10 Most Overrated '80s Horror Movies

10. Scanners

Scanners takes place in a world where certain people have developed telekinetic and telepathic powers. One of these psychics, Cameron, is hired by a military company to hunt and kill a dangerous Scanner called Revok who intends to take over the world.

Scanners is an important film because it helped launched David Cronenberg's career and popularised the body horror genre. Also, it goes without saying that it has the best "head explosion scene" in cinematic history.

But just because a movie is significant doesn't mean it's great. Don't get your writer wrong; scanners is very good, but has blatant flaws which its greatest defenders can't deny. Stephen Lack's performance is so woefully robotic as Cameron, it's hard to buy him as... well... a human being who is capable of expressing emotions.

On his travels, Cameron receives help from another scanner called Pierce, played by Robert Silverman. Silverman overpronounces every syllable to such a degree, it's like he's deliberately overacting to counter Lack's underacting. The rest of the actors are fine (and Michael Ironside is delightful as the scene-chewing villain), but these performances stop this pretty solid film from being excellent.