Scanners is a 1981 Canadian science-fiction horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Stephen Lack, Jennifer O’Neill, Michael Ironside, and Patrick McGoohan. In the film, “scanners” are people with unusual telepathic and telekinetic powers. 

Yet, another film that was given a negative review by Roger Ebert and other film critics of the day before becoming the cult-classic it is today, thanks to grindhouse theaters and eventually the dawning of the home video industry.

Patrick McGoohan has recruited a rogue ‘SCANNER’ off the streets to lead a resistance against a dangerous Scanner (Michael Ironside) who is gathering up an underground militia of telephathic terrorists to wage war on ConSec. This sounds like some sort of storyline out of the Syndicate games or Shadowrun. There are twists and turns unraveling this mystery leading up to its final climax. The acting of McGoohan (famous for the classic TV series the Prisoner) and Ironside are stand-out performances. The practical effects including the infamous head exploding scene has been sampled and imitated in various mediums ever since. Scanners was you best example of how to film psychic battles in live action, right, with little money.

Keep your heads on straight and keep your finger on that Rewind Button.