A new acting category in the Oscars should be the Best Scanners Acting Award, actors undertaking the challenge to either be the one who is scanning (using their mind to express psychic power) or who is being scanned (getting your mind overpowered by an invisible force). Both offer the chance for an actor to give full facial contortions, quivering and trembling, as if trying to pop a vein in your forehead: a true acting challenge as it looks simultaneously exhausting, painful and ridiculous. A David Cronenberg-less direct-to-video sequel, which looks great remastered for Blu-ray release, Scanners II: A New Order (1991) is about a hawkish police captain (Yvan Ponton) in Canada who kidnaps scanners so he can use their mind power to exert control, force criminals to confess or self-execute, and basically climb the ladder of political power. Into the fray is a nice guy (David Hewlett) moving from the country to the big city to become a vet, whose latent scanner talent has only been used to soothe upset animals (amazing scene). There were two key highlights in Scanners II that had me hooked: 1) the nice guy hero, a wispy type who reminded me of a young Peter Sarsgaard, unleashes his full force in the middle of a convenience store hold-up and provides a grotesque special effect explosion that blew me away; and 2) when he visits his girlfriend (Isabelle Mejias) in hospital and they ask about his power, he solemnly walks over to the window and a big sax solo drops on the soundtrack before he talks about his past (I’m sure the name of the instrumental would be ‘Lament Of A Scanner’). This scanner’s power is exploited by this fascist cop until he decides to fight back with the help of his long lost scanner sister (Deborah Raffin). This movie was a blast, particularly if you’re in the mood for vapourwave/normcore fashions and interior design, grotesque face-melting special effects and head explosions (naturally), and plenty of psychic warfare in the Canadian streets. Raoul Trujillo is memorable as the most cracked-out, sinister scanner foot-soldier. Directed by Christian Duguay who would also later make the Pierce Brosnan bomb thriller action flick I really enjoyed, Live Wire. Similarly this has some great energy, satisfying set pieces and flashy camera angles. Even ends with a closing credits rock power ballad called ‘Mind To Mind’. Available to stream on Shudder in Australia. Recommended.
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