''Scanners: The Showdown'' (also known as ''Scanner Cop II'') is a 1995 American science fiction film directed by Steve Barnett. It is the sequel to ''

Scanner Cop ''Scanner Cop'' is a 1994 Canadian science fiction action horror film. It is the fourth film in the ''Scanners'' series and the first film in the ''Scanner Cop'' series. It was written, produced, and directed by Pierre David. Daniel Quinn stars ...

'' and the fifth film in the ''

Scanners ''Scanners'' is a 1981 Canadian science fiction horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Stephen Lack, Jennifer O'Neill, Michael Ironside, and Patrick McGoohan. In the film, "scanners" are psychics with unusual telepathic ...

'' series.

Daniel Quinn Daniel Clarence Quinn (October 11, 1935 – February 17, 2018) was an American author (primarily, novelist and fabulist), cultural critic, and publisher of educational texts, best known for his novel ''Ishmael'', which won the Turner Tomorrow ...

returns as a psychic police officer who searches for a serial killer who targets other psychics.

Plot

Sam Staziak, a Los Angeles police officer who happens to be a Scanner (a person with extraordinary telepathic and telekinetic power), tracks a renegade Scanner, Karl Volkin. Volkin, a recent escapee of a mental hospital, is building his power by siphoning off the power of other weaker Scanners. After Staziak puts Volkin in prison, as well as killing Volkin’s brother after they broke into a home, Volkin swears to take the power out of Staziak, as well as killing him in revenge. During an investigation into the deaths of a number of Scanners, Staziak realizes who is committing the atrocities, thanks to a sketch given to Staziak by his friend, Carrie Goodart, who has just survived an attack by Volkin. Being a Scanner herself, Goodart was looking for Staziak’s mother, Rachel Staziak, when Volkin broke into the institute where she was working, which provoked her to try scanning him. Unfortunately, it was a futile effort, as she took Ephemerol regularly – a drug created in the 1940s to ease pregnancy pain and discomfort. Its main side effect, however, was that it created Scanners. Scanners could take the drug as a suppressant, which would prevent a Scanner from going insane, while also dampening their power. Volkin scanned her in retaliation, forcing her to end her own scan. He uses his powers to connect with the institution’s computer to look up the location of any known Scanners in the area. While hunting Scanners, Volkin decides to kill Staziak’s mother, knowing it would cause Staziak a great deal of psychological pain. However, before he could, she jumps off of her porch, ending her own life. Upon hearing the news of his mother’s death, Staziak is devastated, and decides to take care of Volkin, once and for all. The two meet in a warehouse, and after a long battle of mind power, Staziak takes the upper hand and causes Volkin’s head to explode.

Cast

as Samuel Staziak *

Patrick Kilpatrick Patrick Kilpatrick (born August 20, 1949), is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, journalist, international entertainment speaker and teacher. He has appeared in over 180 films and television series. Kilpatrick ran for Governor ...

as Karl Volkin *

Khrystyne Haje Khrystyne Kamil Haje ( ; born December 21, 1968) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Simone Foster in the sitcom series '' Head of the Class''. After the series ended in 1991, she continued acting in both television and films. H ...

as Carrie Goodart * Stephen Mendel as Detective Jim Mullins *

Barbara Tarbuck Barbara Tarbuck (January 15, 1942 – December 26, 2016) was an American film, television, and stage actress from Detroit, Michigan, best known for her recurring role as Lady Jane Jacks on '' General Hospital''. Biography Tarbuck was born in D ...

as Rachel Staziak * Steve Wilcox as Craig Volkin * Allan Kolman as Tom Walton * Robert Knott as Deputy Henry * Tony Fasce as Pickpocket Jones *Evan MacKenzie as J.J.

Release

The film was released on VHS by

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

in May 1995. A DVD has been released in Canada with its predecessor. The film along with its predecessor, was released on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray from

Vinegar Syndrome Cellulose acetate film, or safety film, is used in photography as a base material for photographic emulsions. It was introduced in the early 20th century by film manufacturers and intended as a safe film base replacement for unstable and highly ...

in a double feature set on May 28, 2021.

Reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program TV listings, listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine, TV Guide Mag ...

'' rated the film 2/5 stars and called it "entertaining exploitation fare", though the review criticized the emphasis put on gory special effects. Writing for ''

Bloody Disgusting Bloody Disgusting is an American multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news site/website specializing in information services that covered various horror medias, including: film, television, video games, comics, and music ...

'', Daniel Baldwin wrote that it is not as good as ''Scanner Cop'' but is still entertaining for its gore and performances.

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of f ...

's capsule review calls it an "effective, entertaining sequel".

References

External links