About Scanners

Scanners is a 1981 Canadian science fiction horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg. The film follows Darryl Revok, a powerful scanner who is at war with a private military company, ConSec, that wants to exploit scanners’ telepathic abilities. He comes into conflict with a scanner of honestly good intent who seeks to stop his rampage.

Making / Production

The film was written and directed by David Cronenberg and produced by Claude Heroux. With a budget of just over 3 million dollars, the movie was filmed in Canada and marked one of the earlier works in Cronenberg's diverse portfolio.

Actors

• Stephen Lack as Cameron Vale - Played the protagonist, Vale, with a confused, brooding intensity that matched the character's dilemma.
• Michael Ironside as Darryl Revok - Unforgettable for his intense and villainous portrayal of Revok, the rogue scanner.
• Jennifer O'Neill as Kim Obrist - Commendable performance as Obrist, a scanner assisting Vale in his mission.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• An infamous head exploding scene took three days to shoot and utilised an elaborate dummy filled with dog food and rabbit livers.
• David Cronenberg has acknowledged that the film was written quickly and that the quality of the script was not up to his standards.
• The word "scanner" has entered the pop-culture lexicon, often used to refer to telepaths in various other media.

Music, Soundtrack

• The atmospheric, brooding soundtrack was orchestrated by Howard Shore, who has frequently collaborated with Cronenberg throughout their careers.
• Noteworthy tracks include 'Main Title', 'Vale Captured', and 'Scanner Duel'.

Quotes

• "We're going to do it the scanner way. I'm going to suck your brain dry!" - Darryl Revok
• "Ten seconds ago you didn't even exist. What are you worried about? Relax." - Dr. Paul Ruth