Scream

Name: Scream
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Crime
Released: December 20, 1996
Duration: 111 min
Rating: 65
Cast: Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich

1996

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 889 Ratings

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8.6

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8.6	Your Score
8.6	User Score Universal acclaim based on 889 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Dimension Films | Release Date: December 20, 1996 | R

Starring: Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich

Summary: After a series of mysterious deaths befalls their small town, an offbeat group of friends led by Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) become the target of a masked killer. As the body count begins to rise, Sydney and her friends find themselves contemplating the "Rules" of horror films as they find themselves living in a real-life one. [Miramax]

Director: Wes Craven

Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 111 min

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Critic Reviews

100

TNT RoughCut Spencer H. Abbott

Wes Craven continues to explore (and blur) the lines between reelity and reality with his latest, and perhaps best, cinematic slice of horror.

Kevin Thomas

It's sensational in both senses of the word: a bravura, provocative sendup of horror pictures that's also scary and gruesome yet too swift-moving to lapse into morbidity. Read full review

Richard Harrington

Deftly mixes irony, self-reference and wry social commentary with chills and blood spills. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Frank Lovece

Compared with most of what passes for scary movies these days, this is golden: It's not stupid, it's not wussy and it pulls off a couple of pretty nasty jolts. Read full review

Susan Wloszczyna

While Scream has its frights, it feels more like one of those solve-the-mystery jigsaw puzzles than a real movie. Read full review

Leonard Klady

Though the material is more intelligent than the norm and has an unusual third-act twist, it also employs some very clunky stereotypes. Read full review

Ann Hornaday

Indeed, Scream is better than the average slasher film, as its advertisers insist. And, indeed, it is probably Wes Craven's best film, as they also insist. But that is a little like saying the pimple on the left side of your nose is "better" than the pimple on the right side. Read full review

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User Reviews

MegWhiteley

Mar 2, 2012

An excellent film. The story of Scream is really good, with much scare moments, because is not the tipic slasher film of an assassin that kill all, is a great story. Scream is incredible.

93 of 97 users found this helpful934

Legible

Apr 18, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. (At around one hour and twenty-two minutes) The scene where the killer is sneaking up behind Randy (Jamie Kennedy) is the only one where the person in the costume is actually one of the actors rather than a stuntman. Skeet Ulrich specifically asked if he could wear the costume for one scene.… Expand

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

phoenix_prjct

Dec 10, 2022

Final Thoughts:

Scream is a horror movie about horror movies, making it very easy to come off as pretentious. Instead, it utilises its self-awareness in wickedly witty ways, cementing itself as a cult classic. For an in-depth look and more reviews, visit my site:Final Thoughts:

Scream is a horror movie about horror movies, making it very easy to come off as pretentious. Instead, it utilises its self-awareness in wickedly witty ways, cementing itself as a cult classic.

For an in-depth look and more reviews, visit my site: https://thephoenixprjct.com/scream-scream-1-in-depth-review/… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Mrman69

Jul 27, 2020

10 of 10 users found this helpful100

Horrorseeker

Aug 29, 2019

A new take on both slasher and comedy and also who did it you'll keep guessing and wondering until the end

7 of 7 users found this helpful70

mds03

Mar 3, 2013

It's a horror movie, comedy, drama, and thriller all rolled into one. Very smart and very original. It was really funny seeing the killer get beaten up by everyone he encountered.

1 of 16 users found this helpful115

lordelana

Jul 7, 2019

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. absolutely typical illogical and predictable horror movie. i completely don't understand how this film became a "classic" in genre. 0/10. if on metacritic was a raiting less 0 out of 10, i'd like to score it as NOTHING at all, because 0 is something for this **** anyway.… Expand

1 of 70 users found this helpful169

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50	#50 Best Movie of 1996
1	#1 Most Discussed Movie of 1996
4	#4 Most Shared Movie of 1996