Fear

Fear (1996)

  • 40% of critics liked it
    (30 reviews)

  • 65% of users liked it
    (58,328 ratings)

Mark Wahlberg stars in one of his first features as a hoodlum drug dealer from the wrong side of the trackswho falls in love with Nicole Walker, an upper-middle-class high school girl (Reese Witherspoon). In this psycho-drama (with the emphasis on psycho), Nicole happily loses her virginity to her… More

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R, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By
James Foley
Written By
Christopher Crowe
Genres
Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense
In Theaters
Apr 12, 1996 Wide
On DVD
Oct 27, 1998
Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today

    For a while, the cast is appealing enough, and the design is House Beautiful enough, to camouflage the Fatal flaws that turn the second half into an overblown, predictable snicker-fest.

  • Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

    A throwback to the psycho-sexual thrillers of the 1980s, Fear is sort of a male version of Fatal Attraction

  • Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media

    Violent creepy-boyfriend thriller without helpful takeaways.

  • Felix Vasquez Jr., Film Threat

    Though cheesy and illogical, this thriller has charming performances, and an exciting climax.

  • Clint Morris, Film Threat

    Corny but cool...Wahlberg has presence

Read all 7 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • moon r


    The decent right-side-of-the-tracks family unit is threatened by local not-so-right-side thug types in this thriller that borrows extensively from Peckinpah's "Straw Dogs" (1971). Wahlberg and Peterson do well as the tension mounts for the big winner-takes-all showdown… More

  • vieras e


    The first hour is nothing to get worked up about, which is why I can't give this a particularly high rating. But do not despair - the ending is sure worth the wait! Reese Witherspoon's character Nicole can sometimes be downright painfully gullible and naïve when it comes to… More

  • Melvin W


    Laura: What's the big deal? Steve: The big deal, Laura, is that the guy gives me the creeps, and the girl is my daughter. The only way to describe Fear is it's a not so thrilling thriller. It's unoriginal and really offers nothing but what you'd expect.… More

  • Dan S


    A disappointing melodrama concerning a confused 16-year old (Reese Witherspoon) who falls in love with a mysterious young man (Mark Wahlberg), who appears to be charming at first, but is actually nothing more than a creepy psycho-stalker. I have no idea how this movie served as the… More

  • ♥˩ƳИИ &


    CAST: Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon, William L. Petersen, Amy Brenneman, Alyssa Milano DIRECTED BY: James Foley SUMMARY: What begins as an innocent romance turns to deadly obsession when a charismatic young man sets his sights on Nicole Walker, a 16-year-old girl who always… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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Trailers & Clips

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