Scanners

R

Released Jan 14, 1981

1 hr. 42 min.

Sci-Fi

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

List

68%

44 Reviews

Tomatometer

64%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Scanners are men and women born with incredible telepathic and telekinetic powers. There are many who exercise the benefits of their special gifts in a safe and judicious manner. However, there is a group of renegade scanners who plan to create a race that will rule the world.

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Critics Consensus

Scanners is a dark sci-fi story with special effects that'll make your head explode.

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shivercanada

Absolutely epic film and feel.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/17/24

Full Review

Alejandro E

Alloy of organic and psychological terror that reveals that the most sinister thing is inside our minds. Not a classic but quite useful for a weekend afternoon. And it gave a new meaning to "losing your mind."

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/03/24

Full Review

James M

This Movie was so believable in 1981. The Special effects were awesome. I highly recommend it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/09/24

Full Review

Alec B

With the exception of Michael Ironside, the cast doesn't quite have the chops to make the characters engaging in any way. Still Cronenberg's bizarre and often intriguing narrative shines through and who doesn't enjoy a gratuitous head explosion every now and then?

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/10/23

Full Review

David W

The concept is a difficult one to pull off in in an effective cinematic way, but the talents of David Cronenberg succeed in making an entertaining feature. The plot and storyline seemed a bit too constrained in scope for my liking. An internationally-significant issue is handled internally by insider organizations. Further exploration of the implications could have taken the plot to greater heights. But it was entertaining. I would only watch it again if there were nothing better to choose from.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/21/24

Full Review

Georgan G

3 & 1/4 stars. The idea behind the script was ingenious, The special were darned good for 1981. I think making it shorter would have helped.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/06/23

Full Review

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David Cronenberg

Director

Stephen Lack

Cameron Vale

Jennifer O'Neill

Kim Obrist

Patrick McGoohan

Doctor Paul Ruth

Lawrence Dane

Braedon Keller

Adam Ludwig

Arno Crostic

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Bruce McCabe

Boston Globe

Scanners, according to David Cronenberg's new film, are people who can control others with their thoughts...The idea has a certain cachet. But Scanners doesn't pay off on it.

Apr 28, 2018

Full Review

Keith Phipps

The Dissolve

The generous selection of bonus features includes vintage elements, like a trailer made up almost entirely of the exploding-head scene, a handful of radio spots, and a 1981 talk-show appearance in which Cronenberg discusses his work up to that point.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 14, 2014

Full Review

Nathan Lee

Film Comment Magazine

Scanners consolidates the ruling problematic of the Cronenberg project from the sex slugs of Shivers to the financial abstractions of Cosmopolis: what are the effects of signals on an organism?

Jul 7, 2014

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Anatomy of a Scream Podcast Network

Obviously the exploding head is iconic, but the rest of the film is nearly as messy. An on-the-fly script and paper thing characters hint at more intriguing ideas than what is actually seen on screen.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 21, 2023

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Cronenberg does deliver the goods; it's an efficient, intelligent sf thriller with the usual surplus of paranoid ideas.

Rated: B+

Dec 1, 2022

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…an unnerving and challenging work of nihilistic prescience…

Rated: 4/5

Sep 17, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Scanners are men and women born with incredible telepathic and telekinetic powers. There are many who exercise the benefits of their special gifts in a safe and judicious manner. However, there is a group of renegade scanners who plan to create a race that will rule the world.

Director: David Cronenberg
Executive Producer: Pierre David, Victor Solnicki
Screenwriter: David Cronenberg
Distributor: AVCO Embassy Pictures
Production Co: Filmplan
Rating: R
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 14, 1981, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 11, 2017
Sound Mix: Stereo, Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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