The best fright fest of the ’90s.
Comment
01/22/02
Scream (1996)
83
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:52
Fresh:43
Rotten:9
Average Rating:7/10
Consensus: A great mixed of bone chilling suspense and witty dialogues.
Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: A hyper-intelligent serial killer preys on the teenage denizens of a small town, using their fascination with horror movie conventions to set up his diabolical doings. An intelligent, well-crafted... [More]
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, Skeet Ulrich
Director: Wes Craven
Reviews for Scream
Kevin Williamson has managed to make a movie that is both genuine scary movie and arch parody of scary movies.
06/14/01
a nineties-style teenage slasher movie with just enough tongue-in-cheek understanding of its own silliness to make it gruesomely fun without being insulting
02/27/01
A bravura, provocative sendup of horror pictures that's also scary and gruesome yet too swift-moving to lapse into morbidity.
02/14/01
Top CriticThe film opens with one of the best, most intense, most unexpected opening sequences I’ve ever seen then rips on for another ninety minutes or so, rarely flagging in terms of pace.
02/14/01
It is the cream of a pretty bad crop
01/01/01
In an age that is nearly devoid of talented horror movie directors, it has become tiresome having to consider the inconsiderable, aggravating to search for rationales for the haphazardly assembled creations of people like Craven.
01/01/00
Whatever you do, don't close your mind to such an inventive concoction. One last time, despite all your better instincts, go ahead -- open that theater door.
01/01/00
Strap in and enjoy the ride.
01/01/00
It's a... well... a scream.
01/01/00
The movie is less concerned with explaining motivations than it is with dismantling the social mechanisms which produce them.
01/01/00
Scream is so hip and irreverent that you almost forget it's a slasher movie. Almost.
01/01/00
It breaks new ground, and hopefully, it opens us up to new formulas and creative situations in these movies.
01/01/00
Click to read the article
01/01/00
Scream is a rarity: a horror movie spoof that succeeds almost as well at provoking scares as laughs.
01/01/00
Not even horror fans who can answer all this film's knowing trivia questions may be fully comfortable with such an exploitative mix.
01/01/00
Top CriticFirst, it's not scary, and second, after seeing it, you may scream at yourself for wasting your time and money.
01/01/00
The image of Barrymore on her portable phone, with her sweater sleeves draped over her palms, in the house with the big picture windows, has already become one of the great indelible images of the 1990's.
01/01/00
Craven has expressed a desire to get out of the horror business. Maybe that's why he's set out to make more than a horror movie. He's contributing to a long tradition of reflexive films, going back as far as the turn of the century.
01/01/00
It's a genuine jump-from-you-seat, cover-your-eyes, scream-aloud, warn-the-characters thrill ride. When you're not howling with laughter, you'll be shrieking with fright.
01/01/00
Latest News for Scream
September 25, 2009:
Neve Campbell Returning for Scream 4? 
Did someone make a boo-boo, or did Variety just break the news that Neve Campbell will be starring in the new "Scream"? More...
July 15, 2009:
Arquettes Confirmed for Scream 4
It's official: David Arquette and Courteney Cox Arquette will return for the fourth installment of "Scream." More...
June 09, 2009:
Wes Craven Talks Scream 4
According to Wes Craven, Kevin Williamson's new "Scream" trilogy isn't a reboot, it's an extension of the series -- and Craven may just end up directing "Scream 4." More...
June 03, 2009:
Are the Arquettes Ready to Scream Again?
Kevin Williamson is apparently hard at work on a whole new "Scream" trilogy -- and Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette are in talks to reprise their roles. More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds