A security firm called Con-Sec has discovered that there are people out there called scanners. Scanners are psychics with telepathy, mind-control, and telekinesis. Con-Sec is gathering up scanners so they can use them as weapons.
At a demonstration Con-Sec’s scanner asks for volunteers so he can show off his abilities. A man named Darryl Revok (Michael Ironside) volunteers but demonstrates that he is an even more powerful scanner and kills off Con-Sec’s scanner in a very memorable opening scene.
Dr. Paul Ruth (Patrick McGoohan) is the head of Con-Sec’s scanner division and he has discovered the Revok has started up his own scanner group to counter Con-Sec’s.
Dr. Ruth recruits a homeless man who is also a powerful scanner named Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) to train him to fight Revok by getting Vale to infiltrate Revok’s group. Assassination attempts on both sides soon lead to a big scanning showdown.
Directed by David Cronenberg Scanners is a fun intense thriller where people’s heads literally explode. Michael Ironside is excellent as Revok. The movie was successful enough that there was two sequels and two spin-offs. David Cronenberg had nothing to do with any of the sequels.
