The mind. They say it's the final frontier, but sometimes, it feels more like a loaded gun with a hair trigger. What happens when that power isn't just harnessed, but unleashed, corrupted by ambition until it twists the user into something monstrous? That chilling potential hangs heavy in the air, even if the execution sometimes stumbles into glorious early 90s excess. This isn't the gritty, visceral dread of David Cronenberg's original masterpiece; this is something different, something slicker, louder, and undeniably a product of its direct-to-video time. Welcome, scanners, to the takeover.
### From Introvert to Megalomaniac
Scanners III: The Takeover (sometimes known just as Scanner Force) arrived just a year after Scanners II: The New Order, both churned out back-to-back by director Christian Duguay. This rapid production cycle, designed for efficiency and budget, perhaps explains the feeling of déjà vu and the reliance on established tropes. The story centers on Helena Monet (Liliana Komorowska), a scanner living a relatively secluded life, plagued by debilitating psychic episodes. Her scientist father develops Eph-3, a supposed cure derived from the infamous Ephemerol. Initially, it seems to work wonders, suppressing her powers and allowing her a semblance of normalcy. But this is a Scanners movie. Predictably, the "cure" has side effects – unleashing Helena's powers exponentially and warping her personality into that of a ruthless, power-hungry tyrant aiming for world domination via… a children's television show? Okay, maybe the plot stretches credulity thin, even for a psychic thriller.
### Psychic Powers, 90s Style
Forget the iconic, genuinely disturbing head explosion from the 1981 original. Christian Duguay opts for a different flavour of psychic mayhem. Here, scanning manifests in more visually varied, if often less impactful, ways. We get telekinetic throws, mind control that forces victims into grotesque contortions (a scene involving a poor soul twisted into a human pretzel comes to mind), exploding electronics, and the occasional zap of psychic energy that looks suspiciously like stage lighting effects. Some of the practical effects still hold a certain charm – the physical twisting and warping achieved through makeup and prosthetics definitely felt squirm-inducing on a grainy VHS viewing late at night. Remember how convincing some of those body horrors seemed before CGI smoothed everything over? There's a tangible quality, even if it occasionally dips into the unintentionally comical. The ambition was clearly there, even if the budget ($4-5 million combined for II and III, a fraction of modern blockbusters) necessitated some creative, occasionally cheesy, solutions. The film certainly doesn't shy away from showcasing its effects, making them the primary draw.
### A Tale of Two Helenas
The film really hinges on the performance of Liliana Komorowska. She has the challenging task of portraying Helena both pre- and post-Eph-3 transformation. As the vulnerable, suffering Helena, she evokes genuine sympathy. But it's as the power-mad villain that she truly seems to relish the role, chewing the scenery with a delightful, almost cartoonish evil. Her shift is abrupt, lacking subtlety, but Komorowska commits fully, delivering lines about global conquest with a chilling (or perhaps slightly campy) conviction. Opposite her is Steve Parrish as Alex Monet, Helena's adopted brother and fellow scanner, tasked with stopping her rampage. Parrish plays the stoic hero adequately, fulfilling the necessary role of the protagonist trying to reason with, and ultimately fight, his corrupted sibling. Their psychic duels form the backbone of the action, escalating towards a predictable but effects-laden finale.
### Echoes in the Video Store Aisles
Watching Scanners III today is a specific kind of nostalgic trip. It lacks the philosophical depth and visceral horror of Cronenberg's original, and arguably the slightly grittier feel of its immediate predecessor, Scanners II. What it offers instead is a slice of early 90s direct-to-video sci-fi action. It’s slicker, faster-paced, and leans more heavily into superhero/supervillain dynamics than psychological horror. You can almost feel the texture of the clamshell case, the slightly lurid cover art promising psychic chaos. Did it deliver on that promise? Partially. It provided spectacle, albeit of a sometimes goofy variety. The rapid-fire production alongside Scanners II definitely shows; it feels less like a distinct vision and more like an efficient content delivery system for the burgeoning home video market. There's a certain charm to that efficiency now, a reminder of an era when sequels, even to cult classics, were often churned out quickly to capitalize on name recognition. It’s undeniably a lesser entry, but perhaps not entirely without merit for fans of the era’s particular brand of sci-fi schlock.
Rating: 4/10
Justification: While Liliana Komorowska gives an entertaining, over-the-top performance as the villainous Helena, Scanners III suffers from a derivative plot, a noticeable drop in quality from the original, and effects that, while sometimes ambitious for the budget, often veer into cheesy territory. The back-to-back production likely contributed to its rushed feel and lack of distinct identity beyond being "another Scanners sequel". It offers some fleeting B-movie fun and early 90s nostalgia, but ultimately feels like a significant step down, lacking the tension and innovation that made the first film a classic.
Final Thought: Scanners III: The Takeover is less a chilling exploration of psychic power and more a 90s action flick wrapped in a familiar franchise skin – a curious, slightly warped echo found lingering on the dusty shelves of VHS Heaven.