Julien Neaves, Sci Fi Head Writer
David Cronenberg’s 1981 Sci Fi horror flick Scanners remains a beloved cult classic. Its dark tale of warring telepaths mixed in with Cronenberg’s trademark body horror is as fresh today as it was 44 years ago. But less revered or even remembered are its two sequels, Scanners II: The New Order (1991) and Scanners III: The Takeover (1992), and the two spin-off films, Scanner Cop (1994) and Scanners: The Showdown aka Scanner Cop II (1995).
Are these four films worth checking out for fans of the original and/or lovers of 90s-era Sci Fi Horror flicks? Well…that depends on which entry we are talking about. With a mind-blowing SPOILER ALERT let’s dive in.
Scanners II: The New Order (1991)
My first Scanners film was actually the first sequel The New Order and I remember enjoying it as a young un back in the 90s. And it held up pretty decently when I rewatched it recently (unintentional rhyme there). Sure, it’s not on the same quality level as the original which came out a decade prior, but it is still a fun watch with likeable heroes and detestable villains.
David Hewlett, best known for playing Dr Rodney McKay in the Stargate franchise but who also appeared in cult horror flicks like Pin (1988) and Cube (1997), carries the film well as young veterinarian intern David Kellum who discovers he is a “scanner” with the power to read and control people’s minds. We also learn that he is the son of the scanner Cameron Vale and Kim Obrist from the first film, so we have a cool connection to the original. The lovely Deborah Raffin stars as David’s scanner sister Julie, and she has great chemistry onscreen with Hewlett. The super cool scene where the duo uses their powers to “see” through the eyes of a guard in the final act remained with me more three decades later.
And speaking of that guard, he gets his head exploded by sadistic scanner Peter Drak in a wonderfully creepy performance by Raoul Max Trujillo (Cowboys and Aliens, Riddick, True Blood, Lost Girl). The head explosion is not as well done as the iconic one in the first film, but it is serviceable. But the sequel does make its mark with the two scenes in the finale — David and a group of imprisoned scanners telepathically sucking the life out of a screaming Drak and David and Julie deforming the head of villainous Police Commander John Forrester (Yvan Ponton). Both sequences are entertaining displays of early 90s practical effects.
For fans of Scanners looking for more brain scanning and head exploding action, then The New Order will definitely scratch that cerebral itch. It is directed by Canadian filmmaker Christian Duguay (who also helmed 1995 Sci Fi Horror cult classic Screamers which I will be reviewing at some point) who does a commendable job of delivering a well-paced Sci Fi Horror flick.
Scanners II score: 6.5 out of 10
Scanners III: The Takeover (1992)
The second sequel The Takeover came out one year later and the drop in quality is so severe it is enough to give one a headache. Duguay returned to director this entry as well, but I don’t think even Steven Spielberg could have made this dumpster fire of a script work.
The film starts with Alex Monet (Steve Parrish), a Scanner, who accidentally kills his best friend whilst demonstrating his powers at a Christmas party. A real genius here. Haunted by his actions, he goes to a Thailand monastery in an attempt to learn how to control his powers. But while the ostensible star, you can forget about him as the film practically does for the first two acts. We quickly shift focus to his sister Helena (Liliana Komorowska) who goes from using experimental drug patch named EPH-3 (a variant of Scanner-creating drug Ephemerol) to treat migraines to a homicidal megalomaniac with an army of scanners trying to take over the world via television in about 60 seconds. It is as stupid as it sounds.
Komorowska’s acting is so stiff she could be mistaken for a corpse and the gratuitous nudity feels like a clumsy attempt to add some unnecessary sex appeal. And we spend so much time following Helena around killing people and hatching her comic book villain scheme that the movie quickly becomes a chore to watch. And because The Takeover does not bother to establish the relationship between Helena and Alex and takes FOREVER for him to return what is supposed to be an epic and emotional showdown between the siblings instead lands with all the emotional impact of a wet wipe. The movie is also the only entry that does not include the pulsating scanner sound effect, which makes no sense to me. But this is a movie that ends with Helena’s consciousness in a video camera, so not a lot of logical choices on display here.
This is easily the worst entry in the franchise and cannot even be enjoyed from an ironic so-bad-it’s-good perspective because it is just plain awful. If you see The Takeover showing, I recommend you take it off.
Scanners III Score: 2 out of 10
Scanner Cop (1994)
I had heard about the Scanner Cop subseries of films many years ago, but I never bothered to watch them. A spin-off about a scanner cop sounded like a lazy cash grab to me. But I was pleasantly surprised that the first film was a solid watch. It is the directorial debut of Pierre David, who produced the first three Scanners films and David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, so the director came in with some Sci Fi and Scanner cred.
The film follows the titular scanner cop Samuel Staziak (Daniel Quinn). When Sam was a baby his father, also a scanner, went crazy (he imagines little heads popping out of his head in a disturbing scene) and was shot dead by officer Pete Harrigan (Richard Grove). Pete adopts the dead man’s son, and we flash forward 15 years, and Sam is now a rookie cop, and Pete is head of the LAPD. Sam uses his powers to track down Dr Karl Glock (Richard Lynch) a psychiatrist and cult leader who brainwashes people to kill the police.
What makes Scanner Cop so effective is that it keeps things simple and does not try to be anything more than it is. Quinn is an engaging lead as the determined cop reluctant to use his powers and is easy to root for. And the late Lynch, who spent his career delivering villainous turn in several films and television shows, is in top form here as the despicable and vengeful Dr Glock. The finale where Sam scans a metal plate out of his head in an excruciating fashion was quite fun to watch.
The mix of the Scanner Sci Fi aspect and the police procedural format works well. It’s not high cinema and is not as entertaining as the first two films, but it gets the job done and is worth a watch.
Scanner Cop Score: 6 out of 10
Scanners: The Showdown (1995)
Shakespeare wrote that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. And Julien Neaves wrote that a poop by any other name would smell as stinky. And that unfortunately is the case with the Scanner Cop sequel, whether you call it Scanner Cop II, Scanner Cop II: Volkin’s Revenge or Scanners: The Showdown.
Quinn returns as scanner cop Sam and this time around he is battling renegade scanner Karl Volkin (Patrick Kilpatrick), who is building his power by siphoning off the power of other weaker Scanners. Sounds like a good time, right? It’s not.
Quinn puts in a good effort here, but the story is too weak to do much with. The introduction of Sam’s missing mother Rachel Staziak and Volkin targeting her should have added some emotional stakes, but the execution is shoddy. And I have enjoyed Kilpatrick in his villainous turns in films like The Toxic Avenger, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory and Eraser, as Volkin he just chews up way too much scenery and comes off more cartoonish than intimidating.
There are some decent gore effects on display here, but it was not enough to wade through the bland, forgettable story. I’m trying to recall elements of the film now and barely anything is coming to me. Easily a one and done. Scanner Cop II is not The Takeover bad, but it is not much better.
Scanner Cop II Score: 3.5 out of 10
In Conclusion
For you Scanners fans, I would recommend Scanners II and Scanner Cop but feel free to avoid Scanners III and Scanner Cop II unless you are a completionist like me.
And with three out of five films being quality watches, that’s not too bad for a cult classic Sci Fi franchise. And here’s hoping that Scanners gets to continue at some point on the big screen or even the small one.
So that’s my list. Which of these sequels/spin-offs is your favourite? And…my mind…is being…forced…to…post more…psychic Sci Fi horror…reviews…below!
Julien “Editor Jules” Neaves is a TARDIS-flying, Force-using Trekkie whose bedroom stories were by the Cryptkeeper, learned to be a superhero from Marvel, but dreams of being Batman. I love promoting Caribbean film (Cariwood), creating board games and I am an aspiring author. I say things like “13 flavours of awesome sauce”.