Scream

Play trailer

1:56

Scream

R

1996

1h 51m

Horror

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

134 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

The sleepy little town of Woodsboro just woke up screaming. There's a killer in their midst who's seen a few too many scary movies. Suddenly nobody is safe, as the psychopath stalks victims, taunts them with trivia questions, then rips them to bloody shreds. It could be anybody.

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Critics Consensus

Horror icon Wes Craven's subversive deconstruction of the genre is sly, witty, and surprisingly effective as a slasher film itself, even if it's a little too cheeky for some.

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Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

2 days ago

4/5

The escalation of [Scream's famous opening scene] — it's perfect in its own demented way.

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Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

The Times (UK)

4 days ago

5/5

The characters are well drawn, the violence stabs home and the whodunnit keeps you guessing. Whip-smart and properly scary, it’s still a scream.

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Geoff Brown

The Times (UK)

Nov 18, 2024

Aside from the in-jokes, Craven ensures we scream alongside his characters at the indestructible killer in the Halloween who taunts down the phone.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Oct 17, 2026

7/10

Nearly 30 years after its release, it remains a gripping and chillingly entertaining slasher from Craven. [Full review in Spanish]

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Clint Cage

IGN

Feb 24, 2026

8/10

While playing with the trope he made famous, Wes Craven crafted a lighter, more self-reflective tone for Kevin Williamson’s script to shine a light on everything we love (and everything we think is kind of silly) about slasher movies.

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Josh Winning

Radio Times

Oct 30, 2025

5/5

With its genuinely bone-chilling opening and utterly fresh take on the genre, Scream is nothing short of a modern classic.

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mark c

21 hrs ago

A must see!!

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ENS

21 hrs ago

Loved watching this movie in the theater again. Halloween Eve, whole family, had a great time

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Giovanni H

22 hrs ago

Was Craven was an amazing, an imaginative director and writer. i can't tell you that the dialogue in this film was anything worth remembering, but it was the one that started the series, and for that reason, I believe that it did its hardest to revive slasher films in the late 20th and 21st century.

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Alex

23 hrs ago

An absolute classic of the slasher genre. I didn’t get to see this in 1996 so seeing it in the theaters in 2026 was amazing. A great storyline that’s capped with the best final girl.

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Franco E

1 day ago

Perfect way to end off spooky month.

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Gabriel

1 day ago

This was my favorite horror movie as a teenager. Still love it.

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Wes Craven

Director

Neve Campbell

Sidney Prescott

David Arquette

Deputy Dwight "Dewey" Riley

Courteney Cox

Gale Weathers

Matthew Lillard

Stuart 'Stu' Macher

Skeet Ulrich

Billy Loomis

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Synopsis

The sleepy little town of Woodsboro just woke up screaming. There's a killer in their midst who's seen a few too many scary movies. Suddenly nobody is safe, as the psychopath stalks victims, taunts them with trivia questions, then rips them to bloody shreds. It could be anybody.

Director: Wes Craven
Producer: Cathy Konrad, Cary Woods
Screenwriter: Kevin Williamson
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Dimension Films, Woods Entertainment
Rating: R (Strong Graphic Horror|Violence|Language|Gore)
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 20, 1996, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Oct 30, 2026
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 21, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $103.7M
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, Dolby SR, Surround, Dolby Stereo, Dolby A
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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