SCANNERS

Canada, 1980, 103 minutes, Colour.
Jennifer O'Neill, Stephen Lack, Patrick Mc Goohan, Lawrence Dane, Michael Ironside.
Directed by David Cronenberg.

Scanners is science fiction horror from writer-director David Cronenberg. A Canadian, he made impact with a fairly repulsive but also engrossing horror thriller called Shivers (The Parasite Murders). It was a sexploitation horror thriller about a destructive parasite within human beings. He transferred this theme of parasites corroding human nature to more social issues in another thriller, Rabid. In his next film he added psychological theories to this basic theme of corrosive parasites in individuals and societies - The Brood. Here the Brood were projections of anger and fury from the psyche of individuals. These personified feelings could then wreak destruction on others. There is something of these elements in Scanners. However, the film is also influenced by Brian De Palma's Carrie and The Fury. Scanners have a power inside them which is potentially corrupting - but it has been given by exploitive scientists. They have the power to scan other humans and computers and absorb all this information into themselves. While they are a danger to themselves, they also have extraordinary power which could be used for business and military purposes as well as espionage. This is an interesting basis for a horror thriller and Cronenberg makes a great success of this film. There are some exploitive moments, e.g. an exploding head in the vein of de Palma's The Fury. There are also some sequences of gross human distortion in the vein of Ken Russell's Altered States. However, the film is ingenious and intelligent in its presentation of these themes and, as with Cronenberg's other films, highlights his particular genius and talent for communicating social horror nightmares.

1. The work of David Cronenberg in horror, science fiction? His observation of society, individuals, parasites? Individuals and society and their evil, capacity for destruction? illness and cure? The pessimism of corruption? His work as science fiction horror fables?

2. The technical qualities of the film: the use of ordinary and contemporary locations for a background of normal society, supermarket, factoriesf homes, hospitals? Yet their capacity for being able to be rendered sinister? The atmosphere of science fiction: medical, surveillance and technology, business corporations, chemical manufature? The special effects: the exploding head, the telekinetic incidents, explosions and deaths?The human transformations? The importance of the musical score, the electronic sounds? The atmosphere of the scanners and their interior feelings - noise, voices?

3. The basic science fiction idea - scanners and their physical constitution, psychology, capacity for scanning people and machines? Their sense of individuality and isolation? Personal isolation and agony? The use their power for good or for ill? The opening with Cameron at the supermarket and the ordinary situation of the staring lady, the sounds and voices, his controlling her and violent abuse of her? The pursuit? The incident with Darryl exploding the businessman during the demonstration? The elaboration of the idea for espionage and war? The irony of the scientist playing God, human experimentation with Frankenstein overtones - for babies born during the war and after the war? The continual anchoring of the science fiction and fantasy into plausible relationships with incidents? The science fiction horror with relevance to abuses in chemical development e.g. Thalidomide babies? The audience's introduction to the world of the scanners? Of scientific experimentation? Of surveillance? The relevance of the plot to the present? Anticipation grimly of the future?

5. Vale and his being taken? Tested? Experiments? The horror of his treatment? The film showing Darryl Revok? Dr. Ruth and his influence, use of Vale? Vale's agreement to act for Ruth in tracking down Revok? His skill in establishing contacts? The visit to the gallery and the ncounter with Kim, the visit to Pierce in his studio and witnessing his death? The scanner killing of the assailants? The seeking out of Kim and finding peace within the group and communication? The slaughter of the group and the kidnapping of himself and Kim? The chase through
the city streets? Scanning the assailant for information? Going in and contact with Ruth? His report to him and reaction to Kim's being interrogated? His response to Ruth's death? The escape with Kim? The phone call and the scanning of the computer? The explosive destruction of the computer and of Keller? The visit to the doctor, the discovery of the truth? The final confrontation with Revok Vale's discovery of his identity? His trying to cope with the truth? The battle of scanning wits with the physical consequences? His being absorbed by Revok? The pessimistic ending?

6. The introduction to Revok - his presence at the scanning demonstration, the exercise of his power and exploding the demonstrator? The infiltration of the organisation by Keller and his neetings with him? His building up an army of scanners? The background of the drug manufacture? The revelation of the truth to Vale? The intensity of the duel and his winning? (Or did Vale win, retaining the appearances of Revok?)

7. Dr. Ruth and his place in experimentation, his seeming to be a wise old man? The interviews with Vale and his using him? The gradual revelation of his madness, the torrmnts of his conscience? The sordid aspects of his story - his experimentation, sale of his plant? His knowing the identity of Vale and calling him in for use? His murder? The audience's condemnation of him and the unscrupulous scientist?

8. The portrait of the scanners themselves - Pierce and the long sequences showing his grotesque art? His death? The group and their sharing? The voices? Kim and her powers and her exercise of these, especially against Keller? Her being scanned by the foetus? Her being drugged and waking to discover the truth?

9. Kim as heroine - her work, encounter with Vale, agreeing to work with him against Revok? Her interview with Keller? Her presence at the exploding of the computer? The confrontation with the baby? Her future?

10. Keller as sinister spy? His authority, control, contacts with Revok? The betrayal and murder of Ruth? The encounter with Kim? His wanting to destroy the computer?

11. The vividness of the action sequences and the special effects? Their place within the progress of the plot?

12. The role of science fiction in contemporary entertainment? Horror and nightmares? The probing of a future world: what if...? This kind of film as intelligent fiction fable?