10 Weird And Creepy Moments In David Cronenberg Films

2. Exploding Heads

Without a doubt the most recognisable scene in Cronenberg's oeuvre, and probably one of the most widely-shared GIFs in the history of the internet, is the exploding head sequence in Scanners. In fact, it has become so ubiquitous that it now lacks the shock power that a blood-splattering head explosion really should continue to wield. It still gains a place high up on this list though. Partially because it generates an incredible combination of horror and hilarity the first time you see it, but mainly because of the fact that it really does show off Cronenberg's expertise with special effects. Even now, almost 35 years later and with great advances in CGI, it still looks impressive and remains utterly iconic. Perhaps its the fleshiness of the image, and the fact that the absence of digital animation renders it all the more "real". Either way, as far as cinematic images of exploding heads are concerned, it has never been bettered. That must count for something.