport selling chickens        
(Fonz, The) TV character on Dick O'Donnell's TV in January 1979        
(Foreman) Worked at Chatsworth's mill in Sussex. Would not light three on a match        
(Forty People) Mostly graduating students, they escaped the fire at Cathy's Roadhouse        
(Founding Father) A gruesome oil portrait of a Castle Rock town founding father was in the lobby of the Town Office Building on 17 December 1975        
(Four Cats) In August 1975 Eileen Magown had four cats at her house in Oldtown        
(Four Men) Attended the meeting at Jackson Town Hall when John Smith shot at Greg Stillson. They wore checked woollen jackets and one told a Frenchman joke        
(Four Or Five Town Cops) In Trimbull, New Hampshire at the Stillson rally on 19 August 1976        
(Four Or Five) Letter writers who asked John Smith how it felt to murder your mother        
(Four People) They were killed in flash floods in Oklahoma in August 1951 D      
(Freed Slave) John Smith predicted Jimmy Carter's daughter would attend a public school in Washington D.C. named after a freed slave        
(Friend) Of the gray haired woman in the waiting room at Eastern Maine Medical on the night of John Smith's accident. She wore high heels        
(Friends) In early 1974 Walter and Sarah Hazlett threw a party for his friends, her friends and their mutual friends - more than 40 people in all        
(Friends) Roger Chatsworth had friends who were deeply religious        
(Gallery) Watching Dr Ruopp operate on John Smith        
(German Soldiers) In the back of the trooptruck which hit Mrs Weizak on 2 September 1939, in Warsaw        
(Girl From Cleaves Mills) She won a Merit Scholarship        
(Girl In Maryland) She had been in a coma for six years        
(Girl) According to 'Inside View' a girl with cerebral palsy was miraculously cured at Lourdes in 1975. Born 1966        
(Girl) Frank Dodd's girlfriend in high school. His mother put paid to the relationship        
(Girl) Greg Stillson had sex with her in a hayloft in the summer of 1955        
(Girl) John Smith claimed to Sarah Bracknell he knew a girl in high school who had a weak heart        
(Girl) She served John Smith at Slocum's Store but would try to avoid touching him        
(Girl) She worked at the Timmesdale Pub on Fridays and Saturdays in winter        
(Girlfriend) A girl Chuck Chatsworth was seeing in Fall 1976. John Smith went out once with her sister        
(Girlfriend's Sister) John Smith went out with her once in Fall 1976. Her sister was Chuck Chatsworth's girlfriend        
(Girls) At the kooch joint at Harrison Beach        
(Girls) Greg Stillson got to meet a lot of girls as a salesman for the American TruthWay Company        
(Good Summer People) John Smith felt them while touching a bench on the Castle Rock Common        
(Gray Haired Woman) With a friend in the waiting room at Eastern Maine Medical on the night of John Smith's accident        
(Great Many) People who wrote to John Smith accusing him of being a hoaxer        
(Grunts) Kids studying just to make grades. In 1970 John Smith doubted there had been a time with so few of them taking up space at university        
(Guinea Pigs) There was no shortage of surgical guinea pigs in Veteran's Administration hospitals, according to Weizak        
(Guy From The 'Journal') Mentioned by Sonny Elliman        
(Guy In Texas) He was in a coma for nine years but recovered and began working for a bank where he was a teller for two years and a loans officer for six more        
(Guys With Money) Chuck Gendron knew them and Stillson blackmailed Gendron into fundraising from them        
(Guys) Anne (Terry) Dussault would go parking with guys from E.L.        
(Half A Dozen Ex Motorcycle Outlaws) According to Roger Chatsworth Greg Stillson had hired them as bodyguards        
(Half The Couples) About half the couples who were due to attend the graduation party at Cathy's Roadhouse came to the Chatsworths instead        
(Handsome Second Banana) On a TV crime show. He was exposed by 'Inside View' as having been suspended from high school twice and busted once for the possession of cocaine        
(Heads, Hippies, Freaks And Cyclists) Greg Stillson was seen in their company due to his involvement with the Ridgeway Drug Counselling Center        
(Heirs Of Uncle Ho) They had taken over Vietnam        
(Her Fella) Husband of Rachel Jurgens. Lives in western Massachusetts        
(Herb Smith's Cousin) Living in Oklahoma in October 1975        
(High School Girl) She worked for Herb Smith cleaning his Pownal house for three weeks in October 1975. She quit for no stated reason but probably because of John Smith        
(Hippies) A number of them busted at a drugs party re-landscaped the Ridgeway town park while on community service        
(His Men) Weizak's father's soldiers following him in the battle against the Nazis in September 1939        
(Horse) In John Smith's vision of Poland, it had its guts blown out   A    
(Hostess) She was working at Cathy's Roadhouse on 23 June 1977        
(Husband Of Charlene Mackenzie) Doctor who died of a heart attack in 1973. His surname was not Mackenzie as this is the surname of Charlene's father and brother D      
(Inside View's Ten Famous Psychics) Including Kathleen Nolan and Frank Ross, they make predictions for that magazine        
(Instructor) Mentioned by Ngo Phat as saying that Stillson had been around long enough not to be seen as a carpetbagger. This person also attended the Trimbull rally        
(Instructor) There were two instructors with Ngo Phat's class at the Trimbull rally        
(Intensive Care Nurse) Sarah Bracknell spoke the nurse by phone        
(John Smith's Grandmother) According to Herb Smith she would say, 'I miss you like the dickens'        
(Kentucky Horse Breeder) His son married Bettye Hackman. He was staggeringly rich        
(Kid) Born 1962. He received a fractured skull at a Stillson rally in July 1976        
(Kids) Greg Stillson had helped the town council with how to deal with all the kids the police caught doing dope        
(Kids) John Smith let his students sit wherever they liked        
(Kids) Local kids in Trimbull for whom the concert at Hake Jamieson's was originally conceived        
(Kids) Sarah Bracknell saw them pulling into the parking lot next to O'Mike's        
(Lady In Rhode Island) Mentioned in passing        
(Lady) John Smith touched her coat at Cole's Farm. She was having an affair with one of her husband's poker buddies        
(Lady) She sent John Smith a crucifix with 'Made in Taiwan' stamped on Christ's feet        
(Lady's Husband) John Smith touched a lady's coat at Cole's Farm. She was having an affair with one of her husband's poker buddies        
(Last Half Dozen) Chuck Chatsworth's girlfriends before the prom in May 1977        
(Lawyers) Inside View's. Mentioned by Richard Dees        
(Literary Agent) In New York. One of his assistants suggested there might be a book in John Smith's experiences        
(Literary Agent's Assistants) In New York. One of them suggested there might be a book in John Smith's experiences        
(Little Kids) They were mucking around on Runaround Pond in Durham when John Smith took his fall in January 1953        
(Local And State Politicians) Greg Stillson thought they would wake up on election day and find out they were as dead as dodo birds        
(Local Artists) Their indifferent watercolours were on the walls of Cumberland General Hospital        
(Locals) In Ridgeway. Stillson reckoned they would have set feelings about Sonny Elliman        
(Long Haired Young Men) They were shown on TV dismantling a Greg Stillson podium        
(Lover) Claudine Longet was found guilty of shooting him        
(Man In Corduroy Suit) A tall man standing with Ngo Phat and two Chinese women before Stillson's Trimbull rally        
(Man In Next Bed) In a Warsaw hospital with Sam Weizak's mother. He was constantly calling for water        
(Man In Ski Parka) He told Jimmy Carter he would vote for anyone interested in cutting taxes        
(Man Who Poisoned His Wife) John Smith had a vision of a man who poisoned his wife while at the Jackson town hall. She had died two years earlier from sometime in the early 1900s        
(Man) Attended the Stillson rally in Trimbull with his wife and small child. He was young and did not care about the pool cues Stillson's men carried        
(Man) He jokingly took issue with Sarah Bracknell's boyfriend Dan who then severely beat him. He was in his late thirties when this happened, probably late in 1969        
(Man) He was closing down the Pitch-Til-You-Win at the Esty Fair        
(Man) John Smith touched his jacket at Cole's Farm. The man was worried about his brother who had been hurt on a construction project        
(Man) John Smith touched his topcoat at Cole's Farm. In November 1975 he was going mad with paranoid fantasies but not even his wife knew        
(Man's Brother) John Smith touched a man's jacket at Cole's Farm. The man was worried about his brother who had been badly hurt on a construction project in November 1975        
(Man's Wife) John Smith had a vision of a man who poisoned his wife while at the Jackson town hall. She had died two years earlier from sometime in the early 1900s D      
(Man's Wife) John Smith touched a man's topcoat at Cole's Farm. The man was going mad with paranoid fantasies but not even his wife knew        
(Medical Examiner) The Castle County medical examiner who reported that the way Frank Dodd raped Mary Kate Hendrasen had ruptured something in her. Was also able to type the sperm of the rapist        
(Men And Women) Part of Ngo Phat's class, they attended Stillson's rally in Trimbull. There were 40 in all        
(Men And Women) They attended the meeting in Jackson Town Hall when John Smith shot at Stillson        
(Men And Women) They were going on shift at a Manchester shoe factory in February 1976 and shook hands with Jimmy Carter        
(Men) Hector Mackenzie saw men die in the First World War D      
(Men) John Smith received a vision of men in the Jackson town hall early in the 1900s        
(Men) Sam Weizak's wife had affairs with them        
(Men) Vera Smith accused Herb Smith of drinking beer with them after work        
(Mistress) Of Wayne Hays        
(Mistress) Of Wilbur Mills        
(Mother Of Mary Lou Stillson) Was living in Oklahoma City in 1942        
(Mother) Julie Brown's. Mentioned in passing        
(My Brother) He went missing on a fishing trip in the Allagash in 1969        
(My Mother) One of the guests at the Chatsworth graduation party referred to her as having been at the earlier Chatsworth function where John Smith had predicted the fire at Cathy's Roadhouse. The mother had asked the child not to go to Cathy's as a result        
(My Son) One of John Smith's correspondents was concerned about the boy's wellbeing after school        
(My Wife) A person who one of John Smith's correspondents believed was having an affair        
(My) Person who wrote to John Smith asking for help on a brother who went missing in the Allagash in 1969        
(My) Person who wrote to John Smith believing his wife was having an affair        
(My) Person who wrote to John Smith concerned about his/her son        
(Nephew Of George Harvey) In the Ridgeway police station        
(Nervous Women) They dropped in on John Smith at Pownal        
(Newsmen) They called the Smith's house at Pownal looking for interviews        
(Night Clerk) At the Jackson House. He was dozing when John Smith left at 4am on the day he tried to kill Stillson        
(Number Of Men) They were working on the bandstand for Stillson's Trimbull rally        
(Nurse) At Cumberland General. Wearing spectacles, she was taking Vera Smith's pulse when John Smith arrived        
(Nurse) In her opinion, Dussault was asking for it        
(Nurse) In the recovery room after John Smith was operated on by Dr Ruopp        
(Nurse) She asked Dawn Edwards to leave when Dawn burst into tears over John Smith's condition        
(Nurse) She asked John Smith if he needed anything the afternoon he had the Poland visions        
(Nurse) She assisted Dr Ruopp during John Smith's operation        
(Nurse) Spoke to Sarah Bracknell when she first arrived at Eastern Maine Medical after John Smith's accident        
(Nurse) Working with Dr Brown and Dr Weizak testing John Smith when he had his visions of Poland        
(Nurses) At Eastern Maine Medical Center. They gathered to observe John Smith's ill-fated press conference        
(Nurses) They read confession magazines while on station        
(Old Colleagues) All of John Smith's old colleagues from Cleaves Mills High School dropped by to wish him the best in November 1975        
(Old Couple) Featured in the story, 'The Monkey's Paw'        
(Old Man) He owned some land on Back Ridgeway Road that Stillson wanted for Laurel Estates. Stillson drove him off his land. He had a sister at a nursing home in Keene        
(Old Man) He was in John Smith's hospital room on 17 May 1975 suffering from cancer        
(Old Man) In the dream John Smith had on his way to the hospital in Cumberland, his fingers had been turned into clubs by arthritis        
(Old Men And Women And Children) They beat the tiger to death in Ngo Phat's village        
(Old Woman) A picture of her locking her door appeared in a newspaper article about the Castle Rock Strangler        
(Old Woman) She froze to death in her apartment in Portsmouth during the winter of 1975/6 D      
(Old Woman) She had a rundown kennel in Durham and kept collies there        
(Operator) Connected John Smith to the Oldtown Fire Department        
(Others) In John Smith's dream on the way to the Cumberland hospital        
(Others) People attending Stillson's Trimbull rally, they were early and spreading blankets, playing Frisbee or settling down for lunch        
(Over Thirty People) Mostly members of the Durham High School Senior Class, they were taken to hospital to be treated for burns after the fire at Cathy's Roadhouse        
(Owners) Of the Jackson House, in Jackson, New Hampshire        
(Parents) Of many of the kids at the Chatsworth graduation party. The parents had been at the lawn party earlier that same day        
(Parents) They were watching their children the day in January 1953 when John Smith was hurt on Runaround Pond, Durham        
(Passengers) Leaving the whip at the Esty Fair. Most were teenagers        
(Patients) A crowd of patients gathered to watch the ill-fated press conference at the hospital        
(Pen Friends) Vera Smith corresponded with people who had had similar experiences in their lives        
(People Down South) According to Herb Smith they handle snakes and he would call them crazy        
(People Dying) During the Nazi invasion of Poland people were dying by the hundreds and thousands D      
(People Who Stood Behind Nixon) Stillson thought the voters would force out those who stood behind Nixon at the impeachment hearings        
(People) Attending a Stillson rally in Ridgeway during his first campaign. They were predominantly young        
(People) Attending the Stillson rally in Trimbull        
(People) Greg Stillson got to meet a lot of people as a salesman for the American TruthWay Company        
(People) In a letter to John Smith Chuck Chatsworth reported that 10 months into his first term most people were surprised at how well Stillson was doing        
(People) In the waiting room at Eastern Maine Medical on the night of John Smith's accident        
(People) They felt personally cheated by John Smith after 'Inside View' claimed he was a hoax and sent him angry and mostly anonymous letters and cards        
(Pharisee) Thought of by John Smith as being in the famous story and who passed by on the other side        
(Pilot) Of an Eastern Airlines plane that crashed in Florida. He had a tumour D      
(Poker Buddies) John Smith touched a lady's coat at Cole's Farm. She was having an affair with one of her husband's poker buddies        
(Police Dog) It sniffed out 400 pounds of marijuana at Bangor airport   A    
(Poor Folks) Poor folks like the Joads were tractored off their land in the thirties        
(Pothead) Reorganised the library system at Ridgeway while on community service        
(Presidential Aide) He had a penchant for gay bars and was run out of his position at least partially by Stillson and his supporters        
(Prosecutor) He said 'She's found out what western justice means' when Claudine Longet was found guilty by the jury        
(Prospective Buyer) Of the Smith home in Pownal        
(Pupils) Sarah Bracknell sent her unruly pupils to the Assistant Principal        
(Quarterback) Oral Roberts had his arm around a well known NFC quarterback on his TV show        
(Quartet) Two men and two women who watched John Smith playing the Wheel at the Esty Fair. One of the men was Steve Bernhardt. The others were unnamed        
(Radical Groups) They took to the streets in 1970        
(Ratcatcher) Stillson's ad in the Oklahoma City 'Herald' reminded readers of a certain ratcatcher in the town of Hamlin        
(Readers) Of 'Inside View', mentioned by Richard Dees. There were 3 million of them in October 1975        
(Realtor) Vera Smith had made arrangements with the realtor to sell the family home in Pownal        
(Regulars) At Cathy's Roadhouse in July 1973        
(Relatives) Of the Chatsworth family. Roger Chatsworth thought John Smith staying in the guest house would keep them at bay        
(Reporters) About eight attended the ill-fated hospital press conference, including the AP stringer for northern New England. Among them were David Bright, Mel Allen and Roger Dussault        
(Reporters) They found their way to the Smith house in Pownal        
(Republican Candidates) From around Roger Chatsworth's part of New Hampshire. He had arranged fundraisers for them        
(Republican Mayor) He was elected Mayor of Ridgeway, New Hampshire in 1971 and was fairly popular but supported Nixon and lost to Greg Stillson in 1973 in a landslide        
(Riders) About ten of them on mostly on Harleys and BSAs preceded Stillson to the Trimbull rally. One was Sonny Elliman. They wore jeans over square-toed engineer boots. Sticking out of every right hip pocket was a sawed-off pool cue        
(Roomie) Of Dan, Sarah Bracknell's boyfriend. He heard from Dan three times after he was drafted        
(Roustabout's Lady Friend) She was with a roustabout while they watched John Smith playing the Wheel of Fortune        
(Roustabouts) A couple of roustabouts drifted over to watch John Smith playing the Wheel of Fortune. One had a lady friend with him        
(Russian Astronauts) They orbited the earth and did not see God        
(Schoolteacher) A character in 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'. She was a little old lady who almost got lost forever in a mirror maze        
(Secret Service Agent) With Jimmy Carter when John Smith met him in Manchester in 1976. A man, he was concerned about Smith        
(Secret Service Man) With Sarge Shriver when he and John Smith spoke during the 1976 campaign. He scratched furtively at his acne        
(Secretary) Chuck Gendron's was a flat chested old biddy. She was born in 1915        
(Sergeant-At-Arms) At the Stillson Committee. Mentioned by Norman Verizer        
(Several Enterprising Souls) Wrote to John Smith offering to join him in his enterprise as a psychic. One had been a magician's assistant        
(Shrink From Augusta) Worked on the Castle Rock Strangler case courtesy of the Attorney General        
(Single Aide) With Sarge Shriver when he and John Smith spoke during the 1976 campaign        
(Sister) Of George Harvey. Her son was assaulted by Greg Stillson        
(Sister) Of the old man on Back Ridgeway Road. She was in a nursing home in Keene        
(Six Congressmen) They joined Stillson's America Now Party in 1978 and were re-elected in November 1978        
(Six Million Dollar Man) TV character mentioned by George Bannerman        
(Six Patients) They had told Allison Conover they had given up on her before Mr Starret did on 12 January 1979        
(Sixteen People) Wrote to John Smith in one month during late 1978 wanting to know what the numbers would be in their state's legal numbers game        
(Small Boy) John Smith touched his parka at Cole's Farm. The boy was mad at his father        
(Small Boy's Father) He would not let his son take a radio into the dining room at Cole's Farm        
(Small Boy's Grandmother) She gave him a Snoopy transistor radio. She lived in Durham        
(Small Child) Attended the Stillson Trimbull rally with his/her father and mother        
(Some People) They were at the Chatsworth graduation party. Chuck Chatsworth wanted to know if he could give them John Smith's address as they wanted to write and thank John. One was Patty Strachan's mother        
(Someone) Dropped a water glass outside John Smith's room while he was telling Sarah Hazlett where her wedding ring was        
(Son) Featured in the story, 'The Monkey's Paw' D      
(Son) Of a staggeringly rich Kentucky horse breeder. He married Bettye Hackman        
(Spectators) At the Stillson Committee on 22 August 1979. They were warned by Norman Verizer        
(Staff Writers) They write all the psychic columns for 'Inside View'        
(Staff) Of Eastern Maine Medical Center. Many had problems getting to work on 12 January 1975 due to a sleet and ice storm        
(State Medical Examiner) He said Carol Dunbarger had been dead about two months when her body was found        
(Stout Woman) She asked John Smith a question at the ill-fated hospital press conference        
(Stringer) 'Inside View' had a stringer on the Kennebec 'Journal'        
(Students) They came to Eastern Maine Medical on the first afternoon after John Smith's accident. Most of them were freaks and long hairs        
(Teacher) Chuck Chatsworth's English teacher at Stovington Prep in September 1977        
(Technician) At the hospital in Portland. Weizak bullied the staff into providing him an EEG machine and a technician to run it to examine John Smith after John uncovered Frank Dodd in Castle Rock        
(Teenagers) A couple of them watched John Smith play the Wheel of Fortune at the Esty Fair        
(Terrible Man) In John Smith's vision of Frank Dodd he saw a terrible black grinning man with eyes as shiny as quarters holding a red STOP sign in one gloved hand. Dodd was apparently terrified of this man        
(Third-District People) According to Roger Chatsworth the voters were mostly all blue-collars and shopkeepers        
(Those People) John Smith asked a nurse at the nurse's station to go and find out what the patients whose lights were flashing wanted        
(Thousands Fleeing) From Warsaw during the German invasion in September 1939        
(Three Boys) Crossed the Castle Rock town common at 9.45am on 17 December 1975. One thought he might have seen 'some guy' on the other side of the bandstand        
(Three Couples) They were having cocktails at Cathy's Roadhouse in the early evening of 23 June 1977        
(Three Girls) Performing outside the kooch joint at the Esty Fair        
(Three Nurses) At the nurses' station when John Smith called to report the fire at Eileen Magown's        
(Three Other Businessmen) They and Stillson funded and built a shopping mall on the outskirts of Capital City in 1973        
(Tiger) In Vietnam when Ngo Phat was a boy. It was man-eater. The villagers trapped it and beat it to death D A    
(Town Manager) Of Castle Rock. Bannerman wrote him requesting adult crossing guards on the common during school hours        
(Town Selectmen) Of Castle Rock in 1975. Mentioned by Bannerman        
(Trimbull High School Marching Band) Performed at Stillson's Trimbull rally        
(Trio Of Old Ladies) Dressed in formal black they attended the meeting in the Jackson Town Hall at which John Smith shot at Stillson        
(Tuba Player) Performed at Stillson's Trimbull rally as part of the Trimbull High School Marching Band        
(TV Anchorman) On the WABI late evening news on 19 August 1975        
(TV Reporters) At the ill-fated press conference, including one from WABI. One, a male, asked John Smith a question        
(TV Station People) There were people from two TV stations at the ill-fated hospital press conference, including cameramen        
(Twenty Six People) Attended a debate in 1976 between Bill Cohen and Leighton Cooney        
(Two Boys) Carrying the banner for the Trimbull High School Marching Band at the Trimbull rally. They were pimply        
(Two Boys) They passed through the Castle Rock Town Park on 12 November 1970 just before Frank Dodd killed Alma Frechette        
(Two Clerks) They worked with Bud Prescott at the 4th Street Phoenix Sporting Goods Store on 26 December 1978        
(Two Dozen Rainmakers) Greg Stillson's competition for the Oklahoma job. About half were negroes, two were Indians - a half-breed Pawnee and a full-blooded Apache. There was a Mexican and about nine white men        
(Two Headed Cow) George Bannerman once saw one in a carnival   A    
(Two Local Psychiatrists) Quoted in a newspaper article on the Castle Rock Strangler        
(Two Majorettes) They performed at Stillson's Trimbull rally as part of the Trimbull High School Marching Band        
(Two Men) Came into Jon's Restaurant from a snowplow and sat at the counter        
(Two Men) With Sonny Elliman and the custodian in the Jackson Town Hall. John Smith thought one had been at the Trimbull rally and was called 'Moochie' by Elliman        
(Two New Officers) Were added to the police force in Ridgeway during Stillson's 1973-75 term        
(Two Nurses) They assisted John Smith move his legs after Dr Ruopp operated        
(Two Senators) Joined the America Now Party in 1978 and were re-elected        
(Two Women) Two Chinese women with Ngo Phat before Stillson's Trimbull rally        
(Two Workmen) Closing up the Wild Mouse at the Esty Fair. Both were smoking        
(Two Young Men) In November 1951 they tried to beat up Greg Stillson. Both of them ended up in hospital, one with concussion and the other lost four of his teeth and suffered a rupture        
(Two Young Reporters) At the ill-fated hospital press conference        
(Ugandans) Sarah Bracknell wondered what they must think of Bettye Hackman who was serving in the Peace Corps        
(University Administration) Used Cleaves Mills as a bedroom area        
(University Faculty) Used Cleaves Mills as a bedroom area        
(University Students) Used Cleaves Mills as a bedroom area        
(Visitors) At Eastern Maine Medical on the evening of the ill-fated press conference. They had drifted over from the main lobby to watch        
(Waitress) At Jon's Restaurant in Bridgton. She served John Smith and George Bannerman        
(Waitress) She worked at Bobby Strang's truckstop and appeared in photos having sex with Chuck Gendron        
(Waitresses) Six waitresses were working at Cathy's Roadhouse on 23 June 1977        
(Wandering Sign Painter) He was arrested as a suspect in the Castle Rock Strangler killings but released when his alibi held up. He had once spent three years in the Augusta State Mental Hospital        
(Whip's Starter) Settled John Smith and Sarah Bracknell into the Whip at the Esty Fair        
(Wife) Attended the Stillson Trimbull rally with her husband and small child        
(Woman In Arizona) She went into a coma during anaesthesia while in labour in 1957. She recovered in 1969 and met her child. She was in a wheelchair in 1975        
(Woman In Arizona's Child) While in labour the mother went into a coma. Born in 1957 was a seventh grade honours student in 1969        
(Woman In North Carolina) She sent John Smith a piece of charred wood from her house. It had burned down and her husband and two of her five children died. The Charlotte Fire Department said it was faulty wiring but she thought it was arson        
(Woman In North Carolina's Husband) Died in a house fire in Charlotte D      
(Woman In North Carolina's Three Children) They survived a house fire in Charlotte        
(Woman In North Carolina's Two Children) They died in a house fire in Charlotte D      
(Woman Who Sent A Scarf) Her brother had been lost and she sent the scarf to John Smith for assistance. He had a vision of the brother drowning in quicksand        
(Woman With Maryland Plates) She dropped by at John Smith's in Pownal        
(Woman) She asked Sarah Bracknell if she was okay as she left the Wheel of Fortune feeling ill        
(Woman) She dropped by at John Smith's in Pownal driving an old Ford with Arizona tags        
(Woman) She was with the man Dan beat up in 1969        
(Workmen) Drinking beer at Cathy's Roadhouse in the early evening of 23 June 1977        
(Yahoo From NBC) Got the Smith's number and tried to get John Smith to go on the Carson Show        
(Young Man) He had a large burn scar on one side of his face and was at the Trimbull rally        
(Young Man) In Liverpool, England. He had been struck while working on the docks and was in a coma for 14 years before dying D      
(Young Pregnant Woman) She was beaten just after a Stillson rally in Ridgeway and as a result miscarried        
(Young Woman) Bruce Carrick served her a Tequila Sunrise at Cathy's Roadhouse in July 1973        
(Young Woman) Wearing a slacksuit, she asked John Smith a question at the ill-fated hospital press conference        
(Young Woman) With a baby in the dream John Smith had on his way to the Cumberland hospital        
(Young Woman's Baby) With his mother in the dream John Smith had on his way to the Cumberland hospital. It had a hydrocephalic head on which were traced blue veins        
(Youngest Man) In Ngo Phat's village at the time of the man-eating tiger during World War Two, was 60 years of age        
?, Andy George Clements' brother-in-law, he claimed that gallstones hurt worse than anything        
?, Beth Alma A girlfriend of Chuck Chatsworth, she had red hair        
?, Burt Next door neighbour of Eileen Magown in Oldtown in August 1975. Husband of Janice        
?, Casey May have been at Cathy's Roadhouse when it burned down        
?, Clarice A 'bar bag' in the Timmesdale Pub        
?, Dan He was flawlessly handsome and had grayish eyes. Sarah Bracknell's boyfriend in 1969 and her first lover. He was a heavy drinker and violent. He was a Delta Tau Delta at University of Maine, Orono but flunked in early 1970. He was drafted and was last heard from in basic training 'down South'        
?, Erwin Politician        
?, Germaine Aunt of John Smith. She died while John was in a coma (October 1970-May 1975) D      
?, Hans Mentioned in John Smith's trance as someone lost at a bridge somewhere in the Far East D      
?, Janice Next door neighbour of Eileen Magown in Center Street, Oldtown in August 1975. Eileen rang her on 827-???? and confirmed that her house was on fire. Wife of Burt        
?, Logan One of the campers from whom a man became separated before dying in quicksand        
?, Lurch Sarah Hazlett said John Smith looked like this Addams Family TV character        
?, Mike Someone at the Chatsworth graduation party wanted to know if he was at Cathy's Roadhouse        
?, Moochie One of Elliman's men at the Jackson Town Hall        
?, Nellie Grandmother of John Smith. A dog had torn the back of her sundress        
?, Ray Someone at the Chatsworth graduation party wanted to know if he was at Cathy's Roadhouse        
?, Richard Grandfather of Chuck Chatsworth        
?, Rocky One of the campers from whom a man became separated before dying in quicksand        
?, Sean Young boy in the hall when John Smith shot at Greg Stillson. He was about 4 (born 1975) and was wearing a blue snowmobile suit with bright yellow markings. He was with his mother, who called him Sean but then 'Tommy' when Greg Stillson grabbed him        
?, Sean's mother In the Jackson Town Hall when John Smith shot at Greg Stillson. About 23 (born 1956) she was with a boy of about four, named Sean. She had dark hair. (See also Mrs Robeson)        
?, Shannon One of the partygoers at the Chatsworth wanted to know if she was at Cathy's Roadhouse        
?, Stiv One of the campers from whom a man became separated before dying in quicksand        
Aaron, Hank Baseballer mentioned by Johnny Smith        
Ablanap, Mrs Househelp for the Hazlett's in October 1979        
Abraham Biblical character mentioned by Vera Smith        
Abzug, Bella Politician mentioned by Roger Chatsworth        
Adam Biblical character mentioned by John Smith