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David Cronenberg (written by)
14 January 1981 (USA) more
There are 4 billion people on earth. 237 are Scanners. They have the most terrifying powers ever created... and they are winning. more
A scientist sends a man with extraordinary psychic powers to hunt others like him. full summary | full synopsis
3 wins & 9 nominations more
Win Val Kilmer & Cuba Gooding Jr. In ‘Hardwired’
(From Screen Rant. 26 October 2009, 8:19 PM, PDT)
Weekly DVD & Blu-Ray Chopping List 10/13/2009
(From Fangoria. 10 October 2009, 11:19 PM, PDT)
Another Cronenberg Classic Worth Seeing more (118 total)
| Jennifer O'Neill | ... | Kim Obrist | |
| Stephen Lack | ... | Cameron Vale | |
| Patrick McGoohan | ... | Dr. Paul Ruth | |
| Lawrence Dane | ... | Braedon Keller | |
| Michael Ironside | ... | Darryl Revok | |
| Robert A. Silverman | ... | Benjamin Pierce (as Robert Silverman) | |
| Lee Broker | ... | Security One | |
| Mavor Moore | ... | Trevellyan | |
| Adam Ludwig | ... | Arno Crostic | |
| Murray Cruchley | ... | Programmer 1 (as Lee Murray) | |
| Fred Doederlein | ... | Dieter Tautz | |
| Géza Kovács | ... | Killer in Record Store (as Geza Kovacs) | |
| Sonny Forbes | ... | Killer in Attic (as Sony Forbes) | |
| Jérôme Tiberghien | ... | Killer in Attic (as Jerome Tiberghien) | |
| Denis Lacroix | ... | Killer in Barn | |
| Elizabeth Mudry | ... | Killer in Barn | |
| Victor Désy | ... | Dr. Gatineau (as Victor Desy) | |
| Louis Del Grande | ... | First Scanner | |
| Anthony Sherwood | ... | Scanner in Attic (as Tony Sherwood) | |
| Ken Umland | ... | Scanner in Attic | |
| Anne Anglin | ... | Scanner in Attic | |
| Jock Brandis | ... | Scanner in Attic | |
| Jack Messinger | ... | Scanner at Door | |
| Victor Knight | ... | Dr. Frane | |
| Karen Fullerton | ... | Pregnant Girl | |
| Margaret Gadbois | ... | Woman in Mall | |
| Terrance P. Coady | ... | Security 1 Car Passenger (as Terry Coady) | |
| Steve Michaels | ... | Security 1 Car Driver | |
| Malcolm Nelthorpe | ... | Ray, Security 2 Car Driver | |
| Nicholas Kilbertus | ... | Security 2 Car Partner | |
| Don Buchsbaum | ... | Large Man in Mall | |
| Roland Nincheri | ... | Large Man in Mall | |
| Kimberly McKeever | ... | Hallucinating Guard | |
| Robert Boyd | ... | Hallucinating Guard | |
| Graham Batchelor | ... | Yoga Technician | |
| Dean Hagopian | ... | CONSEC Programmer 2 | |
| Alex Stevens | ... | CONSEC Programmer 3 | |
| Neil Affleck | ... | Medical Student in Mall | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Sam Stone | ... | Security Guard (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| David Cronenberg | |||
Writing credits(in alphabetical order) | ||
| David Cronenberg | written by | |
Produced by | |||
| Pierre David | .... | executive producer | |
| Claude Héroux | .... | producer (as Claude Heroux) | |
| Victor Solnicki | .... | executive producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Howard Shore | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Mark Irwin | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Ronald Sanders | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Carol Spier | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Delphine White | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Stephan Dupuis | .... | special makeup | |
| Brigitte McCaughry | .... | makeup artist | |
| Constant Natale | .... | hair stylist | |
| Tom Schwartz | .... | special makeup | |
| Dick Smith | .... | special makeup effects consultant | |
| Chris Walas | .... | special makeup | |
Production Management | |||
| Don Buchsbaum | .... | production manager | |
| Jean Savard | .... | unit manager | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Jim Kaufman | .... | first assistant director | |
| Anne Murphy | .... | third assistant director | |
| Michael Williams | .... | second assistant director (as Mike Williams) | |
Art Department | |||
| Alfred | .... | set designer | |
| Peter Borowski | .... | sculptor | |
| Jean Bourret | .... | property master | |
| Peter Bray | .... | set dresser | |
| Serge Bureau | .... | assistant set dresser | |
| Michel Comte | .... | assistant propsman | |
| Tom Coulter | .... | sculptor | |
| Peter Dowker | .... | sculptor | |
| Melanie Johnson | .... | assistant set dresser | |
| Barbara Jones | .... | assistant art director | |
| Michael Joy | .... | draughtsman | |
| Claude Simard | .... | construction supervisor | |
| Ernie Tomlinson | .... | assistant propsman | |
Sound Department | |||
| Charles Bowers | .... | sound editor | |
| Peter Burgess | .... | sound editing supervisor | |
| Terry Burke | .... | assistant sound editor | |
| Don Cohen | .... | sound | |
| Paul Coombe | .... | sound re-recordist | |
| Gary Daprato | .... | assistant sound editor | |
| Mike Hoogenboom | .... | sound re-recordist | |
| Peter Jermyn | .... | sound editor | |
| Bruce Nyznik | .... | sound editor | |
| Gabor Vadnay | .... | boom operator | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Don Berry | .... | special effects assistant | |
| Louis Craig | .... | special effects assistant | |
| Jacques Godbout | .... | special effects assistant | |
| Dennis Pike | .... | micro effects | |
| Gary Zeller | .... | special effects | |
Stunts | |||
| Alex Stevens | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Céline Fournier | .... | stunt woman (uncredited) | |
| Gary Hymes | .... | stunt performer (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Jock Brandis | .... | gaffer | |
| François Dupéré | .... | key grip (as Francois Dupere) | |
| Denis Fugere | .... | still photographer | |
| Maris H. Jansons | .... | grip (as Maris Jansons) | |
| Claude Langlois | .... | best boy | |
| Robin Miller | .... | first assistant camera | |
| Michel Périard | .... | grip (as Michel Periard) | |
| Lynn Rotin | .... | apprentice assistant camera | |
| Arshad Shaw | .... | electrician | |
| Gregory Villeneuve | .... | second assistant camera | |
Casting Department | |||
| Ginette D'Amico | .... | casting assistant | |
| Muriel Fournier | .... | casting assistant | |
| Daniel Hausmann | .... | casting: Montreal | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Fabienne April | .... | assistant dresser | |
| Renée April | .... | dresser | |
| Blanche-Danielle Boileau | .... | costume assistant (as Blanche Boileau) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Robert Boyd | .... | assistant editor | |
| Chris Hutton | .... | assistant editor | |
| Thomas Metzger | .... | color timer | |
| Bill Wiggins | .... | post-production coordinator | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Armand Thomas | .... | driver: action vehicles | |
| Charles Toupin | .... | driver captain | |
Other crew | |||
| Neil Bibby | .... | production assistant | |
| Victor Blazevic | .... | production assistant | |
| France Boudreau | .... | continuity | |
| Robert Boyd | .... | assistant: Mr. Cronenberg | |
| Christine Burt | .... | location manager | |
| Pierre David | .... | presenter | |
| Patrick Ferrerro | .... | production assistant | |
| Kay Gray | .... | unit publicist | |
| Nerses Kolanian | .... | production assistant | |
| Guy Landry | .... | production assistant | |
| Glendon Light | .... | production assistant | |
| Marilyn Majerczyk | .... | production assistant | |
| Serge Major | .... | production accountant | |
| Kim Obrist | .... | assistant: Mr. Heroux | |
| Danièle Rohrbach | .... | production coordinator (as Daniele Rohrbach) | |
| Nick Rose | .... | production assistant | |
| Victor Solnicki | .... | presenter | |
| Claire Veillet | .... | production assistant | |
Telepathy 2000
Kontrolori (Serbia) [sr]
Scanners (France) [fr]
Scanners - I nyhta tou tromou (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
Scanners - Ihre Gedanken können töten (West Germany) [de]
Scanners - Sua Mente Pode Destruir (Brazil) [pt]
Scanners - dödande tanke (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Scanners - tappava ajatus (Finland) [fi]
Scanners 1 - Sua Mente Pode Destruir (Brazil) (video title) [pt]
Scanners: Su solo pensamiento podía matar (Spain) [es]
Telekinesis (Mexico) [es]
more
103 min
Color (Eastmancolor)
1.85 : 1 more
Italy:VM14 | Finland:K-18 (original rating) (1981) | Portugal:M/16 | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2007) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Brazil:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:R | Canada:R | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Iceland:(Banned) | Norway:16 (cut) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R
The crash scene in the record store prominently features a float hanging from the ceiling for the RSO (Robert Stigwood Organization) record label, who paid for this placement. By the time the film was released, RSO had gone out of business. more
Revealing mistakes: At the very beginning of the final fight between Revok and Cameron, Cameron hits Revok in the head with a statue. When the camera cuts to Revok's face before the statue makes contact, there is already blood on Revok's face where the statue is about to hit. more
Woman in Mall:
[to her companion, as Cameron Vale approaches, staring at them] Don't look now but I think we're being
[sarcastically]
Woman in Mall:
picked up.
more
Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Horror of Party Beach (#9.17)" (1997) more
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After a renegade scanner named Revok (a mutant human with advanced mental powers) causes another man's head to explode, he is hunted by a second scanner hired by a semi-secret scientific organization. Meanwhile, other scanners are picked off one by one, and the hunter is left with great moral and existential questions -- where did he come from, what is his purpose and is there a right or wrong side in this human/mutant battle?
Director David Cronenberg can seemingly do no wrong. As I watch one film after another of his, I wait to find one that is the pock mark on the perfect career. Some of his films (such as "Rabid" or perhaps "Stereo") may be of less quality than others, but I have yet to find one that is outright bad. "Scanners", for the record, ranks among his best and has become a cultural staple.
You know you're a culturally important film when you're referenced by "Wayne's World". But seriously, this film is a science fiction story that -- like many science fiction stories -- holds some greater cultural and moral issues worth investigating.
The issue of racism is here. Like the recent "X-Men" movies, and many other films, the idea of someone who is different in a superficial way (scanners look like ordinary humans) and is rejected raises the point that we as a society need to accept those who are not like us. Racism stinks, whether it appear in its purest form (skin color) or through religion or other means. And that's what makes this film so clever: the main character is a hero, but yet he is the outcast -- in some ways we see him as being more human than those who would have him killed.
This also happens to be a film that focuses on one of Cronenberg's strong points: his love of science. Or perhaps science gone wrong, if you will. Does any other director really tackle this as effectively as Cronenberg? I don't think so. (Imagine what would happen if he started making a series of Philip K. Dick novels into films.)
I suppose I didn't really get into the film itself so much, but the beauty of the film is that what you take away from it if you view it critically is so much more than the plot or effects or lighting. Yes, you have a great cast (isn't Michael Ironside creepy?) and a head explodes. Yes, you have gun fights and mind control. Even a little bit of romance (but only just a pinch, nothing like a Goldblum-Davis connection in this one).
If you can't tell, I want you to see this movie. If you're the type of person I am, you'll find this movie so smooth and refreshing on your mental palette that the film ends before you've even realized it began -- the sign of a really great film (or a really short one, which this isn't). Give it a chance, you'll like it.