Scanners Review

Scanners is a 1981 body horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Stephen Lack, Jennifer O’Neill, Michael Ironside and Patrick McGoohan. The film centres around scanners people with unusual telepathic and kinetic powers, as well as ConSec a purveyor of weaponry and security systems that searches them out for its own purposes. Scanners primarily centres around an attempt by Darryl Revok (Michael Ironside) a renegade scanner that rages war on ConSec, as a scientistic conflict dispatches a scanner called Cameron Vale to use his psychic powers in order to hunt down other scanners and stop Revok. Scanners is ultimately a fun enjoyable body horror film with some very impressive practical effects and a standout performance by Michael Ironside.

In terms of directing David Cronenberg as a good job on scanners, with a dark gloomy serious tone and cinematography that matches this accompanied by smooth still shots the film still looks a good considering it came out in 1981. One of the scenes near the beginning of the film where Cameron scans the old man is generally intense due to him almost dying as well as brilliantly showcasing his power, as well as the immense power that scanners in general have over the mind as when they scan they seem almost like alien creatures. The action scenes are decent although nothing special however they do a fine job considering the budget and age of the film. All of the scanners scan in a circle is clearly reminiscent of a séance. This further showcases the otherworldly paranormal likeability these people as scanners is a story of people with a supernatural power in a story grounded in realism by science and psychology. This scene also demonstrates the fear of losing yourself and being part of a collective group as the scanners are shown as both amazing and terrifying. Scanners also shows an enjoyable idea of these superhuman people effectively being a ragtag team as indicated with the scene of them all bundled into a clapped-out old school van, in the action scenes that follow are okay but nothing incredible. However, with the shot of the bus crashing through the record store the film had a budget. The film showcases several good interesting ideas such as the scanners are all being connected as they all fill the gunshot is one of the characters is killed, as well as the scanning ability be able to tap into people’s subconsciousness with one of the characters came tricking the policeman into thinking he is talking to his mum. In the climax of a frightening choose between Cameron and Revok as they use their psychic ability to try and destroy each other. The special effects in this scene are great with their veins popping out and blood oozing out of them as Cameron’s flesh melts away as he and reverie guy set on fire without eyes popping out. Kim then wakes up to find Revok’s body with Cameron’s voice and eyes as they have assimilated into one another and announced that “we’ve won” as it is very much up to interpretation who came out on top during the climax of the film.

The writing on the film is good as well with the story having a dark gloomy serious tone. The film showcases several interesting ideas such as the films plot revolving around a drug called ephemeral that some Jews scanning, as well as a realistic approach to this subject is a lot of this film is steeped in psychology. This is further showcased as the film looks as its characters as if they are real psychiatric patients. Reddick wants the scanners to join him in order to overthrow humanity however a bully who disobeys his will be killed, and is fighting against ConSec who will not give up the programme to Reddick as they have a scanner called Cameron Vale in order to defeat him. The film groundless telepathy and scanners in a realistic context with a scientific explanation for what is going on, as well as the scanners at things like real life psychiatric patients such as the character of Benning’s rehabilitated through art. In this scene Benning’s acts like a mental patient, taking drugs to stop the voices in his head. The two groups slowly meet throughout the film, Dr Val instructs manufacturers of ephemeral through Daryl Revok, they manufacture the drug via a computer and are being sent out over the country for people to consume. The part where it turns out that Kim is a scanner is an interesting plot twist but does not go anywhere and has no real payoff. This day then scan into a computer and destroy the wright program via a payphone, they then initiate a virus through the system hurting Cameron as the payphone blows up. It turns out the babies are born with scanner technology as Revok’s father gave ephemeral to pregnant women to make scanner babies, as this explanation happens Kim and Cameron are kidnapped by Reddick. In a plot twist at the end of the film it turns out that Cameron was a monitored scanner with his memory white by his father Paul Ruth, it also turns out that Cameron and Revok are brothers. Ephemeral was a trial drug aimed pregnant women that fails because it created scanners, Dr Ruth then brought out the company in order to develop the project and gave it to his pregnant wife in order to calm the children down. Revoks plan is effectively to create scanner salvages to build an empire showcasing her sins of his father are reincarnated in Revok.

The cinematography in the film is nothing amazing but there is not that much to criticise either, the film gives off a gritty charm that only an 80s horror film can create. There are some good dark gloomy shots as well as a lot of the camerawork being locked off shots with smooth panning and tracking shots. The film demonstrates different filmmaking techniques such as grainy old black-and-white footage of Cameron in an old recording as he talks about grilling a hole in his head, the bandage between his eyes demonstrates third eye, and the idea symbolic of the scanners power being an advanced species of human. The scanning scene between Cameron and an old man is generally intense since the elderly man in question almost dies and is a brilliant showcasing of Cameron’s power. When Cameron goes to physics a art and art exhibition of scanner Benjamin Peirce, the multiple phases, sculpture links to ideas of outsider art, a artform that is typically used by mental patients as a form of therapy which perfectly fits into the themes of scanners. Another good bit of cinematography is when the close-up of the circuit boards is bathed in a new neon light during the scene where the scanners switch the computer on the factory off showcasing some colourful shots. There’s not much to really say about the time other than it is dark gloomy and serious as well as grounded in a sense of reality keeping with the themes of the film, as well as being book ended by bloody glory body horror elements at the beginning and end of the film. The editing in the film is nothing amazing but there is nothing really to criticise either, the edit gets the job done with good clear clean cuts and shots that clearly show what is happening during the film. However, credit should be given to the use of cross played with Cameron in bed as he hears voices as the editing here is good and makes for a surreal feeling in this scene.

In terms of special effects scanners is most known for the famous head explosion scene. This is still one of the greatest special effects ever put into a 70s horror film, bloody and over-the-top it cements scanners status as a classic in the genre. The film also features a good explosion showing that the film had a budget as well as good blood effects during the shooting scenes. The scene in which people spontaneously get set on fire due to the scanners is cheesy but still looks cool and showcases an interesting idea of the scanners having an inbuilt defence mechanism like an animal. During the scanning scene in the lab, the building explodes killing everyone as the payphone they were scanning the lab from explodes and by extension petrol station showcasing some good special effects work.

The music and sound effects are good as well. The opening to the film has a good dramatic operatic horror music score that perfectly sets the tone of the film. The high-pitched buzzing sounds when the scanners are in scan mode complemented by the weedy drone music showcases a good use of weird and unsettling sounds will do to highlight the central idea of the film. The film also showcases a clever idea of using voices laid on top of one another such as when multiple people coming to see Cameron strapped to a bed with a doctor next to him, as well as when one of the scans dies he tells Cameron information telepathically with scratches mixed in to the voice-over. The dramatic music is good however it can be a little overplayed throughout the film and can come off as over-the-top.

Finally there is the acting. Stephen Lack gives a good performance as the protagonist Cameron Vale, with his scanner ability to use telepathy and telekinesis he plays the character of weird and spaced out as throughout the film he gives the impression that he is slightly off from the goings-on at the film, which makes sense due to the fact that he is a mental patient. Jennifer O’Neill although giving a good performance as Kim does not really have much to do in the story as the other characters do result in a performance that is not bad but is not as fully formed as some of the other characters. Patrick Mcgoohan gives a good performance as Dr Paul Ruth, he has a cold and clinical demeanour that is not necessarily a villain as throughout the film he’s shown to care for Cameron to an extent and is also portrayed as somewhat unstable although not completely mad. However, Michael Ironside if someone steals the show giving a great performance as the film’s antagonist Darryl Revok, his character is cold, sinister, and calculating acting as a puppet master controlling everyone and everything throughout the film.

Overall Scanners is a good film. With a dark gloomy serious direction and tone, an interesting and intriguing narrative, decent cinematography and editing, an iconic spatial effect on the head explosion scene, a good dramatic operatic horror music score and solid acting from everyone especially Michael Ironside scanners might not be David Cronenberg’s best film but is still a solid film for anyone who loves a bit of 80s body horror.