History Film / Scanners

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: Invoked - Pierce's art at first looks like this, but if you know he's a scanner, it all makes sense.

* YourHeadASplode: One of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_Lnz64vXB8 the most infamous examples]]; a particularly bitchin' KickTheDog moment for villain Darryl Revok. Made even more awesome when you know how they did it: nothing fancy at all -- just a fake head full of animal parts and a twelve gauge shotgun aimed at the back of its neck! [[AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle So now you know exactly what happens to a human head when hit point blank by a sawed-off shotgun...]][[note]]Tom Savini used the same technique for ''Film/DawnOfTheDead1978'' three years earlier.[[/note]]\\
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[[http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i212/Kerrah_photos/Exploding-head.gif Here's a gif.]] Warning: it's messy. [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/uncyclopedia/images/b/be/Daeh-gnidolpxE.gif And here's a gif of it in reverse!]]

* GilliganCut: After shutting down the computer, a technician says, "See, no fireworks." Immediately a console blows up in his face.

* SmokyGentlemensClub: Dr. Ruth is relaxing in a comfy leather chair in such an establishment when Vale calls him over the phone to report back to him.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: The scanner terrorists' leader is one of the most powerful scanners around. [[spoiler:This is because both he and the hero were the first products of Ephemerol.]]

* PlayingGertrude:
** Patrick [=McGoohan=]'s character Dr. Ruth was said to have founded a biochemical company in 1942. That would make him somewhat older than [=McGoohan=] who was only about 13 or 14 at that time. This is somewhat tempered, though, by [=McGoohan=] looking and sounding [[YoungerThanTheyLook older than he was]] at this point in his career.
** Michael Ironside also plays the older brother of Stephen Lack and is said to have about 4-5 years on him, despite the age difference between the actors actually being the reverse. This is made believable by Ironside's prematurely receding hairline.

* BlankWhiteEyes: After ''[[YourHeadAsplode that]]'' scene, this is perhaps the film's most famous scene. Vale uses the scanner power on Revok too much, and Revok's eyes turn blank white (as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqDmKeFc6Ns here]]). This scene also appears in the movie poster.

->''You are 35 years old, Mr. Vale. Why are you such a derelict? Such a piece of human junk? ''[dramatic pause]'' The answer's simple. You're a scanner, which you don't realize. And that has been the source of all your agony. But I will show you now that it can be a source of great power. ''

* BlankWhiteEyes: This is perhaps the film's most famous scene. Vale uses the scanner power on Revok too much, and Revok's eyes turn blank white (as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqDmKeFc6Ns here]]). This scene also appears in the movie poster.

* BlankWhiteEyes: Perhaps, this is the most famous film scene, Vale use the scanner power on Revok to much, Revok's eyes turns blank white (as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqDmKeFc6Ns here]]), also appears in the movie poster.

* NotSoDifferent: Early in the film, Dr. Ruth says that scanners have a potential to bring "a brilliance and a glory" to the world. Toward the end, Revok [[WeCanRuleTogether asks Cameron to help him]] create a "an empire so brilliant, so glorious, it'll be the envy of the world."

* SuddenlyShouting: Revok doesn't take Vale's NotSoDifferent accusation very well.

** Patrick [=McGoohan=]'s character Dr. Ruth was said to have founded a biochemical company in 1942. That would make him somewhat older than [=McGoohan=] who was only about 13 or 14 at that time. This is somewhat tempered, though, by [=McGoohan=] looking and sounding [[YoungerThanTheyLook older than he was]] at this point in his career (possibly attributed to his reputed alchoholism, he did not age well after his mid-late forties).

The drifter, Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack), is delivered into the custody of Dr. Paul Ruth (Patrick [=McGoohan=]), who informs him that he is a scanner. A scanner is a person born with a derangement of their brain, giving them {{telepathy}}. They can "scan" you. Unfortunately, this telepathy is very much of the BlessedWithSuck variety: most scanners can hear your thoughts, [[PowerIncontinence and can't block them out]]. They get {{Psychic Nosebleed}}s. They can alter your bodily functions. A particularly powerful one, like BigBad Darryl Revok (Creator/MichaelIronside) can [[YourHeadASplode blow up your head]].

A conference attendee evades arrest for [[YourHeadASplode blowing up the speaker's head]] (which, be honest, [[AllThereIsToKnowAboutTheCryingGame is the reason you know about this movie]]).

''Scanners'' is a 1981 sci-fi thriller by Creator/DavidCronenberg, full of the standard Cronenberg trademarks: brilliant special effects, a great Music/HowardShore score, constant unease, thematic focus on the battle between mind and body, and, of course, generous helpings of BodyHorror. By his own account (see ''Cronenberg on Cronenberg''), the movie was a nightmare to work on, however; due to the oddities of the Canadian film industry at the time, he only had a few weeks of pre-production before he had to start shooting without a finished script. His daily schedule consisted of waking up early in the morning to [[WritingByTheSeatOfYourPants write a few pages]], and then film that for the rest of the day, ''all of it completely out of order''. It's an impressive demonstration of Cronenberg's writing skills that the resulting story holds together as well as it does, and the film wound up being his breakout hit.

A conference attendee evades arrest for [[YourHeadASplode blowing up the speaker's head]] (which, be honest, [[AllThereIstoKnowAboutTheCryingGame is the reason you know about this movie]]).

The drifter, Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack), is delivered into the custody of Dr. Paul Ruth (Creator/PatrickMcGoohan), who informs him that he is a scanner. A scanner is a person born with a derangement of their brain, giving them {{telepathy}}. They can "scan" you. Unfortunately, this telepathy is very much of the BlessedWithSuck variety: most scanners can hear your thoughts, [[PowerIncontinence and can't block them out]]. They get {{Psychic Nosebleed}}s. They can alter your bodily functions. A particularly powerful one, like BigBad Darryl Revok (Creator/MichaelIronside) can [[YourHeadASplode blow up your head]].

'''''Scanners''''' is Creator/DavidCronenberg's 1981 sci-fi thriller outing, full of the standard Cronenberg trademarks: brilliant special effects, a great Music/HowardShore score, constant unease, the battle between mind and body, and of course, generous helpings of BodyHorror. By his own account (see ''Cronenberg on Cronenberg''), the movie was a nightmare to work on however: due to the oddities of the Canadian film industry at the time he only had a few weeks of pre-production before he had to start shooting without a finished script. His daily schedule consisted of waking up early in the morning to [[WritingByTheSeatOfYourPants write a few pages]], and then film that for the rest of the day, ''all of it completely out of order''. It's an impressive demonstration of Cronenberg's writing skills that the resulting story holds together as well as it does, and the film wound up being his breakout hit.

The drifter, Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack), is delivered into the custody of Dr. Paul Ruth ([[Series/ThePrisoner1967 Patrick McGoohan]]), who informs him that he is a scanner. A scanner is a person born with a derangement of their brain, giving them {{telepathy}}. They can "scan" you. Unfortunately, this telepathy is very much of the BlessedWithSuck variety: most scanners can hear your thoughts, [[PowerIncontinence and can't block them out]]. They get {{Psychic Nosebleed}}s. They can alter your bodily functions. A particularly powerful one, like BigBad Darryl Revok (Creator/MichaelIronside) can [[YourHeadASplode blow up your head]].

* BioPunk
* BizarreBabyBoom: The plot is about a wave o' babies ([[WaveOfBabies not literally]]) with BodyHorror-tastic psychic powers. Revok, one of the children of the original boom, is plotting to start a second one, and then create an army of evil scanners and TakeOverTheWorld. And he probably ''could'' do it. [[LeftHanging Maybe he does.]] [[WordOfGod Cronenberg says]] that [[CanonDiscontinuity the sequels aren't considered canonical]].

* CallingTheOldManOut: "That was Daddy."

* HeroicBSOD / VillainousBSOD: Some kinda BSOD, anyway, is suffered by Dr. Ruth. Which type depends on how ready you are to forgive him.

* MindRape: Repeatedly happens. The movie starts with the hero ''[[PowerIncontinence accidentally]]'' doing this to somebody.
** In the original screenplay, where he would be more of a VillainProtagonist, it wasn't going to be quite so accidental.

* PubertySuperpower: Averted altogether. [[FreudianExcuse Quite]] [[FetusTerrible creepily]].

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity

->''You are 35 years old, Mr. Vale. Why are you such a derelict? Such a piece of human junk? ''[DramaticPause]'' The answer's simple. You're a scanner, which you don't realize. And that has been the source of all your agony. But I will show you now that it can be a source of great power. ''