Fear

Fear (1996)

  • 39% of critics liked it
    (31 reviews)

  • 64% of users liked it
    (59,504 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,
Directed By
Written By
Christopher Crowe
Genres
Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense
In Theaters
Apr 12, 1996 Wide
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.

  • Brian Orndorf, Blu-ray.com

    One of the all-time goofiest movies, avoiding a tough inspection of troubling emotional speeds and stunted communication to sneeze out a confused, half-realized story of obsession.

  • 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.

Read all 8 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

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

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

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Nicki M


    Good thriller, and the movie that introduced me to Reese Witherspoon. Still enjoy it many years later. How did I only just notice David has a Chucky doll in his room!

  • Universal D


    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

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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Cast

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Trailers & Clips