Science, psychic manipulation, and uncontrollable bodies combine in combustible ways specific to one man: Cronenberg.
A race of telepaths with the ability to “scan” other humans can read people’s thoughts, control their bodies, and even take over their consciousness. Most are harmless, but one “Scanner” is hellbent on building a psychic army to take over the world. [103 min; horror, sci-fi; English]
Preceded by the short film Another Rapid Event (Daniel Murphy, 2024, 8 min): Radiant energy beams down from the sun, enabling telegraph operators to communicate warbling, Earthly messages etched in tree rings.
“Scanners digs into ideas of private companies weaponizing everything they can get their hands on, less than ethical business practices of big pharmaceutical companies, and the kind of psychological tests by both sides during the height of the Cold War.” — Brent McKnight, The Last Thing I See
"The picture is a genre classic, a masterpiece in its own spooky way...a hard-edge, no-nonsense science fiction thriller." — Kenneth Duran, New West
"This relatively early work from Cronenberg shows all his signature stylistics in full bloom." — Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
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