Rotten
By the time Scream arrives at its final twist, Craven has done too many contortions of his own to give the finale much shock value.
Desmond Ryan, Philadelphia Inquirer
Scream
Someone has taken their love of scary movies one step too far. Solving this mystery is going to be murder.
1996 · 1h 52m · R
Crime, Horror, Mystery
Directed by
Wes Craven
Overview
A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
78%
Tomatometer
Rotten
The picture is so full of cross-references, self-mockery and movies within movies (including a stalking that's recorded on video) that it can't help turning into a precious two-hour in-joke.
John Hartl, Seattle Times
Fresh
Scream builds to a splattering finale that should leave genre fans highly satisfied. Here's one of the year's better thrillers.
Dave Kehr, New York Daily News
Rotten
Scream may be a cut above the gore fests that line the dimly lit back wall at your video store, but it is a far cry from genre classics like Halloween or Craven's own Nightmare On Elm Street.
John Petrakis, Chicago Tribune
Rotten
The pic's chills are top-notch, but its underlying mockish tone won't please die-hard fans.
Leonard Klady, Variety
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