Wacky, campy mindf*ck from David Cronenberg about a race of people with telekinetic powers and the ominous powers that be that want to take advantage of them.Like a lot of Cronenberg's work, I couldn't always figure out when I was supposed to be laughing at or with this film. The premise isn't half bad, but the acting is atrocious, especially from Stephen Lack in the lead role. Jennifer O'Neill and Michael Ironside fare somewhat better, but not much. I can see why this film has a cult following, but it's also a reminder that cult films don't always achieve their cult status by being good.The gory makeup effects probably looked pretty state of the art in 1981.Grade: C

I remember watching this movie as a boy and found it again on youtube. This movie is funny and over the top with some interesting special effects. The story revolves around a man called Cameron Vale, a seemingly homeless man possessed by voices. In reality the voices are because he is a scanner. The movie also has another powerful scanner named Darryl Revik who in one scene makes a man's head explode using his scanner powers. Well Vale is recruited to hunt down and find Revik and this leads to a showdown between the two. There are twists and turns and this movie is just a joy to watch but if I had one big problem with the movie it is with the lead Stephen Lack has a complete lack of presence on camera and his acting is so bland and wooden I thought he was a homeless guy they hired off the corner. Compared to the nice performances by the alluring Jennifer O'Neill, Patrick McGoohan and the superb Micheal Ironside, Lack's lack of talent really shows. This movie was done by David Cronenberg who as usual delivers the goods.

I'm ashamed to say that I'm only now working my way through the Cronenberg "library" of horror. I'd seen The Fly, Videodrome and Naked Lunch in the past - and recently saw Videodrome again.Today, I saw Scanners for the first time. Yes, I've *always* known about that one scene - that's iconic.I have to say - and this is coming from a horror aficionado (I consider Carpenter's Thing, Jacob's Ladder, The Shining and The Changeling some of the best), Scanners is VERY VERY GOOD.It's got smart metaphors, subtle social criticism and great writing. I'm no fan at all of reboots - but I imagine this is an already very solid story that could be made even better by a remake. But ONLY if Cronenberg is in charge and keeps it's soul in the right place.If you're an intelligent horror buff, Scanners is a MUST SEE.Next for me... Probably The Brood or Shivers... :P

David Cronenberg is a uniquely stylish director that requires a certain taste to acquire before making judgments to review. There is no one film to start with Cronenberg as he is good at contrasting his horror elements but Scanners is a film of his that cannot be missed. Scanners is a fantastic concept centered around ordinary people with unordinary powers of telepathy. The two beginning scenes showcasing this horrific power are exhilarating and executed perfectly by Stephen Lack and Michael Ironside. In fact, one of these two scenes are considered one of the most iconic moments in horror cinema. Scanners is very original, creepy in nature, has an unpredictability aspect and has a solid script. The film does drag on at times towards the end but otherwise is an excellent movie.