Scanners (1981)

[latehong]

Originally Posted by pino

Yeah, that was me. Screenshotcomparison.com seems to be down in general for the moment. The transfer of the Wicked-Vision is basically the Subkultur one, only a little less sharper due to less efficient compression. That's it. Overall package is great with some extras just created for this release.

I must say Wicked-Vision Media is really picking up steam with their awesome releases of The Monster Squad and TerrorVision.

Thanks a lot!

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Retroj23

The Criterion looks soft and just washed out.

It also has worse compression compared to the Subkultur disc, which is still the best release available.

[Surge92]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

It also has worse compression compared to the Subkultur disc, which is still the best release available.

I just snapped up the last copy DTM had of the Subkultur digipack. Phew!

[PriestWhiteLotus]

I just picked up the UK version. I bought before i found this thread. I based my purchase on the screenshots over at Dvdbeaver. I see people here are saying it's too bright. Lucky for me the brightness was down on my tv so it looked perfect.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by PriestWhiteLotus

I just picked up the UK version. I bought before i found this thread. I based my purchase on the screenshots over at Dvdbeaver. I see people here are saying it's too bright. Lucky for me the brightness was down on my tv so it looked perfect.

You want the DE Subkultur disc if you're looking for the best PQ.

[PriestWhiteLotus]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

You want the DE Subkultur disc if you're looking for the best PQ.

I remember reading about that version right after i bought mine. But i'm not too picky so i'll probably be happy with the UK version. I've spent too much money recently and not sure how much money that version would set me back. From what i can see, probably more than what i'm willing to pay unfortunately. If i get could cheaper i might consider it. $20 or less.

[Kingofkod]

Has anyone seen the version they have on hbomax right now? I'm wondering if it's the same as the Criterion?

[DePalma1984]

Originally Posted by Kingofkod

Has anyone seen the version they have on hbomax right now? I'm wondering if it's the same as the Criterion?

I did watch this on HBO streaming recently. Before the film it showed the Janus Films logo. I think that means it's the Criterion version, correct?

[DR Herbert West]

Originally Posted by DePalma1984

I think that means it's the Criterion version, correct?

Yep.

[CelestialAgent]

I wonder if a label might pick up the Scanner Cop films at some point?

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by CelestialAgent

I wonder if a label might pick up the Scanner Cop films at some point?

IIRC Shout wasn't happy with the Scanner sequels sales, so maybe that's why they didn't do it. This was forever ago though, and I'm not even sure who owns Scanner Cop. If it's Lionsgate that's a big negatory.

[DR Herbert West]

Originally Posted by CelestialAgent

I wonder if a label might pick up the Scanner Cop films at some point?

I wish.

[Kyle15]

The Subkultur release looks sold out everywhere I look. Is there a hidden source I can grab a copy from?

[Zombie Dude]

Anyone think there will be a 4k of this on the horizon?

[gbm82]

Originally Posted by DR Herbert West

I wish.

and UHDs just a few months later...

[DR Herbert West]

Originally Posted by gbm82

and UHDs just a few months later...

Sometimes it works.

[The Great Owl]

Revisiting this gem in preparation for the Vinegar Syndrome Scanner Cop flicks...



Scanners are among us. These outcasts, who are capable of telepathy and psychokinesis, exist in the fringes of society, burdened by the constant voices in their heads from being able to read the thoughts of those around them. One such person, Cameron Vale, played by Stephen Lack, is taken in by a military technology company, ConSec, and trained by Dr. Paul Ruth, played by Patrick McGoohan, to control his extraordinary abilities. Danger lies ahead for Vale, however, because he will soon cross paths with another scanner, Darryl Revok, played by Michael Ironside, who is using his powers for sinister means to pave the way for a superior race of mutants.

Four decades after its release, the 1981 Canadian sci-fi horror film, Scanners, written and directed by David Cronenberg, is still ubiquitously known in pop culture as “the exploding head movie”, and for good reason. The iconic scene in question, where Ironside's Revok infiltrates a ConSec meeting and murders an unfortunate speaker by using psychic powers to blow up the man's head, has lost none of its visceral shock value even after all of these years. This unforgettable moment of cinema, made possible by a lifelike latex cast of the head of actor Louis Del Grande, filled with fake blood, syrup, and random components, that was blown up at point blank from behind by a shotgun in front of a solid black screen, occurs just minutes into the narrative, but its impact reverberates for the remainder of the 103-minute run time, leaving audiences wary of what may come next.

Cronenberg's trademark brand of “body horror” had already made waves, thanks to the commercial success of his previous outings, namely Shivers (1975), Rabid (1977), and The Brood (1979), but Scanners pushed the envelope notably further with its exploration of the merging of technology and human physiology, a concept that would be revisited again in the director's next picture, Videodrome (1983). Its plot developments, thematically linked to Cronenberg's first feature-length effort, Stereo (Tile 3B of a CAEE Educational Mosaic), a student film about parapsychology, are sugarcoated with a wildly fun afternoon matinee aesthetic, coming across like an X-Men version of the Biblical Cain and Abel tale, with our two lead characters, Vale and Revok, battling in a fiery showdown.

This movie first registered on my own radar by way of its 1981 television trailer that was inexplicably shown during commercial breaks for Saturday morning cartoons when I was nine years old. That ad did not explicitly show the fate of Louis Del Grande's character, but the way that it counted down to a loud crescendo, with the tagline, “Their thoughts can kill you!”, captured my childhood imagination. When I did see finally see it years later, in all its R-rated glory, I was overjoyed to discover that it is just as riveting as its advertisements had promised. These days, it still, pardon the expression, blows my mind.

[dylrichard02]

Originally Posted by Zombie Dude

Anyone think there will be a 4k of this on the horizon?

I hope there is! Maybe from Koch Media at some point since they had it at some point, but even more likely would be one from Second Sight I would think. I'd really like to see this get one. I don't think we'll get one in the US though, at least for now.

[Zombie Dude]

Originally Posted by dylrichard02

I hope there is! Maybe from Koch Media at some point since they had it at some point, but even more likely would be one from Second Sight I would think. I'd really like to see this get one. I don't think we'll get one in the US though, at least for now.

I forgot Second Sight likely still has the UK rights to this. That would be awesome if they did the 4k. Hopefully it's on the cards.

[panasonicst60]

Is the Subkultur region free? If it is, where's the best place to purchase it?