What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedScanners
Film · 1981
If you loved Scanners, start with Psycho-Pass (2012) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Scanners across media.
If you loved Scanners, you are drawn to the terrifying intersection where corporate or government conspiracies collide with volatile, uncontrolled human evolution.
Books on the same thread
The Dead Zone
Stephen King · Book · 1979
Shares a thread with Scanners: Psychic Thriller.
Like Scanners, this story centers on a man burdened by extraordinary psychic abilities, exploring the heavy moral dilemma that arises when one possesses a power that influences global fate.
The Tommyknockers
Stephen King · Book · 2016
Shares a thread with Scanners: Mind Control.
This narrative mirrors the body horror and mind control found in Scanners, showing how the discovery of hidden, alien power sources can irrevocably corrupt and mutate an entire community.
The Stand
Stephen King · Book · 1980
Explores: Good vs Evil, Plague, Survival.
If the battle between opposing psychic factions in Scanners captivated you, this epic struggle between forces of good and evil offers the same high-stakes conflict on a grander scale.
Flowers for Algernon
Daniel Keyes · Book · 2004
Explores: Intelligence, Ethics of Science, Human Experimentation.
Much like the evolutionary mutations in Scanners, this story examines the ethics of scientific experimentation and the tragic, isolating identity crisis that follows a rapid, artificial expansion of consciousness.
Series on the same thread
Stranger Things
Ross Duffer · Series · 2016
Explores: Government Experiments, Telekinesis, Monsters.
This series captures the same tension found in Scanners, where government experiments on individuals with telekinetic abilities create a dangerous reality that the protagonists must struggle to uncover.
Psycho-Pass
Series · 2012
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Technological Determinism, Social Control.
The dystopian surveillance and rigid social control in this series serve as a sophisticated successor to the corporate conspiracy themes that define the world of Scanners.
Black Mirror
Charlie Brooker · Series · 2011
Shares a thread with Scanners: Dystopian Sci-Fi.
This anthology explores the dark, unintended consequences of technology and human innovation, reflecting the same existential dread and technological anxiety present throughout the events of Scanners.
Severance
Dan Erickson · Series · 2022
Shares a thread with Scanners: Corporate Conspiracy.
This workplace drama mirrors the corporate conspiracy and psychological manipulation seen in Scanners, focusing on how institutions use memory and mental control to strip individuals of their true selves.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Telepathy Tapes
Ky Dickens · Podcast · 2026
Explores: consciousness exploration, unexplained phenomena, human potential.
If the exploration of telepathy in Scanners intrigued you, this documentary-style podcast provides a grounded look at the potential of consciousness and the unexplained phenomena that push human boundaries.
The Magnus Archives
Podcast
Explores: Esoteric Research, The Weird, Paranormal Investigation.
The focus on esoteric research and the weird in this series mirrors the investigative tone of Scanners, as characters confront terrifying paranormal forces hidden within established, secretive organizational structures.
Common questions
Is Scanners about a man with telepathic abilities?
Yes, Scanners follows a man who possesses extraordinary and destructive telepathic powers. After being captured by a rogue corporation, he realizes he is not alone and discovers a group of individuals who share these specific mental capabilities.
What is the primary conflict in Scanners?
The central conflict in Scanners involves a battle between opposing groups of telepathic individuals. While some scanners intend to use their destructive powers to achieve world domination, others work to stop these efforts and prevent their plans from succeeding.
Are there other people with powers in Scanners?
Yes, the protagonist in Scanners is not the only person with these abilities. Upon being nabbed by agents from a mysterious corporation, he learns that there are other scanners in existence who possess these same strange and frighteningly destructive telepathic powers.
Does Scanners involve a rogue corporation?
Yes, the plot of Scanners begins when a man with telepathic abilities is captured by agents working for a mysterious rogue corporation. This organization plays a key role in the discovery of other individuals who possess similar powers throughout the film.