Sponsors
Browse Movies Alphabetically
Horror Movie Reviews
More Details...Price: $14.98 |
Title: Scanners (2001) |
|
Review of Scanners
- Welcome to the world of the Scannersa race of humans with telekinetic powers that can wreak havoc beyond your most dreaded nightmare. Writer/director David Cronenberg (The Fly, Naked Lunch) brings the terror closer than ever beforehe brings it right into your mind. Cronenberg is a modern-day horror master whose name fits in easily with the likes of King, Craven and Carpenter...and Scanners, with its spectacular and shockingly realistic special effects, is a startling masterpiece of the genre. When a rogue Scanner of unparalleled power (Michael Ironside) wages a bloody war against the normals, young empath Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) is recruited to trackhim down. But Vale is inexperiencedand a battle with another Scanner could mean a grisly death...or worse. Can Vale vanquish his insanely violent, power-mad adversary? Only one thing is certain: Scanners delivers the chills-down-your-spine, heart-in-your-throat, you-can't-watch-but-you-daren't-leave goods (Time)!
Description
- David Cronenberg's 1981 horror film is a darkly paranoid story of a homeless man (Stephen Lack) mistakenly believed to be insane, when in fact he can't turn off the sound of other people's thoughts in his telepathic mind. Helped by a doctor (Patrick McGoohan) and enlisted in a program of "scanners"--telepaths who also can will heads to explode--he becomes involved in a battle against nefarious forces. A number of critics consider this to be Cronenberg's first great film, and indeed it has a serious vision of destiny that rivals some of the important German expressionist works from the silent cinema. Lack is very good as the odd hero, and McGoohan is effectively eccentric and chilly as the scientist who saves him from the street, only to thrust him into a terrible struggle. --Tom Keogh
Amazon.com essential video
[ Back to Homepage | Back to Horror Movie Reviews Index ]
HellHorror.com not responsible for reviews/comments and they may be removed at any time.
Submit Comment
Login / Join/Register for a free account
Comments for Scanners
- Posted on 2008-02-22
One of Cronenberg's best
One of David Cronenberg's finest mashes of science fiction and pure horror, Scanners remains one of his most frightening and original films to date. Stephen Lack plays Cameron, a homeless vagrant who can hear other people's thoughts in his head. Soon enough, he is captured by mad scientist Dr. Ruth (The Prisoner's Patrick McGoohan) and learns that he is a "scanner": a human with vast, telekinetic powers that are literally mind blowing. When an even more powerful scanner (Michael Ironside) unhatches a plot for worldwide domination, Cameron goes hot on his trail, which leads to an inevitable, bloody showdown. Though not all elements of Scanners have aged particularly well, the film still holds up nicely almost thirty years later, and the special effects do for the most part as well, with the infamous "exploding head" scene ranking among one of the best effects sequences of the era and genre. Even though there were a whole series of vastly inferior sequels and spin-offs, David Cronenbergs' original Scanners is a masterpiece from one of the most brilliant minds to ever grace the science fiction and horror genres.
Score: 5
- Posted on 2007-12-14
A Classic
I still find this movie much creepier than many of the newer horror movies. A classic, well worth watching.
Score: 5 - Posted on 2007-11-29
A Few Good Scenes
I saw this movie when I was much younger and loved it back then. Now that I am older and watching the movie I did not find it as good as I remembered. A few good scenes of exploding heads and melting faces but over all not very exciting.
Score: 2
- Posted on 2007-11-22
Scanners
This movie has always been one of my favorites. The graphics at that time were good. If you enjoy horror films, you wont be disappointed for buying this movie.
Score: 5 - Posted on 2007-10-08
Not quite working for me...
This is another one of those movies that I wasn't really looking forward to watching but my boyfriend was very insistent that I see it. I know it's meant to be on of those "scary"/thinker/suspense movies but I ended up laughing through a good chunk of it. The acting was terrible but the music was semi-decent. I'll give it that much. Of course, I'm not an expert on this genre but Scanners just didn't click with me. The whole thing was just too predictible. The ending just added to the predictibility. If you want a classic stereotypical thinker movie, then feel free to watch it. Worst comes to worst, you laugh instead of quaking in your boots.
Score: 2