Scanners

Box art for Scanners

See scanner for references to devices like image scanners.

Scanners is a 1981 Canadian sci-fi horror movie written and directed by David Cronenberg.

Plot Summary

Scanners are a group of people with telepathic and telekinetic abilities. ConSec, a corporation specialising in weaponry and security systems, is attempting to exploit their talents. At the start of the film ConSec's last scanner is murdered by renegade Darryl Revok (Michael Ironside) in a notorious scene, Revok makes the scanner's head explode. Revok is captured by ConSec staff but uses his powers to escape.

Cameron Vale is a drifter who can hear the thoughts of others. Dr Paul Ruth the head of ConSec's Scanner secion recruits Vale to infiltrate Revok's group.

The story is structured as a futuristic thriller, involving industrial espionage and intrigue, car chases, conspiracies and shoot-outs (including a gruesome scanner duel between Vale and Revok at the end). It was the nearest thing to a conventional sci-fi thriller Cronenberg had made to that point, lacking the sexual content of Shivers, Rabid or The Brood; and it was also his most profitable film until The Fly six years later.

Because of the oddities of Canada's film financing structures at the time, it was necessary to begin shooting with only two weeks' pre-production work, and before the screenplay had been completed. As a result, Cronenberg has said that Scanners was a nightmare to make.

Cast

(incomplete)

• Stephen Lack ...as Cameron Vale
• Michael Ironside ...as Darryl Revok
• Patrick McGoohan ...as Dr. Paul Ruth, psychopharmacist
• Jennifer O'Neill ...as Kim Obrist

Sequels

Scanners also has sequels, a series of spinoffs, and a remake, none of which involved Cronenberg:

Sequels

• Scanners II: The New Order (1991)
• Scanners III: The Takeover (1992)

Spinoffs

• Scanner Cop (1994)
• Scanner Cop II (1995)

Remake

• Scanners (2005 'In production')

External links

• Scanners at the Internet Movie Database
• Scanners II: The New Order at the Internet Movie Database
• Scanners III: The Takeover at the Internet Movie Database
• Scanner Cop at the Internet Movie Database
• Scanner Cop II at the Internet Movie Database
• Scanners (remake) at the Internet Movie Database