- Directed By: David Cronenberg
- Cast: Jennifer O’Neill, Stephen Lack, Patrick McGoohan
All right. We’re gonna do this the scanner way. I’m gonna suck your brain dry! Everything you are is gonna become me. You’re gonna be with me Cameron, no matter what. After all, brothers should be close, don’t you think?
from the movie
“Scanners” is a sci-fi horror film directed by David Cronenberg. The film might not be the best of Cronenberg’s, but it is quite an entertaining one. Scanners are people who have a special telepathic power that can read and control other’s minds.
Cronenberg is famous for his body horror, and “Scanners” shows why he is so. The film is notorious for its special effects, notably the head explosion scene. This type of directing can be a mixed bag. Scenes with special effects attract the viewer’s attention and show the psychological status of the characters. But at the same time, they can be a distraction to the progress of the main plot.
The film’s power to entertain viewers comes from the ambiguity of the special power and the complex relationships of the characters. The telepathic ability makes you special, but nobody becomes a hero. Knowing other’s minds is not a gift but torture. Some body-horror scenes are disturbing, but there is a reason why the film becomes cult.
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