David Cronenberg is one of the most prolific, yet strangely under-rated directors ever to grace the big screen. With movies like the legendary “Videodrome” and the seminal remake of “The Fly”, Cronenberg has been met with critical praise but never box office success. The David Lynch-esque director who never quite reached the popularity of David lynch, Cronenberg pioneered his won style of horror, dubbed ‘Body Horror”, which focus’ on peoples natural fear of infection and bodily transformation. It’s in this vein that we get one of Cronenberg’s earliest films of this genre, “Scanners”.
“Scanners” is a 1981 Sci-Fi film starring Stephen Lack and Michael Ironside. You’ll probably remember Michael Ironside from the fantastic Schwarzenegger film “Total Recall”, where he played goon Richter. (“See you ate the party Richter!” Remember that line? When the guy’s arms got crushed? Yeah, that was him.) Scanners presents us with a world where people called Scanners who have a limited ability to “Scan” other people, a process which melds nervous systems. Scanners hear people thoughts while unfocused, but if their energy is focused one one specific person. The results can be explosive, literally.
Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) uses his Scanning ability.
Scanners suffers from a visual crisis. It doesn’t quite have the massive contrasting visuals that “The Brood”, Cronenberg’s previous film had, but it doesn’t have the seamless blending of reality and hallucinations that “Videodrome” had. What results is a film that that doesn’t focus on telling a story visually, but tries to use the visuals to reinforce a point. Cronenberg is usually wonderful in terms of his use of sets and colour, and in that sense, the film is definitely lacking in depth.
Fortunately, the films plot and thriller elements are more than enough to keep you interested for the entire film. The film is excellently constructed in a way that it never gives us the true definition of what a Scanner is, but we see the fear and hate that they inspire in people. By giving us just enough information on the scenario it creates, but not so much as to reveal everything, the film creates a great sensed of intrigue that draws the viewer in to the films world. I sensed that the film might have been trying to make a statement on minorities, but it’s subtle enough to slip under the radar on a first viewing. It’s things like this that give the film a palpable sense of mystery.
The films effects are legendary, and it still looks great after nearly 35 years. Make up artist Dick Smith (who worked on “The Exorcist”) provides special effects for the film, including the famous “Head-splosion” scene, which was referenced in “Wayne’s World”. The film is another great example (like i needed any more) of how practical effects look much better and more realistic than visual effects. The Blu-ray transfer for this film looks great, although the grain is painfully visible at some points, and the sound during sequences with more actions can be a little flat, but the multiple voices are all clear in this transfer, and the 5.1 audio is fairly good for a film this old.
Overall Verdict: Scanners is a great thriller, a great mystery, and a great Sci-Fi film. It can be a little confronting and gruesome at points, but if you’re willing to sit down and sink your time into it, “Scanners” is a film bursting with goodness.
