Scanners (1981)

Directed by David Cronenberg [Other horror films: Shivers (1975), Rabid (1977), The Brood (1979), Videodrome (1983), The Dead Zone (1983), The Fly (1986), Dead Ringers (1988), Naked Lunch (1991), eXistenZ (1999), Crimes of the Future (2022), The Shrouds (2024)]

David Cronenberg has always been a director I’ve had a bit of a mixed record with. While it’s true I enjoyed films such as Shivers and Rabid, others, such as The Brood and Videodrome, are ones I found it difficult to dig into. Scanners is a classic I’ve never had the urge to see, partially due to that mixed record, but after having seen it, I do think it’s one of his better films.

By no means, though, do I find it fantastic – it’s a pretty solid story with a wide scope (not dissimilar to Videodrome, albeit infinitely more sensible), quality action sequences, an interesting idea, and, of course, very solid special effects.

I knew the basics of the story going in, and I have to admit to being pleased that I could actually follow everything along. Some of Cronenberg’s films can veer toward the complex, such as Videodrome and The Brood, and while this one does deal with large topics, pretty much everything makes sense, which is a relief (as it was a worry of mine, and one of the reasons I put off watching this for so long).

Admittedly, the horror aspects here are couched heavily in science fiction, which probably isn’t a surprise, but it is worth mentioning. Many of the more action-packed sequences feel like, well, an action movie, or perhaps a thriller, as opposed to horror, and in fact, I think it’s by the quality special effects alone that allow this entry into the genre.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, knows about the scene in which someone’s head explodes. Even before I was born, I knew about the scene, and I think it’s fair to say that even if people don’t realize what movie it’s from, or recognize the name ‘Cronenberg,’ they know the scene too. And it’s a good scene, but what’s great about Scanners is that it’s not even the most gruesome scene – the telepathic duel, of sorts, during the finale was some grisly stuff, and led to a final moment that I rather liked, so there’s some good stuff here.

To be fair, much of the other action tended to be more generic and tame, even scenes that you might expect a bit more from (such as the shotgun massacre). Again, it feels like it’s an action movie at times, which is fine, because it works with the story, but disappointing even so. However, I did really enjoy the computer sequence, in which Stephen Lack’s character scans ConSec’s computers – that was some enjoyable, explosive action.

Somewhat amusingly, I don’t think Stephen Lack is the stand-out here. His performance was decent, but by the nature of his character, he sort of lacked many expressive capabilities. Patrick McGoohan, on the other hand, played a pretty complex character, and while it wasn’t easy to get a read on him, I loved his performance.

As for the other performances worth mentioning, Michael Ironside (Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II, Visiting Hours, The Next Karate Kid) was solid, though not as in-focus as you might think, Jennifer O’Neill (The Psychic, The Reincarnation of Peter Proud) seemed almost pointless, but otherwise did fine, and Lawrence Dane (Of Unknown Origin, Rituals, The Clown Murders, Happy Birthday to Me) made for a solid character with an exciting end.

I’m surprised that I enjoyed Scanners as much as I did, but it’s certainly a pleasant surprise. It’s not exactly the type of movie I’d generally go out of my way to see, but it was pretty enjoyable at the time, and from the action to the special effects, it’s definitely a movie worth seeing for a nice mix of genres.

7.5/10