Scream (1996)
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83% of critics liked it
(60 reviews) -
70% of users liked it
(440,198 ratings)
Scream is at once a slasher film and a tongue-in-cheek position paper on the "dead teenagers" movies of the late 1970s/early 1980s that plays as half-parody, half-tribute. Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is having a rough time lately: she's still getting over the brutal rape and murder… More Scream is at once a slasher film and a tongue-in-cheek position paper on the "dead teenagers" movies of the late 1970s/early 1980s that plays as half-parody, half-tribute. Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is having a rough time lately: she's still getting over the brutal rape and murder of her mother a year ago, and now one of her friends (Drew Barrymore) has been killed by a lunatic who harassed her with terrifying phone calls, then stabbed her to death while wearing a Halloween costume. Soon Sydney is receiving similar phone calls, quizzing her on the arcane details of such films as Friday the 13th and Prom Night, and is attacked by the same cloaked maniac. With her father missing, she has hardly anyone on her side except her best friend Tatum (Rose McGowan) and Tatum's brother Dewey (David Arquette), a half-bright cop. As for the murderer, it could be any number of people: Syd's father; her cute but overly intense boyfriend Billy (Skeet Ullrich); Tatum's goofball boyfriend Stuart (Matthew Lillard); or Randy (Jamie Kennedy), who works at the local video store and seems to like horror movies just a little too much. Much like Halloween, Scream spawned a series of sequels and inspired a large number of similar films -- its original working title, Scary Movie, became the title of the 2000 parody film by Damon Wayans. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Wes Craven
- Written By
- Kevin Williamson
- Genres
- Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Dec 20, 1996 Wide
- Studio
- Miramax Films
Critic Reviews
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Leonard Klady, Variety
The pic's chills are top-notch, but its underlying mockish tone won't please die-hard fans.
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Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
The assumption that there's something inherently clever about a slasher movie making reference to both its genre and the filmmaking process is a fundamental flaw of this tiresome, blood-filled comedy.
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, Time Out
At last, a horror movie to shout about!
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Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
Turns slasher flicks into slapstick.
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Richard Harrington, Washington Post
The best fright fest of the '90s.
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)
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Cast
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Neve Campbell
as Sidney Prescott
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Liev Schreiber
as Cotton Weary
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Courteney Cox
as Gale Weathers
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David Arquette
as Dewey Riley
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Skeet Ulrich
as Billy Loomis
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Rose McGowan
as Tatum Riley
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Jamie Kennedy
as Randy Meeks
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Matthew Lillard
as Stuart
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Drew Barrymore
as Casey Becker
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Henry Winkler
as Principal Himbry
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Troy Bishop
as Expelled Kid
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Linda Blair
as Reporter
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W. Earl Brown
as Kenny
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Lawrence Hecht
as Neal Prescott
- Frances Lee McCain
- Joseph Whipp



