The infamous head-explosion scene. It was done far more simply than you might think: they made a model head, filled it with meaty bits, and then shot it point-blank with a shotgun.
Alright, we're gonna do this the scanner way. I'm gonna suck your brain dry! Everything you are is gonna become me. You're gonna be with me, Cameron, no matter what. After all, brothers should be close, don't you think?
The ease with which non-scanners can be manipulated into suicide or stricken with soul-tormenting mental imagery is fairly frightening, when you think about it.
The whole concept of the Scanners themselves is both Nightmare Fuel and Paranoia Fuel: telepathic humans created by medical side effects, few in number but terrifyingly powerful. They're bombarded by the thoughts of others, driving most of them insane. They can willingly access people's brains, but this causes discomfort and physical pain along with headaches or nosebleeds for the scanned subject. Revok is a pure psychopath who can mind control others, causing them to kill themselves and/or people around them. He can even blow their brains out by thinking it. At the same time, Vale accidentally scans a woman at the start of the film, causing her to experience a seizure - and he's the good guy! Not forgetting to mention that he's able to hack and destroy a computer by scanning it, miles away no less, using a public telephone box!
