Introduction
Screamers is a 1995 Canadian-American science fiction horror film starring Peter Weller, Roy Dupuis, and Jennifer Rubin, and directed by Christian Duguay.
The screenplay, written by Dan O’Bannon with a rewrite by Miguel Tejada-Flores, is based on Philip K. Dick’s 1953 short story “Second Variety”, and addresses themes commonly found in that author’s work: societal conflict, confusion of reality and illusion, and machines turning upon their creators.
The film received generally negative response from critics at the time of its release.
A sequel Screamers: The Hunting, was released in 2009, to mixed reviews.
Outline
In the year 2078, the planet Sirius 6B, once a thriving mining hub, has been reduced to a toxic wasteland by a war between the mining company, known as the New Economic Bloc (NEB), and “The Alliance,” a group of former mining and science personnel. After miners discovered that their extraction of ore released toxic gasses, they went on strike, and the mining company hired mercenaries as strike breakers. Five years into the war, Alliance scientists created and deployed Autonomous Mobile Swords (AMS) – artificially intelligent self-replicating machines that hunt down and kill NEB soldiers on their own. They are nicknamed “screamers” because of a high-pitched noise they emit as they attack. Screamers track targets by their heartbeats, so Alliance soldiers wear “tabs” which broadcast a signal cancelling out the wearer’s heartbeat and rendering them “invisible” to the machines.
A fragile stalemate is in effect between the two exhausted, poorly supplied, and undermanned armies. The Alliance recovers a message from a dead NEB soldier, killed by screamers as he approached the Alliance compound, guaranteeing safe passage through NEB territory to discuss a truce. When Alliance commanding officer Joe Hendricksson (Weller) reports this development to his Earth-based superiors, he is told that peace negotiations are already underway on Earth; but Private “Ace” Jefferson (Andrew Lauer), newly arrived from Earth, says that is untrue. Hendricksson is not surprised; he has long suspected that both sides have simply written off Sirius 6B and abandoned their armies.
Hendricksson decides that the only realistic chance of survival for himself and his soldiers is to accept the NEB truce offer. He sets out for a meeting with the NEB commander, accompanied by Jefferson. While travelling through a destroyed city they come upon a war orphan, a young boy named David (Michael Caloz), clutching a teddy bear. Unwilling to abandon a defenceless civilian, they bring the boy along. The following night they are attacked by a reptilian screamer that they have never before encountered. Hendricksson is alarmed that their Alliance tabs did not protect them.
As the group nears the NEB compound, two enemy soldiers, Becker (Dupuis) and Ross (Charles Powell), open fire on David, whose chest explodes in a shower of gears, bolts, and wires. They explain to the astonished Alliance men that David was a new “type 3” screamer impersonating a human. Most of the NEB contingent has been wiped out by another “David” screamer that a patrol unwittingly brought into the base; Becker, Ross, and a black marketeer named Jessica (Rubin) are the only survivors.
The group heads to the NEB command centre but finds only an empty building and large pools of blood. Locating the mainframe computer, Hendricksson learns that the NEB truce offer was just as false as the Alliance message from Earth. The group retreats to the NEB bunker, pursued by “Davids”. The discovery that the screamers have “evolved” new versions on their own that are indistinguishable from humans, and immune to Alliance tabs, leads to paranoia and distrust. Becker becomes convinced that Ross is a screamer and kills him, only to discover that he was human. The three survivors retreat to the Alliance base, only to find that the “Davids” have gained entrance to that compound as well, with equally devastating results. As dozens of “Davids” pour out of the bunker’s entrance, Hendricksson fires a micro-nuclear missile into the bunker. Jefferson rushes to the aid of Becker, who was apparently injured in the blast, but Becker’s cries of distress are a ruse; he is a “type 2” screamer, and he kills Jefferson. After Hendricksson destroys Becker, only he and Jessica remain.
Now paranoid, Hendricksson worries that Jessica could be a screamer as well. He slashes her hand, and is relieved to see blood dripping from the wound. They locate an emergency escape shuttle and begin prepping it for launch, only for Becker (who was repaired and has taken Joe’s friend’s face) to attack Joe. In the struggle, Joe manages to finally kill Becker by throwing into a plasma laser that’s part of the shield grid for the escape shuttle. With the shuttle now prepped, they discover it can carry only one person. Hendricksson offers the shuttle to Jessica; but a second “Jessica” arrives, confirming that she is a screamer after all, and even more human-like. Hendricksson resigns himself to death; but to his surprise, Jessica shields him, then sacrifices herself in battle with her lookalike. Joe then kills the lookalike with the shuttle’s ignition test. With her last breath, Jessica confesses her love for Hendricksson.
Hendricksson departs for Earth on the escape shuttle with a single souvenir, the teddy bear carried by the original “David”. As the screen fades to black, the bear slowly begins to move on its own.
Cast
- Peter Weller as Commander Joseph A. Hendricksson.
- Jennifer Rubin as Jessica Hansen.
- Andrew Lauer as Ace Jefferson.
- Ron White as Chuck Elbarak.
- Charles Powell as Ross.
- Roy Dupuis as Becker.
- Michael Caloz as David.
- Liliana Komorowska as Landowska.
- Jason Cavalier as Leone.
- Leni Parker as Corporal McDonald.
- Bruce Boa as Secretary Green.
Trivia
- The film was made in Canada, with locations including a quarry in Quebec, in Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, as well as Joliette.
- The film earned about $5.7 million in the United States and Canada, on a $20 million budget.
- It was moderately popular in France, Japan, and the Netherlands. Worldwide box office was approximately $7 million.
Production & Filming Details
- Narrator(s): Henry Ramer.
- Director(s): Christen Duguay.
- Producer(s): Franco Battista and Tom Berry.
- Writer(s): Dan O’Bannon and Miguel Tejada-Flores.
- Music: Normand Corbeil.
- Cinematography: Rodney Gibbons.
- Editor(s): Yves Langlois.
- Production:
- Distributor(s): Triumph Films.
- Release Date: 18 September 1995 (Toronto International Film Festival) and 26 January 1996 (US).
- Running time: 108 minutes.
- Country: US and Canada.
- Language: English.
Video Link
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