Scanners (1981) Review:

Director David Cronenberg may have started making himself known in the mid 1970s, but it wasn’t until the 1980s did his recognition finally take off. The first film to start that decade for him was this film. What people tend to remember the most was the explosion scene at the early start. Shocking yes and unexpected. However, to some unfamiliar with Cronenberg’s history, one would think perhaps things would only get more horrific. After all, Cronenberg had directed several of his own horror films before and of course would be best known for his remake of The Fly (1986) later on. That is not the case for this particular film though. Despite it having some gross moments as one would know what comes from Cronenberg, this genre is not exactly the same as the others.

As usual, Cronenberg is credited as writer and director for this feature. Making this story different from the others is its background. A company called ConSec is a weapon producer and is looking to harness the power of a specific type of individual called a Scanner. These beings have telepathic powers that allow them to control others minds. Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) a scanner is being sought out to hunt down and bring in another scanner named Darryl Revok (Michael Ironside) who’s killing innocent people and scanners alike. The man giving Cameron the orders is Dr. Paul Ruth (Patrick McGoohan), who also works for ConSec. However, so does Braedon Keller (Lawrence Dane) who feels Dr. Ruth’s studies are irrelevant and wants it discontinued. Now, it’s up to Vale to stop Revok with the help of Kim Orbist (Jennifer O’Neill).

The fact that Cronenberg wrote the screenplay completely different from his other stories which contain similar themes, it’s an eyebrow raiser. There are elements of grotesque horror, but nothing that is meant to be scary. The story takes on a much more scientific espionage approach. There’s twists to how the story plays out and it’s not all about the violence. In fact, there’s not a whole lot despite the explosion scene being the most remembered. Even if the cast does not contain well recognized actors, the performances themselves deserve credit. Of the actors involved Michael Ironside is probably the most recognizable and by far gives the best showing. Not only does he play an interesting antagonist but also a somewhat sympathetic one. Many people know Ironside from later films like Total Recall (1990), Highlander II: The Quickening (1991), Heavy Metal 2000 (2000) and even Terminator Salvation (2009).

Jennifer O'Neill as Kim is a looker for sure and develops her character when meeting Vale. Patrick McGoohan as Dr. Paul Ruth has some of the best dialog explaining much of what needs to be known about Scanners. McGoohan would later be in Braveheart (1995), The Phantom (1996) and even Treasure Planet (2002). Lawrence Dane as Keller plays to what some may see as an obvious character but still puts in good effort. Unfortunately, Keller seems to be the character who knows the least about what’s going on around him. Dane would later have roles in Of Unknown Origin (1983), Darkman II: The Return of Durant and Bride of Chucky (1998). Sadly, the one actor who seems the least experienced is Stephen Lack as Vale. While Lack can perform, his line delivery feels off and often robotic. It’s unclear as to whether that was how the character should have sounded,…but it is odd.

Visuals for the film were good. Special and practical effects all were handled well for whatever gory scenes were actually shown. Some of it even looks digital even though that’s highly unlikely for 1981. Behind the camera was Mark Irwin, the same cinematographer for The Blob (1988), RoboCop 2 (1990) and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994). Here though Irwin’s skill doesn’t feel as perfected, as the shots just aren’t that interesting to look at mostly. Lastly the musical score composed by Howard Shore is a uniquely memorable mix of clicking synthesizers and classic orchestra to bring out the ESP-like themes in the film. Another notable part is that the film does have a recurring motif for the story which will help viewers remember the music a lot better.

A film by David Cronenberg revolves around horror, but this is not that kind of film. The story here takes a different angle and making horror a lesser priority but not sacrificing characters either. The cinematography and the main lead felt like fine tuning was needed. Yet the music, effects and acting pick up the remainder of what falls short.

Points Earned --> 7:10