Scanners III: The Takeover

Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar is screening Scanners III: The Takeover on Wednesday, September 16, as part of their Weird Wednesday series. It's the third installment in the franchise that started with David Cronenberg's original Scanners, and it's playing at 9:30 PM.

If you're coming from the first one, you know the premise: people with telekinetic powers who can tear things apart with their minds. By the third movie, the series has leaned into its weirder side. Morgan Hyde, writing for the Austin Chronicle, called it a "goofy time" and noted that by the third entry, the original is guaranteed to be goofy—though he added that the movie offers more than just that. It's exactly the kind of thing Weird Wednesday is built for: a late-night screening of a sequel that's gone off the rails.

As for the venue, South Lamar is the "mothership" of the Alamo chain and world-famous as the home of Fantastic Fest. It has nine screens seating 975 guests, with the usual in-screen food and drink service. A 2014 overhaul turned the surrounding complex from a rundown strip mall into upscale condos and restaurants, and every screen now runs a Sony 4K projector, though a 35mm setup is still available. The theater took home the Austin Chronicle Readers Poll Movie Theatre award in 2025.

If you want to make a night of it, the Highball Bar is right next door with seven themed karaoke rooms, and a Shake Shack is a short walk away. Scanners III: The Takeover starts at 9:30 PM on Wednesday, September 16, at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, 1120 S. Lamar Blvd.