ScannersThere is an idea that the dependence on pharmaceuticals and predominance of drugs in our society is producing long-term ramifications beyond the short-term benefits, since the fundamental purpose of biochemical interaction is to alter the very way our body behaves. Even the word "pharmacology" is derived from classic Greek pharmakon, which means "poison". This premise is at the crux of David Cronenberg's Scanners, a terrifying look at telepathy--defined in the film as the "linking of two nervous systems separated by space"--and the "good versus evil" battle waging inbetween...although these waters become muddied quickly.
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David Cronenberg is regarded as a master (if not the master) of the grotesque, yet metaphor-driven, subgenre of film called "body horror", where through visceral transformation and alteration, a human becomes "post-human", a product of his environment and society, often very literally. Scanners is no exception to his oeuvre, where psychic spies take command of not only other people, but even go so far as to interface directly with a computer over a telephone line. This--like other works by Cronenberg--is particularly prophetic about our ever-continuing entrenchment in a world surrounded by wi-fi and vast arrays of networks of computers, and rekindles the argument that as technology continues to thrive, we too are becoming a technological species, a hybrid of human and machine. And, it should be noted, that this telling "hack" by our protagonist Cameron Vale (Steven Lack) comes a few years prior to William Gibson coining the word "cyberspace" in his celebrated cyberpunk novel, "Neuromancer". While Scanners hardly shies away from extreme violence--don't forget that the film is often remembered as the "movie with the exploding head"--the combination of organic and synthetic is in many ways more subtle in Scanners than in his other works, although the film culminates with one of the most jaw-droppingly intense telekinetic confrontations at the film's conclusion. When Cameron infiltrates a company run by his psionic/psychotic rival, Darryl Revok (Michael Ironside, in a monumental performance), he discovers the dark secret behind the drug that keeps his telepathy in check. "Ephemerol", the drug with the playful name (like so many these days) calms the minds of scanners--the name for those stricken with this kind of almost debilitating ability--and subdues their powers. Coincidentally, Cameron discovers this secret at a company with the name of "Biocarbon Amalgamate"--I have no doubt that Cronenberg's lips rose in a knowing smirk at the underlying interpretations rich in such a name, practically announcing the fusion of human and...something not quite human.
Scanners deals with powers that are borderline supernatural, but unlike many other fantasy or science fiction films, Cronenberg opts to play the setting and mannerisms of characters with almost austere believability. Whereas many other filmmakers when dealing with material that is strange or unusual present scenes with deep shadows and vivid lighting, the natural settings of malls, farmhouses, and even doctor's offices in the suburbs gives the film a harrowing sense of authenticity--as though these "freaks", as described by ConSec's head of security, Braedon Keller (Lawrence Dane), could very well walk among us, since all these places are so familiar, so very real and normal. Cameron begins his odyssey from social misfit derelict into amateur spy when he is "brought in" by Dr. Paul Ruth (Patrick McGoohan), who teaches and trains Cameron to control his power, with the intention to infiltrate and perhaps eliminate Revok. Although Cameron's luck is rather poor when it comes to keeping his contacts in good health, he does befriend a fellow scanner, Kim Obrist (Jennifer O'Neill), who wisely observes that they are "the dream, Revok is the nightmare". Where Ruth wants to create a world where scanners gifts are accepted and used for the betterment of mankind, Revok sees a world where "normals" are brought to their knees, and a scanner army should take control. (Makes you wonder if Cronenberg was a fan of Marvel Comics' "X-Men".) Scanners is scored by a Cronenberg-constant and personal favorite, Howard Shore, whose combination of intense strings and powerful percussion give the film a presence that devours its audience, roaring over the film like a primeval howl. Combined with the periodic injections of synthesized groans and persistent tones that resonate like raw feedback, the score imprints a cacophonic force which emulates the noise that reigns within the mind of Cameron and other scanners. But more than anything, what sticks with me the most about Scanners is how utterly haunting it is, how it seems so unreal, so dreamlike as it pulls together so many disparate--yet natural--elements to create a combination that is branded into my subconscious every time I see it. The chilling score accompanying the final confrontation is like ice down my spine, and I hesitate to close my eyes to sleep. To me, there is no other film that comes so close to a waking nightmare for me than Scanners, and that is why I find it so consistently compelling.
Recommended for: Fans of cerebral (ha) horror with intense scenes of psychic battles, copious amounts of mentally-generated explosions, and even some spy-versus-spy for good measure. Don't watch right before bed...or, rather, do watch before bed for best results.
Scanners deals with powers that are borderline supernatural, but unlike many other fantasy or science fiction films, Cronenberg opts to play the setting and mannerisms of characters with almost austere believability. Whereas many other filmmakers when dealing with material that is strange or unusual present scenes with deep shadows and vivid lighting, the natural settings of malls, farmhouses, and even doctor's offices in the suburbs gives the film a harrowing sense of authenticity--as though these "freaks", as described by ConSec's head of security, Braedon Keller (Lawrence Dane), could very well walk among us, since all these places are so familiar, so very real and normal. Cameron begins his odyssey from social misfit derelict into amateur spy when he is "brought in" by Dr. Paul Ruth (Patrick McGoohan), who teaches and trains Cameron to control his power, with the intention to infiltrate and perhaps eliminate Revok. Although Cameron's luck is rather poor when it comes to keeping his contacts in good health, he does befriend a fellow scanner, Kim Obrist (Jennifer O'Neill), who wisely observes that they are "the dream, Revok is the nightmare". Where Ruth wants to create a world where scanners gifts are accepted and used for the betterment of mankind, Revok sees a world where "normals" are brought to their knees, and a scanner army should take control. (Makes you wonder if Cronenberg was a fan of Marvel Comics' "X-Men".) Scanners is scored by a Cronenberg-constant and personal favorite, Howard Shore, whose combination of intense strings and powerful percussion give the film a presence that devours its audience, roaring over the film like a primeval howl. Combined with the periodic injections of synthesized groans and persistent tones that resonate like raw feedback, the score imprints a cacophonic force which emulates the noise that reigns within the mind of Cameron and other scanners. But more than anything, what sticks with me the most about Scanners is how utterly haunting it is, how it seems so unreal, so dreamlike as it pulls together so many disparate--yet natural--elements to create a combination that is branded into my subconscious every time I see it. The chilling score accompanying the final confrontation is like ice down my spine, and I hesitate to close my eyes to sleep. To me, there is no other film that comes so close to a waking nightmare for me than Scanners, and that is why I find it so consistently compelling.
Recommended for: Fans of cerebral (ha) horror with intense scenes of psychic battles, copious amounts of mentally-generated explosions, and even some spy-versus-spy for good measure. Don't watch right before bed...or, rather, do watch before bed for best results.