Growing up in a solid Christian home, my parents kept us away from anything with an R rating. But now, as a discerning adult, I go back now and then to check out the classics that I missed in childhood.
One movie that I finally got around to watching for the first time yesterday, is Scanners. A sci-fi horror classic that had already become known to me by word of mouth for it's..."explosive" elements.
Even for the time in which it was made (1980), the acting was pretty bad. And unusually bad was the lead actor (who I don't think I've seen in anything since).
But the story was interesting and it had enough random weirdness now and then to make me think the odd acting was a stylistic choice at times.
The movie built suspense well with the high-pitched "scanning" sound effect building to a crescendo. And with the potential power of scanning shockingly established near the beginning of the movie, the suspense thereafter was only heightened by the fear of what might happen.
Some of the effects were bad. In one seen, it was pretty clear that a man was being shot WITH blood, rather than using blood-filled squibs to simulate gunshot wounds. But other effects were great and stood the test of time well, particularly one scene in which a person's head explodes and another near the end where veins begin pushing up below the skin and then erupting. Visceral, chilling stuff.
And you just have to love Michael Ironside. That's all there is to it.
A wiki indicates that a remake is in the works, which I would love to see. But if you're a sci-fi horror fan and haven't checked out this classic, see if you can find a copy to rent or borrow. It's a little slow for about 20 minutes in the middle and the acting by the lead can be pretty bad. But I think you'll want to be able to say you've seen this one.
Agreed, this is classic. So it as a wee lad, and have it on tape (yes, I still have my VHS tapes). Skip all of the various sequels/spin-offs (Scanner Cop?!?), but I would also be interested in a good remake.
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