Scanners (1980) - still blows my mind … kind of:

Scanners

Whenever I hear the subject of “guilty pleasures”, Scanners (1980) is one of the movies I immediately remember.

At the time I first watched Scanners, I’d already seen director David Cronenberg’s previous cinematic ventures into the “body horror” genre: Shivers, Rabid, and The Brood.

I wasn’t too impressed with any of those movies.

They had interesting concepts, but were flawed, and often hampered by wooden acting.

Scanners is no exception, sadly, but it still entertains me.

If I had to make up a category, I guess Flawed But Fun would fit.

Cronenberg’s remake of The Fly – I enjoyed. 

Videodrome, The Dead Zone, Dead Ringers, and eXistenZ – I loved.

Naked Lunch – I hated.

Eastern Promises and A History of Violence were both thought-provoking and gripping conventional thrillers, breaking away from his principal horror genre. 

I have yet to see his other works.

Scanners, released in the United States on January 14, 1981, is a mix of horror, science fiction, and espionage-thriller, with a James Bond-esque plot of world domination

The Scanners of the title are people with an invisible mutation: a form of telekinesis enabling them to link, control and even destroy humans and computers by the power of thought.

This is a fun movie to be enjoyed simply for what it is: fantasy.

Whenever I watch Scanners, I ignore the numerous plot holes and inconsistencies.

I wish I could ignore the lousy acting in particular … however, that’s simply impossible.

Stephen Lack, as great and jovial a guy as he is, in my movie-watching experience, gives the worst performance of a lead actor I have ever seen.

He acts as if he’s in a daze and says his lines in a droning monotone.

He’s so wooden; I felt I could have made a solid bookcase just out of his performance!

The man was cheated out of his Razzie Award!

I laugh every time I see and hear him deliver the line:

“The future! You murdered the future!”

On the plus side: this movie made me a fan of Michael Ironside.

He’s excellent as the villain, Revok, and his presence in a movie has always inspired me to view it.

Ironside, along with Patrick McGoohan, Jennifer O’Neill, and Lawrence Dane, all give good performances.

The special effects fall into the “good for the time” category, but even with no CGI at the time it was made, and a limited budget, Cronenberg still did a great job.

The vein and eyeball-popping final battle between the hero and villain will make you smile at how fake it all looks.

For all its faults and fall-shorts, there’s still a lot to enjoy in this movie, and no blog about Scanners would be complete without mentioning the landmark exploding head scene.

This effect alone makes Scanners a classic must–see … even if you do have to ignore the fact that there is not one spot of blood or gore on either Michael Ironside, or the table at which they were seated!

When I first saw Scanners, I knew very little about the story, so this scene had a similar surprise element of the head falling out of the hole in the bottom of the boat, in Jaws, or the shock ending of Carrie.

It was a long time before a making-of documentary revealed to me how they achieved the exploding head effect in Scanners: a latex life-cast was made of actor Louis Del Grande’s head:

The cast was fitted with a plaster support, filled with dog food, fake blood, rabbit liver, portions of burger, syrup, and sealed with wax.

After numerous failed attempts to produce a convincing effect, special effects artist, Gary Zeller, finally took a shotgun, positioned himself low behind the seated dummy, and blew its head off!

The resulting effect is … even now … mind blowing!

On this day in movie history - Killer Force (1976):

Killer Force

aka The Diamond Mercenaries,

directed by Val Guest,

written by Val Guest, Gerald Sanford and Michael Winder,

was released in the United States on January 14, 1976.
Music by Georges Garvarentz.

Cast:

Telly Savalas, Peter Fonda, Hugh O'Brian, Christopher Lee, O.J. Simpson, Maud Adams, Ian Yule, Michael Mayer, Victor Melleney, Richard Loring, Stuart Brown, Marina Christelis, Frank Shelley, Peter van Dissel, Cocky Tlhotlhalemaje, Ian Hamilton, Dale Cutts, Don McCorkindale, Marigold Russell, Frank Douglas, Kevin Basel, Stuart Parker, Albert Raphael, Russell Newman, Clive Scott, Robert Davies, David C. Anderson, Anthony Fridjhon, Giles Ridley.

Born on this day – Carl Weathers:

Carl Weathers

Actor

Director

Producer

Writer

January 14, 1948 – February 1, 2024

Credits:

18 Wheels of Justice (2000–2001); A Burger and a Bullet (2018); ABC / TTV Micro-Mini Series: Not Now, Kitty (2004); Action Jackson (1988); Actors and Athletes Against Gang Violence (2023); After the Wedding (2019); Alien Siege (2005); Always Night (2013); American Warships (2012); Arrested Development (2004–2013); Assault on Death Mountain (1999); Assault on Devil's Island (1997); Balto III: Wings of Change (2004); Barnaby Jones (1976); Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (2005); Braker (1985); Bronk (1975); Brothers (2009); Bucktown (1975); Cannon (1975); Catwoman: The Game (2004); Chadam (2010); Chicago Fire (2016–2017); Chicago Justice (2017); Chicago Med (2021–2023); Chicago P.D. (2016–2017); Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977); Colony (2016); Dangerous Passion (1990); Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (2017); Death Hunt (1981); Defrost: The Virtual Series (2019); Eight Crazy Nights (2002); Elevator Seeking (1999); ER (2008); Explosion Jones (2017); FBI (2022); For the People (2002); Force 10 from Navarone (1978); Fortune Dane (1986); Friday Foster (1975); Good Times (1975); Happy Gilmore (1996); Hawaii Five-0 (2019); Hurricane Smith (1992); In the Heat of the Night (1993–1995); James Brown: Living in America (1985); Johnny Staccato (1977); Kung Fu (1975); Law & Order (2022); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2018); Little Nicky (2000); Magnum Force (1973); Magnum P.I. (2018); McCloud (1976); Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction (2005); Mortal Kombat X (2015); Most Wanted (1976); OP Center (1995); Pensacola: Wings of Gold (1999–2000); Phoo Action (2008); Predator (1987); Psych (2010); Red Faction: Guerrilla (2009); Regular Show (2011–2013); Renegade (1995); Rocky (1976); Rocky II (1979); Rocky III (1982); Rocky IV (1985); S.W.A.T. (1975); Sasquatch Gang (2006); Saturday Night Live (1988); Semi-Tough (1977); Serpico (1976); Sheena (2001–2002); Sheriff Tom Vs. The Zombies (2013); Silk Stalkings (1993–1997); Star vs. the Forces of Evil (2017–2019); Starsky and Hutch (1976); Stranger Things (2017); Street Justice (1991–1993); Strong Medicine (2001); Switch (1975); Tales of the Unexpected (1977); The Artful Escape (2021); The Bermuda Depths (1978); The Comebacks (2007); The Defiant Ones (1986); The Four Deuces (1975); The Hostage Heart (1977); The Last O.G. (2021); The Mandalorian (2019–2023); The Pointer Sisters: He Turned Me Out (1988); The Shield (2003–2007); The Six Million Dollar Man (1975); The Streets of San Francisco (1977); The Sweet Spot (2003); Think Like a Man Too (2014); Tour of Duty (1989–1990); Toy Story 4 (2019); Toy Story of Terror (2013); Transformers: The Game (2007).

Born on this day – Sherri Townsend:

Sherri Townsend

Actress

January 14, 1947 – June 13, 2014

Credits:

Star Trek (1967); Billy Blackburn's Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories (2011).

Born on this day – Jack Jones:

Jack Jones

Singer

Actor

January 14, 1938 – October 23, 2024

Credits:

Albums:

A Jack Jones Christmas (1969); A Song for You (1972); A Time for Us (1969); Bewitched (1963); Bread Winners (1972); Call Me Irresponsible (1963); Canciones Romanticas (1967); Chase the Rainbows (1992); Christmas with Jack Jones (1973); Curtain Time (1968); Dear Heart (1965); Don't Stop Now (1980); Fire & Rain (1985); For the In Crowd (1965); Gift of Love (1962); Harbour (1974); I Am a Singer (1984); If You Ever Leave Me (1968); In Love (Capitol, 1964); In Person at the Sands Las Vegas (1970); I've Been Here All the Time (1980); I've Got a Lot of Livin' to Do! (1962); Jack Jones (1965); Jack Jones (1982); Jack Jones in Hollywood (1972); Jack Jones Paints a Tribute to Tony Bennett (1998); Jack Jones Sings (1966); Jack Jones Sings Michel Legrand (1971); L. A. Break Down (1969); Lady (1967); Live at the Sands (1993); Lollipops and Roses (1961); Love Story (1969); My Kind of Town (1965); New Jack Swing (1997); Nobody Does It Better (1979); Our Song (1967); Shall We Dance (1961); She Loves Me (1964); Songs of Love (1965); The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom (Soundtrack) (1968); The Full Life (1977); The Gershwin Album (1992); The Impossible Dream (1966); The Jack Jones Christmas Album (1964); The Mood Is Love (1993); The Wind Beneath My Wings (2002); There's Love & There's Love & There's Love (1965); This Love of Mine (1959); Together (1973); We'll Be Together Again (1966); What I Did for Love (1975); What the World Needs Now Is Love! (1968); Where Is Love? (1968); Where Love Has Gone (1964); White Christmas (1998); With One More Look at You (1977); Without Her (1967); Wives and Lovers (1963); Write Me a Love Song, Charlie (1975).

Songs:

Love Boat Theme; If I Stay Too Long; Lollipops and Roses; Making Time; A Day In The Life Of A Fool; Dear Heart; Love With the Proper Stranger; If You Go Away; The True Picture; I Can't Believe I'm Losing You; Live for Life; Lady; Oh, How Much I Love You; I've Got Your Number; What I Did for Love; If You Ever Leave Me; The Shadow of Your Smile; My Best Girl; She; Don't Give Your Love Away; Real Live Girl; Wives and Lovers; I Am a Singer; I´m Indestructible; Alfie; Painter Man; Nina Never Knew; Once Upon A Time; Now I Know; The Impossible Dream; I Wish You Love; All The Things You Are.

Movies and television:

20 to 1 (2010); 47th Annual Academy Awards (1975); A Ticklish Affair (1963); A Tribute to the Jukebox Award Winners (1980); A Very Special Occasion (1967); Airplane II: The Sequel (1982); All-Star Tribute to General Jimmy Doolittle (1986); American Bandstand (1958); American Hustle (2013); An Evening at the Improv (1991); Anzio (1968); Bacharach 74 (1974); Back to Black (2024); Bandstand (1964); Best of Las Vegas Awards (1980); Bob Hope at 100 / 100 Years of Hope and Humor (2003); Bob Hope's Overseas Christmas Tours: Around the World with the Troops - 1941-1972 (1980); Bobby (2006); Breakfast (2008); Buddy Faro (1998); Cannon and Ball (1982); Celebrity Party (1963); Code 3 (1957); Coins in the Fountain (1990); Condominium (1980); Cruise of the Gods (2002); Danny Thomas Special: Guys 'n' Geishas (1967); Daytime Live (1989); Dee Time (1969); Des O'Connor Tonight (1982–1985); Dinah! (1975–1976); Duplex (2003); Engelbert with the Young Generation (1972); Entertainment Express (1983); Entertainment Tonight (2007–2014); Feud (2017); Frankie Laine: An American Dreamer (2006); Funny Face (1971); General Electric Theater (1959); Get a Life (1990); Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast (2022); Good Morning, Vietnam (1987); Goodfellas (1990); Grace Kennedy (1982); Great Love Songs (1995); Great Performances (1987); Guest Night (1993); Happening for Lulu (1969); Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC (1988); Happy Birthday, Las Vegas (1977); Here's Hollywood (1962); Hey, Jeannie! (1956); Home & Family (2015); Horas doradas (1980); Howdy (1970); Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time (1992); Hullabaloo (1965); It's a Living (1987); It's Your Bet (1971–1973); Jack Jones on the Move (1966); Jackie Gleason: American Scene Magazine (1963); Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon (1970); Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon (1975–2007); Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters (1970); Jimmy Van Heusen: Swingin' With Frank & Bing (2014); Judy Garland Duets (2005); Juke Box Rhythm (1959); Just Men! (1983); Karen Kay (1986); Live from Her Majesty's (1983); Live with Kelly and Mark (1990); London Night Out (1980); Lou Rawls Parade of Stars (1985); Love with the Proper Stranger (1963); Mad Men (2008); Make Your Own Kind of Music! (1971); Match Game (1978–1979); Match Game PM (1979); McMillan & Wife (1977); Mindreaders (1979); Miss World 1985 (1985); Monsanto Night Presents Jack Jones (1974); Monsanto Night Presents Michel Legrand (1972); My Music: Songbook Standards - As Time Goes By (2015); Night Court (1990); Oh My Word (1965); Once More with Felix (1969); Over the Garden Wall (2014); Parkinson (1976); Parkinson in Australia (1981); Password (1964–1967); Password Plus (1980); Playboy After Dark (1970); Police Woman (1977); Reckless (1995); Rockette: A Holiday Tribute to Radio City Music Hall (1978); Sammy and Company (1976); Saturday Night Live (1995); Saturday Swings (2005); Sinatra 75: The Best Is Yet to Come (1990); Sings the Great American Songbook (2010); Slasher Serenade (2012); South of Wawa (1991); Stand Up and Cheer (1971); Stars for Israel (1967); Star's Table (1986); Strictly Come Dancing (2011); Super Password (1985–1988); Sweepstakes (1979); Swinging Spiketaculars (1960); Symphony of Horror (2023); Tattletales (1975); That Night (1992); The 23rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1971); The 33th Annual Thalians Ball (1988); The 34th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1977); The 37th Annual Academy Awards (1965); The 37th Annual Academy Awards (1965); The 8th Annual TV Land Awards (2010); The Andy Williams Show (1966); The Bell Telephone Hour (1964–1966); The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show (1992–2022); The Best on Record (1965 / 1968 / 1970 / 1970); The Big Record (1957); The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom (1968); The Bob Hope Comedy Special (1965); The Bob Hope Show (1964–1967); The Bob Hope Vietnam Christmas Show (1966); The Carol Burnett Show (1968–1970); The Carson Podcast (2021); The Celebrity Game (1965); The Comeback (1978); The David Frost Show (1969–1971); The Dean Martin Show (1965–1967); The Dick Cavett Show (1970); The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1961); The Ed Sullivan Show (1964–1971); The Engelbert Humperdinck Show (1970); The Garry Moore Show (1962); The Garry Moore Show (1962); The Glenn Miller Band Reunion (1989); The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1978); The Hollywood Palace (1965–1968); The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1970–1980); The Hollywood Squares (Syndication) (1978); The Jack Benny Program (1965); The Jack Jones Show (1974–1977); The Jackie Gleason Show (1967); The Jerry Lewis Show (1963 / 1968); The Jimmy Dean Show (1964–1965); The Joey Bishop Show (1964–1968); The John Davidson Show (1981); The Jonathan Winters Show (1968); The Judy Garland Show (1963–1964); The Juke Box Jury (1959); The Kraft Music Hall (1969); The Leslie Crowther Show (1971); The Linkletter Show (1963); The Little and Large Show (1985); The Lively Ones (1962); The Love Boat (1976–1985); The Mancini Generation (1973); The Merv Griffin Show (1965–1985); The Mike Douglas Show (1965–1980); The Morecambe & Wise Show (1971–1972); The New Hollywood Squares (1989); The New Steve Allen Show (1961); The Object Is (1964); The Palace (1979); The Pat Boone Show (1966); The Rat Patrol (1967); The Real Match Game Story: Behind the Blanks (2006); The Red Skelton Hour (1966–1969); The Roger Miller Show (1966); The Rolf Harris Show (1969–1970); The Royal Variety Performance (1972); The Royal Variety Performance 1982 (1982); The Russell Harty Show (1983); The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967); The Sound of Petula (1974); The Spike Jones Show (1960); The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (1958); The Steve Allen Show (1968); The Steve Lawrence Show (1965); The Talk (2013); The Talk of the Town (1969–1972); The Tommy Leonetti Show (1969–1970); The Toni Tennille Show (1980); The Tonight Show (1962); The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar (1962); The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar / The Jack Paar Program (1964); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1963–1991); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 24th Anniversary Special (1986); The Virginia Graham Show (1971); The World: Color It Happy (1967); They Sold a Million (1973); This Is Tom Jones (1970); This Is Your Life (1994); Today (1968); Vicki! (1993); What's Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A. (1964); What's My Line? (1965–1967); What's This Song? (1965); Where Love Has Gone (1964); Wogan (1991).

Born on this day – Claude Borelli:

Claude Borelli

Actress

January 14, 1934 – November 15, 1960

Credits:

The Gangsters (1957); Gestatten, mein Name ist Cox (1955); Le fil à la patte (1954); The Scheming Women (1954); This Man Is Dangerous (1953); When You Read This Letter (1953); La plus belle fille du monde (1951); Orpheus (1950); L'école des resquilleurs (1934); Jeanne (1934); L'éternelle chanson (1932).