Critic Reviews

Scream (1996) Rank 4 Reviews

Expert Review Summary

Movie critics combined give Scream (1996) a score of 2.9538 out of 4

based on (39) reviews

Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating

Excellent

(12)

Very Good

(20)

Good

(5)

Fair

(2)

Poor

(0)

Reviews by Score:

DVD Talk (Jeremy Kleinman)

Simply stated, this a great film. Frightening and frighteningly self-aware, this film represents the best that the horror film has to offer, as well as a tremendous exposition of the patterns and themes prevalent in "slasher" films. It is quite violent ...read the complete Scream movie review at DVD Talk (Jeremy Kleinman)

IMDB.com

After the opening tension the film settles down into a group of teenagers stuck in a horror film (al a Halloween, Friday the 13th, etc.) and gives them satirically smart dialogue and a darkly comic surrounding in their High School. The group consists of ...read the complete Scream movie review at IMDB.com

Los Angeles Times (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 the complete Scream movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas)

LA Weekly (Paul Malcolm)

A meta-horror film that hilariously parodies the genre's clichés with smarts to spare. It's also the scariest f**king movie Craven has made since the first "A Nightmare on Elm ...read the complete Scream movie review at LA Weekly (Paul Malcolm)

The Onion (A.V. Club) (Keith Phipps)

Finely crafted, tense, scary thriller from start to finish. ...read the complete Scream movie review at The Onion (A.V. Club) (Keith Phipps)

Dallas Observer (Andy Klein)

Craven's other accomplishment here, besides resuscitating the genre, is the way he keeps things scary even when they're at their funniest. The grand finale, while thoroughly bloody and tense, has some genuinely hilarious shtick. ...read the complete Scream movie review at Dallas Observer (Andy Klein)

IMDB.com

Despite the gruesome conclusion that this scene eventually reaches, "Scream" is really more of a camp sendup than anything else. What makes it work better than most spoofs, and helps it to establish at least some amount of suspense, is that the script ...read the complete Scream movie review at IMDB.com

SF, Horror and Fantasy Film Review

Scream would have to be the singlemost influential horror film of the 1990s. It inspired a whole host of (mostly inferior) copycat teen horror films and created a new fad for the postmodern slasher film, where characters are constantly ironically ...read the complete Scream movie review at SF, Horror and Fantasy Film Review

Deep Focus (Bryant Frazer)

I once watched a film teacher suffer a meltdown after a classroom screening of The Last House on the Left. Last House was Wes Craven's debut feature, an exruciatingly graphic rape-revenge film shot almost documentary-style in 16mm, and something about ...read the complete Scream movie review at Deep Focus (Bryant Frazer)

Movie Gazette (Gary Panton)

Aaaaaarrrrgggghhhh!!! (That's supposed to represent a scream, in case you're ...read the complete Scream movie review at Movie Gazette (Gary Panton)

Media-Assault.com (Sean Caszatt)

Scream, the movie that revived a market for teen-slasher films while mocking them at the same time, has entered discount theaters. Of course, it will be released on video shortly, but I always prefer to see a movie in a theater when given a chance. For ...read the complete Scream movie review at Media-Assault.com (Sean Caszatt)

IMDB.com

The plot is a simple as any horror movie. A psychopath with a machete or a knife or some sharp weapon preys on the youth of a small, quiet, rural town. In this movie, someone takes their love of movies one step too far.The film bled talent, no pun ...read the complete Scream movie review at IMDB.com