# Scanners (1980)



## Dave (Mar 22, 2001)

Scanners (1980) 103 minutes.

http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0081455

Directed by David Cronenberg.

When I was studying I used to watch this during lunch in the student union. It seemed to be shown every day. I must have seen it about 50 times.

Starring Patrick McGoohan, Stephen Lack, Jennifer O'Neill, Lawrence Dane, Michael Ironside.

A drug given to pregnant women twenty years earlier,  has the side-effect of making the babies, now grown-up, telepathic 'scanners' able to lock at will into other people's nervous systems. The occasional result of this scanning is the blowing apart of the other people's heads. 

There are good scanners and bad scanners of course. And the real truth about the origin of the scanners and the drug company is unfolded.

Very low budget, but exciting, concentrates on the nastier elements.

Some less good sequels followed:
Scanners II: The New Order (1991) 
Scanners III: The Takeover (1992) 
Scanner Cop II (1995)
I haven't seen them all.


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## Tabitha (Jul 16, 2002)

Have you seen the latest news on scifiwire?  Hollywood yet again has said "stuff originality, let's remake something", and yes, you guessed it, this great Scifi classic is the latest to get the remake workup.



> Artisan To Remake Scanners
> 
> Artisan Pictures (The Blair Witch Project) will remake Scanners, the 1981 David Cronenberg SF movie, Variety reported. The original film told the story of a scientist who infiltrates an underground movement of people with telepathic abilities.
> 
> The remake will amp up Cronenberg's themes of paranoia and terrorism conspiracies, as well as special effects, the trade paper reported.




AARRRGGGHHH!

Actually I remember little about the original movie, I know for sure it freaked the bejesus out of me when I was about 6 or 7.  The only scenes that really stick out in my head are the obvious ones - the head exploding in particular.  I must have been a pretty gruesome kid as I remember watching that again and again and again, in slow motion once we had a vcr too 
I would like to see it again, I find Cronenburg a quite unsettling director, but in the way that you can't drag your eyes away.


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## Dave (Jul 16, 2002)

I was just about to post it here. It won't be as good even if they throw money at it, somehow the low budget was fitting to the story. The music could be improved though.


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## Dave (Feb 21, 2003)

It sounds like that remake has a green light, but David Cronenberg is pretty ambivalent to say the least.



> _from SCI FI Wire_
> 
> *Cronenberg Avoids Remakes*
> 
> ...



His next project is 'Painkillers' and to be based upon body mutilation. 
Painkillers


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## Dave (Jul 20, 2007)

Any news on this remake? I hope they don't do it, though I most probably will watch it if they do.

I just watched the original again. I bought the DVD. I love the story, but Stephen Lack's acting is not that great really. I know he is meant to be a little lost, and a poor tortured soul; but he only seems to have one expression. The music is still as dire as I remembered. Michael Ironside, Patrick McGoohan and Lawrence Dane are all well cast though, and really couldn't be replaced. Sometimes something is captured that cannot be captured again.


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## Pyan (Jul 21, 2007)

> 10 Seconds: The Pain Begins. 15 Seconds: You Can't Breathe. 20 Seconds: Your Head Explodes.


Superb!


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## unclejack (Jul 21, 2007)

I'm with Tabitha, I saw it as a kid and was freaked out by it too. I remember the head exploding parts. I seem to remember the scanners being able to control people's minds and make them do whatever they want too but I'm not too sure if I'm rememberin another movie or not. I just remember in one of the scanner movies some guy breakin into someone's house and making the guy shoot himself with a shotgun. Very freaky films.


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## Kostmayer (Jul 21, 2007)

The end battle was freaky too 

Patrick McGoohan is always good value.


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## Foxbat (Jul 21, 2007)

I also enjoyed this movie. The most memorable part for me was not a scene, but how well the incidental music helped ramp up the tension during crucial moments. Quite impressive for a low budget flick.

Well done to whoever wrote the score


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## j d worthington (Jul 21, 2007)

Foxbat said:


> I also enjoyed this movie. The most memorable part for me was not a scene, but how well the incidental music helped ramp up the tension during crucial moments. Quite impressive for a low budget flick.
> 
> Well done to whoever wrote the score


 
Mmmmm.... would you believe... Howard Shore???


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## Foxbat (Jul 21, 2007)

He of the score for LOTR?????

No wonder the Scanners score seemed a bit above par for a low budget flick


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## steve12553 (Jul 22, 2007)

Scanners was so very different than anything that had come out at that time that it really stood out. One of my favorites.


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## roddglenn (Jul 23, 2007)

It's a great film.  Cronenberg is a very good director and not afraid to really disturb his audience.  Michael Ironside is excellent as the baddie.

I'm with everyone else on a remake - don't.


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## Nesacat (Jul 23, 2007)

One of my favourite movies of that time. Still watch it every now and then. Didn't know Howard Shore had been responsible for the score. Thanks for the information JD.


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## ravenus (Jul 23, 2007)

Shore has done the score for most of Cronenberg's films, and there are several brilliant pieces of music there. He also did some great stuff for David Fincher's *Se7en*, Jonathan Demme's *Silence of The Lambs* and Tim Burton's *Ed Wood*. I personally was bored to tears by his *LOTR* score. But then I can imagine why the LOTR fans liked it: the book bored me to tears as well.


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## Dave (Jul 24, 2007)

I guess I'm on my own on not liking the music in Scanners then


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## Foxbat (Jul 24, 2007)

ravenus said:


> Shore has done the score for most of Cronenberg's films, and there are several brilliant pieces of music there. He also did some great stuff for David Fincher's *Se7en*, Jonathan Demme's *Silence of The Lambs* and Tim Burton's *Ed Wood*. I personally was bored to tears by his *LOTR* score. But then I can imagine why the LOTR fans liked it: the book bored me to tears as well.


 
I didn't know he did Ed Wood - still Burton's finest film in my humble opinion


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