Critic Reviews

Scream (1996) Rank 5 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:

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

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)

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)

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)

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)

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

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

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

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)

group29 Expectation Review

Wes Craven is back. But is it any good? He cannot seem to shake Freddy's shadow. I'm giving it a high expectation because he has seem to have pooled together a great idea. Although it seems to be making fun of horror films, expect the same - girls with ...read the complete Scream movie review at group29 Expectation Review

Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)

A suburban town is terrorized by a series of grisly murders commited by a crazed psycho in a ghoul outfit who like to call his victims before pulling out their entrails. Neve Campbell plays Sidney Prescott, who sent a man to death row after testifying aga ...read the complete Scream movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)

filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

My review notes for Scream consist of three whole words: Totally. F***ing. Scary. What has been billed as the first "really scary" movie in a long time surprisingly lives up to its promise (due, in part, to the fact that there hasn't been a ...read the complete Scream movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)

A triumphant return to form for Wes Craven, Scream is the kind of psychological slasher film for which horror fans have been waiting years. The stalk 'n' slash gorefests of the early to mid-Eighties may be a distant crimson glimmer in cinematic history, ...read the complete Scream movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)

Washington Post (Richard Harrington)

Deftly mixes irony, self-reference and wry social commentary with chills and blood spills. ...read the complete Scream movie review at Washington Post (Richard Harrington)

Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)

Craven is obviously having a ball here, and it's impossible not to sit back and go grinning into this dark, gory ride. ...read the complete Scream movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)

New York Daily News (Dave Kehr)

Builds to a splattering finale that should leave genre fans highly satisfied. ...read the complete Scream movie review at New York Daily News (Dave Kehr)

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

What did I think about this movie? As a film critic, I liked it. I liked the in-jokes and the self-aware characters. At the same time, I was aware of the incredible level of gore in this film. It is really violent. ...read the complete Scream movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

Craven couldn't have made this movie if he didn't understand both his craft and what his fans expect. Of all the mainstream horror directors, he has been the one most willing to take chances. In some ways, Scream is an extension ...read the complete Scream movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

Wes Craven's ``Scream'' violates one of the oldest rules in movie history: It's about characters who go to the movies. They've even heard of movie stars. They refer by name to Tom Cruise, ...read the complete Scream movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)

I used to like slasher films when I was younger, but got turned off on them after seeing a particularly sick (shot from the killer's point of view) one called "Black Christmas." The misogynistic aspect of many of these films are apalling. So when I say ...read the complete Scream movie review at Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)

Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)

Now, almost twenty years after it was all started, director Wes Craven (who was greatly responsible for the splatter genre with his "Nightmare on Elm Street" series) reves it up again with "Scream," a nineties-style teenage slasher movie with just ...read the complete Scream movie review at Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)

Movie Habit (Marty Mapes)

And, for those looking for a good scare, Scream is an excellent choice. The mask the killer uses (which appears to be derived from Munch's "The Scream") is really quite frightening. ...read the complete Scream movie review at Movie Habit (Marty Mapes)

Movie Reviews UK

A modern-day horror picture that draws on, and acknowledges, its predecessors, Scream stalls at what should be the moments of its greatest glory. In the white picket-fence town of Woodsboro, on the US West Coast, the streets are safe for families. ...read the complete Scream movie review at Movie Reviews UK

Foster on Film - Slashers

It isn't as if there have been many original slasher films since Psycho, but by the mid-90s, the well was completely dry. How many times can you have an insane killer stalk high school students? Scream gives up; since there's nothing new, why not just ...read the complete Scream movie review at Foster on Film - Slashers

TV Guide (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 the complete Scream movie review at TV Guide (Frank Lovece)

Movie Hell (Michael J. Legeros)

This splatter spoof from long-time genre director Wes Craven (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET) wraps with a finale so uproarious and over-the-top that I left the theater almost giddy. The sequence, one of the year's more-memorable and pure gold for anyone ...read the complete Scream movie review at Movie Hell (Michael J. Legeros)

And You Call Yourself a Scientist!

As Woodsboro teenager Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) is preparing for a night on the couch watching scary movies she receives a series of phonecalls from a strange man. Initially prepared to take the calls as a joke, Casey becomes terrified when she ...read the complete Scream movie review at And You Call Yourself a Scientist!

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Liam Lacey)

May not be the most scary or the grossest horror film you've ever seen, but it has one distinct feature: it actually talks up to the audience. By the conclusion, you won't be shaking in your seat, but you may enjoy the status of someone who has earned a ...read the complete Scream movie review at The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Liam Lacey)

USA Today (Susan Wloszczyna)

While Scream has its frights, it feels more like one of those solve-the-mystery jigsaw puzzles than a real movie. ...read the complete Scream movie review at USA Today (Susan Wloszczyna)

FireBlade Coffeehouse DVD Reviews

This is a horror movie. If you want to see it cold, you probably shouldn't read this part of the review. That's why I put the recommendation up in the capsule review above. ...read the complete Scream movie review at FireBlade Coffeehouse DVD Reviews

San Francisco Chronicle (Peter Stack)

Wicked fun with flickers of intelligence. ...read the complete Scream movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (Peter Stack)

Variety (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 the complete Scream movie review at Variety (Leonard Klady)

Mr. Showbiz (Michael Atkinson)

Just another basketcase with a blade. ...read the complete Scream movie review at Mr. Showbiz (Michael Atkinson)

Chicago Reader (Lisa Alspector)

Tiresome, blood-filled comedy. ...read the complete Scream movie review at Chicago Reader (Lisa Alspector)

Baltimore Sun (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 ...read the complete Scream movie review at Baltimore Sun (Ann Hornaday)

San Francisco Examiner (Bob Stephens)

An artificial and hypocritical effort to escape the artistic limitations of teenage slasher flicks. ...read the complete Scream movie review at San Francisco Examiner (Bob Stephens)