Scanners (1981)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

David Cronenberg

Writer:

David Cronenberg (written by)

Release Date:

14 January 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

There are 4 billion people on earth. 237 are Scanners. They have the most terrifying powers ever created... and they are winning.

Plot:

A scientist sends a man with extraordinary psychic powers to hunt others like him.

Plot Keywords:

Psychic | Psychic Power | Doctor | Burned Body | Exploding Eye

Awards:

3 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

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

Production Companies

• Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC)
• Filmplan
• Victor Solnicki Productions

Distributors

• AVCO Embassy Pictures (1981) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Video (1982) (USA) (VHS)
• Astral Films (1981) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Astral Video (????) (Canada) (VHS)
• Atlantic Film (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Ciné Paris Distribution (1981) (France) (theatrical)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (1983) (USA) (VHS)
• Future Film (1997) (Finland) (VHS)
• Future Film (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Nelson Entertainment (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Reserva Especial (Brazil) (VHS)
• Transcontinental Film (1982) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Transvídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Van Blad (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Vídeo Network (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Intrigue

Other Companies

• Canadian Casting Associates  casting: Toronto
• Film House, Toronto  mixing facilities
• Film Opticals  opticals
• Negbec Films  negative cutting
• Paratel  publicity

Also Known As:

Telepathy 2000
Kontrolori (Serbia) [sr]
Scanners (France) [fr]
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]

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC)

Trivia:

A very early treatment from 1976, entitled "Telepathy 2000" takes place in the future, begins with the protagonist (who is named Harley Quinn) telepathically raping a woman in a subway, and was set as a spy movie. In this version, a company called Cytodyne Amalgamate was breeding evil Scanners to take over the world and the U.S. Government was employing good Scanners to stop them.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Cameron Vale first visits Kim Obrist, before going up the stairs to meet her, some lighting equipment and the boom microphone is reflected in the glass door as it closes behind him.

Quotes:

Benjamin Pierce: My art... keeps me sane.
[gestures at plaster head]
Benjamin Pierce: Art.
[taps his temples]
Benjamin Pierce: Sane.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy (2004) (VG)

Probably one of the best sci-fi social commentaries of our time.

Well, were to begin?

First off, when I first saw Scanners, it really didn't do that much for me. Nowadays, I've learnt to view the film through more enlightened eyes, and appreciate it for the masterpiece that is most rightfully is.

Apart from the much-lauded 'exploding head' scene (which could have used a little more blood spattering everywhere) one of the film's most chilling scenes is at the very beginning when the lead character, Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) causes a woman to have a fit in a shopping mall before being captured by a pair of heavies. The scene was so convincingly played out that it really shock me up.

The more interesting aspect is the fact that most of these 'scanners'(or telepathic curiosities as the CEO of Consec calls them) are usually forced to live on the fringes of society as their telekinetic powers are feared and misunderstood by many. It would seem that the director, David Cronenberg, was using this plot device as a metaphor to comment on society's prejudicial attitudes towards the mentally ill. Like many of his low-budget horror films right up to 'The Fly' (1986) 'Scanners' has a very subversive, fly-on-the-wall take on society's ills. The modern society portrayed in 'Scanners' is a world viewed through the eyes of the outcast.

Throughout the film, there is a general feeling of starkness, from the synthesiser-tinged score by Howard Shore, to the general sparse look of the film. This gives the viewer a rather apt feeling of coldness and isolation.

Michael Ironside steals the show as the unhinged renegade scanner, Darryl Revok, who has a vast army of scanner converts at his disposal ready and willing to annihilate anyone unfortunate enough to stand in their way.

The only down side, however is the casting of Stephen Lack as Cameron Vale. Although he makes a fairly decent effort of playing his part, Lack just doesn't seem to have that much-needed 'spark' to bring his character to life.

All in all, 'Scanners' comes highly recommended as a 'must-see' feature.