Scanners (1981)

Scanners is a Canadian science fiction/horror film directed by David Cronenberg. It was produced by the Canadian Film Development Corporation and Victor Solnicki Productions and released theatrically on January 14th, 1981. It premiered in Canada on January 16th. Over the years, the film has developed a cult following and has spawned two sequels as well as two spin-off films called Scanner Cop.

Plot


The year is 1985, where Scanners are people with powerfully intense telepathic and telekinetic abilities. ConSec, a weaponry and security systems company, captures a homeless scanner named Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) at a shopping mall. Vale has been able to get by using his telepathy to make people eating near him allow him to partake of their meals. Vale psychically overhears two women talking negatively about him, when suddenly one of them begins to convulse. Without knowing he is responsible for this, Vale attracts the attention of two ConSec agents. He supposedly possesses tremendous scanner power, which ConSec wants to exploit, but he has become a derelict because he cannot cope with the overload of hearing others' thoughts. Meanwhile, ConSec's first Scanner was brutally murdered at a press conference by Scanner renegade Darryl Revok (Michael Ironside). Revok escapes, killing five people.

Doctor Paul Ruth (Patrick McGoohan), the head of ConSec's Scanner Section, decides to infiltrate the Scanner Underworld by "converting" Vale and sending him to find Revok. At the same time, a new head of security, Braedon Keller (Lawrence Dane), joins ConSec. Ruth tells Vale that scanners can suppress their telepathic powers by injecting themselves with the drug Ephemerol and sends him to find Revok. The only lead is Benjamin Pierce (Robert A. Silverman), an artist who tried to kill his family as a child.

After discovering Pierce's address in a gallery exhibiting his morbid sculptures, Vale goes to visit him and finds him living in isolation. Revok, intent on killing all Scanners unwilling to join his renegade faction, sends four assassins to dispatch Pierce. Pierce is shot and killed, and Vale flings the assassins into unconsciousness. As Pierce is dying, Vale scans his mind and obtains information on where to find other Scanners. Vale meets Kim Obrist (Jennifer O'Neill) and other Scanners who have adjusted to their powers by forming a mutual telepathic circle. The party is ambushed by Revok's assassins, who are killed by Obrist. All scanners but Vale and Obrist are killed trying to escape.

Vale infiltrates Revok's Ripe Program and finds out about a large quantity of Ephemerol being delivered. He and Kim go back to ConSec to inform Ruth. They find out that Keller is a traitor. Keller kills Ruth by Revok's orders. Vale and Obrist escape by scanning the ConSec guards. Vale then infiltrates the Ripe Program computers through a payphone. In a last attempt to kill Vale, Keller orders a group of computer scientists to make the program self-destruct as Vale is plugged into it. The plan backfires and the laboratory explodes, killing Keller. Vale and Kim visit Dr. Frane, who has been prescribing Ephemerol to pregnant women. Kim is shocked that an unborn baby has scanned her. As they leave his office, they are ambushed by Revok and shot with tranquilizer darts. When Vale wakes up, he is in Revok's office. Revok reveals that they are brothers and the sons of Dr Ruth, who has tested Ephemerol on their pregnant mother. Revok says all Scanners are the children of pregnant women who were prescribed Ephemerol and he plans to distribute Ephemerol and make an army of Scanners to take over the world. He invites Vale to join him but Vale refuses, saying that he is beginning to sound like Dr Ruth and that he could in some way be the "reincarnation" of Ruth. Vale picks up a paper weight and tries to hit Revok, and they engaged in a battle through mind control. Vale's body is ravaged terribly by Revok's attacks to the point of burning, but before his body is destroyed completely, Vale takes aim at Revok whose eyes turn white and as he screams the scene suddenly cuts to black.

Kim wakes up later and finds Vale's incinerated body on the floor. She psychically senses Vale's thoughts and calls out to him. She discovers Revok is cowering in a corner, hidden under Vale's jacket. He reveals that he now has Vale's blue eyes (and is missing the characteristic scar between the eyebrows) and utters the last words of the film, "We've won," in Vale's voice, revealing that Revok has become taken over by Vale.

Notes & Trivia

 * Production on Scanners began on October 30th, 1979 and concluded on December 23rd.


 * Scanners was released to Region 2 DVD by Arrow Film Distributors Ltd. on September 20th, 1999. It was released on Region 1 DVD on August 28th, 2001 by MGM/United Artists.


 * Victor Solnicki Productions also produced The Brood, Videodrome and the 2006 remake of Black Christmas.


 * Thomas Kovacs and Sam Stone are uncredited in this film. This was Sam Stone's first film role.


 * Patrick McGoohan and Sam Stone both appeared together in the 1998 sci-fi thriller .


 * The character of Kim Obrist was named after Claude Héroux's production assistant.


 * Both Neil Affleck and Thomas Kovacs played characters featured in the 1981 film My Bloody Valentine. Affleck played Axel Palmer and Kovacs played Mike Stavinski.