"I had the perfect life until I was in a coma for six years." "Then I woke up and found my fiancée married to another man." "My son doesn't know who I am." "Everything has changed... including me." "One touch, and I can see things." "Things that happened." "Things that will happen." "You should see what I see." "What's it mean when rich folks fill out the card?" " Means they got religion." " And if they've got religion..." "They want to buy." " So what do we sell them?" " The whole set." "What are the big three?" "Eye contact, confidence, smile." "Don't screw this up." "Good afternoon, Mrs. Smith." "I'm James Stillson." "This is my son Greg." "We're from the church." "Can we borrow just a moment of your time?" "From First Beacon?" "I don't believe I've seen you before." "That's right, ma'am." "Reverend Mackey sent us." "You filled out your name on this card." "Oh, you're from the Bible company." " Now she's got it, junior." " Well, I..." "What I mean is we already have several Bibles in the home." "Not like this one, ma'am." "As you can see, it has beautiful art from all the great masters... in color, of course." "This one is "Adoration of the Magi" by Da Vinci." "See, this Is baby Jesus right there, see?" "Beautiful." "There are over 45 of these color plates, telling the whole story." "This one is Jesus with the loaves and fishes." "You know your Bible pretty well." "Now, you can see how this adds value to a home." "I mean, it sure has for mine." "Greg here is living proof of that." " I'll just get my pocketbook." " Great." "Oh, Johnny, I didn't see you there." "Johnny, is it?" "Have you read the good book, son?" "(rumbllng effect)" "Oh, boy, are you okay?" "Oh, sweetie." "You okay?" "Need some water?" "Johnny fell and knocked his head on the ice about two months ago." "He's had a few fainting spells since from the concussion." "You all right?" "James:" "Here's your Bible, ma'am." "All right, thank you." "(the me music playing)" "Oooh" "Fall in love, fall in love, fall in love" "Fall in love..." "Feel no shame for what you are" "Feel no shame for what you are" "Feel no shame for what you are..." "Fall in love, fall in love" "Fall in love." "So What are yo u g uys reading?" "Well, we're up to pulp detective novels." "They're more complex than westerns." "Ooh, my favorite." "Hard-boiled cops and femmes fatales." "Sleazy reporters, too." "Remember which sleazy reporter hooked you up with this job." "For which I'm very grateful, Your Highness." "You bet your ass." "I told you, I need one kid, two days a week." "You're a teacher again." "I like Johnny the teacher." "There's no drama here." " No stories for sleazy reporters." " Now I just have to figure out how to deal with those femmes fatales." "Hey... what's up?" "Hi." "Hi." "Hello." "Oh, um..." "I'm here to pick you up." "It's Saturday... the Mighty Clams are scrimmaging, remember?" "Oh, right." "Hey, Johnny..." "Yeah, I actually forgot." "I have my last session with that kid Chuck in 10 minutes." "Okay, that's no problem." "Hop in." "We'll give you a ride." "Actually, I was going to hitch a lift with Dana." "All right." "Go, Clams!" "Yeah!" "I promise I'll make the next game." "Well, the next game is against Heatherfield on Sunday." "Okay." "Okay, well, go, Clams." "Win." "Score." "Boy: "The clerk barely looked up to ask," "'Relation to the deceased?" "'" "Hammond smiled, took off his hat, and told the truth." "'He was my partner."'" " Damn." "Good ending." " (doorbell rings)" " And there's my friends." " Right after questions." "Come on, Smitty, I already graduated." "You were there." " Tell it to the SATs." " That's four weeks from now." "Johnny:" "Yeah, yeah, yeah." "Tonight on the other hand... is the party." "Come on, guys." "There he is." "I just want you to know that this is not a measure of my level of gratitude." "Thank you." "You succeeded where others failed." "Remember that." "Chuck's the one who succeeded." " It's the high achievers..." " Wait." "Shh." "Reporter:" "I didn't mean to imply that." "I'm having difficulty trying to articulate your platform." "One wants to say moral reform..." "Well, yes, but no." "I don't want to reform the morals of the people." "The people have morals." "They're Americans." "What they need is respect and faith, and those are two things that they're not getting from Washington, where Democrats and Republicans from every level of office are using taxpayers' time and money to cheat on their wives and diddle the staff interns." " Did he just say "diddle"?" " I love this guy." "Reporter:" "So you're against big government." "I am against bad government, George, and I've got a message for every selfish, godless, and just plain stupid old white man out there who's a part of it..." "Greg Stillson's comin' to get you." "He going to bring his 30-ought with him?" "Thank you." "And there you have it," "State Representative Gregory Ammas Stillson, ex-real estate, insurance, and Bible salesman, and now the favored candidate for Maine's second district congressional seat in Washington." "They're really serious about this guy?" "Yo u know, yo u have to start reading the newspapers again." "People are going nuts over this... nut." ""A breath of fresh air."" "Don't worry, they'll come to their senses." " Jack, come say goodbye." " Hey, Dad." "Smitty, picking up your paycheck?" "Pay this man what he wants." "He is a God." "(crowd screaming)" "Hmm, smells good." "Hey, whatever happened to Dana?" "Is she still hanging around the office?" "Dana Bright?" "Not really." "Why?" "Oh, I was just wondering." "I assume she's still working the police beat, but she's always looking for a promotion." "She did some articles on Johnny, but maybe she moved on to something better." "(telephone ringing)" " Hello?" " Johnny:" "Sarah." "Is Walt there?" "Look, graduation parties and Cathy's steakhouse are a 20-year-old tradition." "I'm not going to ruin the night for all of these kids because some "psychic" happens to predict that maybe something..." "Okay, sir, I'll say it again." "Tonight, your restaurant will be struck by lightning." "The insulation will burn." "There will be a flash fire, and the doors are going to jam." "There'll be bodies six or seven deep in your exits." " What don't you understand?" " You sick son of a bitch." " Are you threatening me?" " I'm warning you." "Sheriff, I want this man off my property right now." " No." " No?" "I've been through this enough to know that what Johnny sees is what's going to happen." "You know, I see things too... like a blue sky, and I don't see any clouds." "Yeah, no lightning rod on your roof, either." "Does that violate a code?" "No, no law says I have to have a lightning rod." " It's strongly recommended." " "Strongly recommended," is it?" "Well, I strongly recommend that all of you people try running a business, because maybe if you did, then you'd appreciate what closing down on the busiest night of the year might really mean." "We're not talking about closing down but burning down, okay?" " There's a difference." " Listen to him." "Or what?" "You'll arrest me for not listening?" "how abo ut reckless endang erment?" "Great... free lawsuit money." " Cuff me." " You want to try that, see how it works out for you?" "Excuse me." "What's it going to take for me to convince you, sir?" "Your problem's not with me." "There's no way I'll let Chuck come here tonight." " What?" "Dad!" " No way." "What the hell am I supposed to do?" "They can come to our house, the whole class." "I can make that happen for tonight." "Better food, better music." "We have to contact all the parents and students, right away, please." "Come on, son." "We have a lot of phone calls to make." "(hl p-ho p music plays)" "Look at this." "See, I told you, there is nothing..." "nothing to worry about." "They're not all here." "Come on." "(thunder rumbles)" "(police sirens Walllng)" "(fire men screaming)" "(Wo man glggllng)" "I better see what he's doing." " God is my witness." " Oops-a-daisy." "Off you go." "Hi, Daddy." "What the hell is this?" "I told you to stay away from the volunteers." "She was helping me get dressed." "And you were supposed to be watching out for this kind of crap." " I told you not..." " Shut up!" "Now, I'm not calling you dumb." "I'm saying that some of the things you do are dumb." "Now, zip up your fly and make yourself presentable." "(zl p closing)" "We have a major photo op." " Move your hands." " It's fine." "Relax." "(sighs)" "Stillson's voice:" "Pain... that's all I can say." "When I talk about holes in the system, this is exactly what I'm talking about." "There are nine innocent lives lost because there wasn't a lightning rod on that building." "Why?" "Because some bureaucrats from Augusta didn't see fit to pass Proposition 91." "The first week I'm in office, you'll see a lightning rod on every public building from Van Buren to Kittery." "That's a fact." "What's your comment on Johnny Smith, the psychic who saved so many lives last night?" "Well, ma'am, I would say that we wouldn't need psychics if the government was ensuring the safety of its citizens." "Hey, there he is." "Reporter #1:" "Johnny!" "Reporter #2:" "Did you really see this was happening?" "Did you call the police?" "Well, how about that?" "Upstaged by a psychic." "Look at them go." "They're not serious about this guy, are they?" "Well, he must be good." "Can't blame him for working the angle." "We've all been there." "Stillson:" "And let us take heed from proverbs, chapter five, verse three." ""For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her voice is smoother than oil." "But in the end, she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword." "Her feet go down to death;" "her steps lead straight to the grave." "She gives no thought to this way of life." "Her paths are crooked... but she knows it not."" "(faint moaning)" "Charlotte?" "Where are you?" "Woman:" "Is that..." "is that you?" "(screaming)" "Hang on." "Woman:" "My God!" "What are you doing to my baby?" "Stillson:" "It's all right." "It's okay, it's okay." " Come here." " (screaming)" " Come here." " Man:" "What the hell?" "!" "Whoa!" "Hang on, hang on, old man." "Woman:" "Henry, do something!" " You let her loose." " Just drop it, old man." " You... you!" " Stillson:" "Drop it." " Daddy..." " Listen to me, all right?" "That's a Remington 12-gauge shotgun you've got there." "Now, we both know there's no way you're going to hit me" " without tearing up your baby here." " (mother shrieking)" "Now, we're going to do this like gentlemen, all right?" "There's a rule, first one being you keep that bitch's pie-hole shut!" "Woman:" "He's taking her!" "Goddamn primates!" "I'm done with this, done." "Driving into pissant towns, knocking on doors..." "I'm through with this." "I'm meant for something more." "Something..." "something better." "Like my dad says..." ""greatness."" "And it's not in this." "It's in me!" "I've got dreams, powerful dreams." "Just come to me at night." "I don't know what they mean, but they come to me." "I'll get there someday, I know." "I know I'll get there." "It hasn't happened yet, but I can feel it coming." "I know it's going to come." "You know what I mean?" "Take me with you." ""Take me with you..."" "We're looking for information on Johnny." "What can you tell us about Johnny?" "What are you people doing here?" "What's going on?" "You want your picture in the paper?" ""Dear Johnny."" ""Dear Johnny."" "Gas bill." ""Dear Johnny."" "You going to make a move?" "You know you got a letter from Dateline NBC?" "All right." "It says they want an interview, and that they've written twice and they've called you three times." "How long you going to keep this up?" " Till they forget about me." " Which they're not going to do." "You can disconnect your phone, lock yourself in, play chess all day... you'll only end up more famous, like JD Salinger." " I was hoping for Willy Wonka." " Good, a joke." "We should be joking about this." "It's ridiculous, but it's the way the world works." "If you're a psychic who ends up saving the lives of hundreds of people," "Barbara Walters will call." "NBC will call." "I'm not worried about them." "It's, uh..." "Florence Wickett from Boulder." ""My husband ran out on me in 1996." "Here's a pair of his socks." "Could you tell me where he is so I can get child support out of the cheap bastard?"" "How about Michelle Barnes from LA?" ""Dear Mr. Smith, my baby choked to death last year." "Here's his rattle." "Please tell me if he's happy with the angels."" "Or better yet, there's good old anonymous from Traverse City, Michigan... who hopes I burn in hell." ""Dear Mr. Smith, did you know the Bible says reg ular sinners g et tossed Into a lake of fire, but false prophets burn forever and ever?"" "Johnny..." " Here's another one." " (cell phone ringing)" " Johnny Smith's cell phone." " Hey, Bruce, it's Sarah." " Oh, hey, hey, Sarah." " Is Johnny there?" "Uh, no, no, Johnny's not here." "I'm just dropping some stuff off." "Okay." " Could you do me a favor?" " Sure." "Put him on." " Hello." " You don't want to talk to me?" "You just caught me at a bad time." "What's going on?" "You tell me." "You don't return your calls." " You don't leave your house." " What do you want me to say?" "Nothing." "I want to see you." "Why?" "Why?" " I have to have a reason?" " Everybody else does." "You know what?" "You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself." "What happened at that restaurant wasn't your fault," " and all those people who..." " You want to come give me advice?" "I'll save you the trip." "I don't want any." "I just want to be left alone." "Thanks." "You have any advice for me?" "No, man." "You seem to have it all figured out." "Thank you." "And... yes?" "Reverend Purdy, Alex Ross, WPOV." "Most will be surprised to see you backing Greg Stillson as an independent candidate." "Does this signal the alliance breaking its ties with the GOP?" "Alex, I've never felt that I, nor, for that matter, the Faith Heritage Alliance swore loyalty to any particular political party." "My responsibility is to find the candidate most dedicated to God's agenda, and in this election year, that candidate is Greg Stillson." " Reverend Purdy." " Yes, Dana." "How are you planning to address your candidate's checkered past?" "The allegations of bribery, for example?" "That is not appropriate." "This is a press conference for a press statement." "You want to mudsling, buy some airtime and shoot a commercial." "Really, Dana, I'm surprised that this sort of rumor-mongering isn't beneath you." "The Bible says, "Thou shalt not be a talebearer amongst others."" "Leviticus, chapter 19." "That is why I like this man." "My support for Greg Stillson is founded on his vision for the future, which promises to be very bright." "Today, we announce this to the press, and on Saturday, we share it with the members of the Interfaith Festival." "Reverend, what's your association with the psychic Johnny Smith?" "(excited questioning erupts)" "Johnny Smith is a very dear friend of mine." "I have known him since his birth, and, in fact, for the last five years," " I've been his legal guardian." " Do you believe in his tricks?" " Do you really believe in him?" " (questioning continues)" "Please, please." "I believe in miracles of all shapes and sizes, and Johnny Smith deals in the realm of big miracles." "I have been privileged to witness some of them for myself." "Of course, he has his share of detractors, but then, so did Abraham." "So did Daniel." "So did Christ." "(Interco m buzzzlng)" "Johnny, it's Gene Purdy." "May I come in?" "I'm glad you stopped by." "I've wanted to for some time, but I felt you needed your space." "I need money, Gene." " Of course." " No, a lot of it." "I want to drain my trust." "I'm taking a trip." "I'm probably not going to come back for a while." "You can do whatever you want to." "Of course, I'll honor your wishes... but at least consider my offer." "What offer?" "You can't live your life under siege conditions." "I know that." "I want to help you." " Help me with what?" "The mail?" " The mail, the media, the chaos outside your door." "I can even arrange for living quarters on campus if you'd like." "Or you can just live here, but the bottom line is," "I want to use my resources to protect you." "What do you get out of it?" "Tell me, Johnny, have you... have you ever had a boring vision?" "What?" "In all the time that your dead zone has been active, have you ever touched someone and seen them mowing the lawn?" " No." " And you know why that is?" "I'll tell you why." "Because you are important." "You mean "unfortunate."" "I know this is not the life you would have chosen, but it is the life that chose you, and you cannot deny the possibility that some other force is guiding you, choosing what you see." "Just say his name." "I know you're dying to." "Destiny, Johnny." "It is your destiny to help people." " I truly believe that." " I always thought destiny" " was just a rosier word for fate." " You can call it whatever you like, but every event in your life has been preparing you for this... lessons... to make you ready." " Ready for what, Gene?" " Ah..." "I will make it my mission in life to help you discover exactly what that is." "Think it over." "Call me when you're ready." "Sarah?" " My God, you scared me." " Scared you?" "How'd you get in here?" "You gave these to me 10 years ago." " I was just bringing them back." " 10:00 at night," " you're returning my keys?" " Well, I would've called," " but that didn't work last time." " I'm sorry about that." "Oh, Johnny, look at this place." " Johnny:" "It's not that bad." " No, itjust needs a bulldozer." "Why did you really come here, Sarah?" "I, uh..." "I came because I wanted to give you something." "My keys?" "Something else." "You recognize this?" "You won it for me in a nickel machine the night of the county fair." "Remember?" "You put it on my finger in the car, and you said, "I know it's not three carats, but it is two months' salary."" "And how long have you been holding on to that thing?" "I always meant to give it back to you." "I just wanted to do it at the right time, and then I realized there may never be a right time." " Why'd you come over here?" " I just told you." "How many times are you going to ask me?" "Till you give me the real answer." "I don't know." "I thought I knew." "I don't know, maybe because sometimes" "I wake up in the middle of the night, and for a second I forget who I am." "But then I look over at Walt, and remember." "But the first thing, the first thought that goes through my mind is that somehow I've been cheated." "And then I start to think, "What if?"" "What if you were never in that car crash?" "What if you and I never made a son that night?" "But then it passes, and I'm myself again." "Except that lately... it hasn't been passing..." "And I don't know if that's because" "I feel like you're slipping away from me or if it's because my heart is trying to tell me something." "Do you believe in fate, Johnny?" "I don't know yet." "You don't know?" "Doesn't that kill you, not knowing?" "I mean... do you ever think about it?" "Ever?" "I never stopped thinking about it." "Wait." "I'm afraid, Sarah... of what I'll see." "My maiden name was Bracknell, yes." "I'm glad you're here." "Are you sure we're not real, Johnny?" "I brought someone I want you to meet." "I want him to know you." "Purdy's voice:" "You are important." "I know this is not the life you would have chosen, but it is the life that chose you, and you cannot deny the possibility that some other force is guiding you, choosing what you see." "It is your destiny to help people." "I truly believe that." "Every event in your life has been preparing you... for this." "Lessons... to make you ready." "Greg, this rat should be crawling over to our office." " You're the mayor." " But then there's no surprise." " Ouch." " Look at this." "(Whlstles)" "(phone rings)" "(phone continues ringing)" "Woman:" "Charlie, Mayor Stillson is here." "How's tricks, Charlie?" "I'm busy here." "What do you want?" "Just wanted to chat with an old buddy." "Are you too busy to chat?" "You've been chatting" " to the Bangor Daily all week." " What are you talking about?" "No, it's what you're talking about." "Dirty real estate deals, kickbacks, payoffs." "One hand washing the other." " You're a regular Deep Throat." " That Shady Pines article?" " You think I was the source?" " Charlie, don't." "Just don't." "We know." "You know, Charlie, something I learned running fo r office... is that it's good practice to make a list of friends and enemies, and to make sure all the people that count are on one side or the other." "You think you can scare me by putting my name on some list?" "Charlie..." "You know, as of yet, you're not on either list." "Because up until now, you just didn't matter." "You know what, Greg?" "You can put my name on whatever list you want." "So here." "Go blackmail someone who cares." "Who said anything about blackmail?" " Hey!" " Charlie, Charlie..." " Greg:" "Let me tell you a story." " Charlie:" "Stop!" "A story about a man who finds some pictures in the mail, photos of himself and another woman." " Charlie:" "Linda!" " That's right, Charlie," "Linda, his secretary." "Charlie:" "Call the police!" " Linda, help!" " What, they didn't tell you?" " I quit." " Linda's got a new job." "So the man is devastated." "He's sick to his stomach." "Then the phone rings, and a voice on the other line tells him that his wife has been sent the photos, as well as her family and his family, etc." "And then you know what the poor sap does?" "He throws himself out of his 15th-story window." "The body hits a parking meter, head snaps clean off." " I'll do anything you want." " Do you know what?" "You want to steer clear of me, all right?" "You want to let somebody else stop me, somebody with a lot less to lose." "I won't stop you." "That's right, let somebody else be the hero." "In the meantime, I'll put you on my friends list." "Don't worry so much." "I'm not going to be mayor forever." "...for the office of State Representative." "I, Gregory Ammas Stillson, do solemnly swear to support the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of Maine against all enemies, foreign and domestic..." " Lord, you're awake." " Something's wrong." "Greg:" "I take this obligation freely, without mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties with which I am about to enter." "Johnny's voice:" "Something's wrong." "Something's wrong." " You all finished?" " Mm-hmm." " You ready for your big day?" " You ready for your big day?" "Am I ready for my big day?" "Ready as I'll ever be." "Mom knows how much I love crowd control." " Call me at halftime." " Okay." "Aren't you going to have any breakfast, Mom?" "I already had a grapefruit." " Bye." " Bye." "(retches)" "(so bblng)" "What the hell's going on here?" "Yeah, and it's not even Sunday." " Would you like a Stillson button?" " No, thanks." " Yeah." " Thank you." "Maybe I should come back tomorrow, huh?" "Come back tomorrow." "Johnny!" "I didn't expect to see you so soon." "Neither did I. This is my friend, Bruce." " Hi." " Hi." " Have you considered my offer?" " I won't take that trip after all, and I was thinking that, at least on a trial basis," " I could use your resources." " Great!" "Man:" "It's Johnny!" "I was thinking maybe I could start right about now." "Woman:" "Johnny!" "I see what you mean." "Come with me." "There's someone I want you to meet." "You saw something, didn't you?" "I'm not sure what, but..." "Johnny Smith," "Greg Stillson, future congressman, future senator, future... who knows?" " Reverend, we're ready." " Excuse me, gentlemen." " I've heard of you." " Likewise." "Any friend of Reverend Purdy is a friend of mine." "It's nice to meet you." "Purdy:" "And now I'd like to introduce a man, a young man who represents hope for the next generation, a man who bridges the gap between the value of tradition and the idealism of youth, because it is that bridge which will define" "our common destiny in the next millennium." "Greg Stillson!" "Hello." "Thank you very much." "Thank each and every one of you for showing up today." "Glad you could make it." "This is the guy." "This is the guy." "My friends, hold it, please." "I'd like to introduce one more man." "You've seen him in the papers, you know his name, and I'm proud to tell you that he's agreed to join our cause..." "Johnny Smith." "(crowd cheers)" "Come." "Come here." "Come in here." "Greg:" "Thank you very much, everyone."