Part of Dead By Dawn Festival
Scanners still has a somewhat fearsome reputation among mainstream cinema goers. Forever known as “that exploding head film”, it’s a gory touchstone of horror cinema. And yes, that moment holds up very well thanks to the practical effects wizardry of Dick Smith. Fittingly however due its subject matter, Scanners is more cerebral than you might think.
Ostensibly a pulp sci-fi thriller about warring groups of psychic warriors, the essential silliness of the premise is elevated by Cronenberg’s typical preoccupation with weighty topics. The subtext of Scanners pulsates like a clogged vein with themes like the social alienation caused by mental illness, and the shadowy activities and avoidance of responsibility of big pharma companies (a drug given to pregnant women turns out to cause babies to be born as Scanners, eerily reminiscent of the scandal surrounding Chemie Grünenthal and Thalidomide).
The thematic weight is unfortunately not matched by the story itself. Writing on the hoof and at great speed to take advantage of generous Canadian funding, much of the dialogue is rather stilted and prone to great trenches of expositional scientific terminology. This isn’t helped by the blank presence of lead actor Stephen Lack, whose somnambulant performance could charitably be indicative of suppressed inner turmoil, but is more likely a distinct lack of talent. This becomes especially apparent when compared to Michael Ironside’s pyrotechnic performance as the film’s principle villain Darryl Revok.
Ironside is the film’s greatest asset beside the stellar effects work. Used sparingly, he lights up the film whenever he’s on screen. He has the same vulpine quality of Jack Nicholson, and his Magneto-esque back story is one of the few emotional beats of this chilly film. Despite his villainy, hes motivations are understandable.
Scanners is the first instance of Cronenberg’s interest in psychological disorders being demonstrated onscreen. His previous films dealt with physical, particularly venereal mutations. He would expand on these ideas to more successful effect a few years later in the masterful Dead Ringers. It hasn’t aged particularly well, although it’s worth revisiting for Ironside’s indelible performance and those wonderful Dick Smith effects.