Nutevio Score
7.6Ⓝ
- IMDb
- 7.4
- Rotten Tomatoes
- 76%
- Metacritic
- 69
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.
Imported record — imported from the Nutevio library and placed by ranking signal. A Nutevio editorial verdict has not been written for this entry yet.
The number one — extended editorial
Legacy
Scream (1996) is the entry we would put first for anyone coming straight from Scream Collection. It picks up the same characters and the same central problem, so nothing about it feels like a detour.
Cultural impact
It also works as a standalone evening. 112 minutes, no homework required beyond the film you have just watched, and it resolves its own story rather than parking it for a sequel.
Wes Craven on the material
Wes Craven treats the material as if the audience is already paying attention, which is the whole trick. Nothing is repeated for the slow row at the back, and that trust is what makes the ending land.
Awards summary
No Academy Awards on record for this title — its standing here comes from how well it holds up, not from a ceremony.
Start here — everything else in this guide reads more clearly once you have seen it.
Perfect for
- Fans of mystery and horror filmmaking
- Wes Craven admirers
- Viewers who enjoy slow-burn tension over shocks
- Puzzle-solvers who like piecing a story together
- First-timers looking for the essential entry point
- Best watched late at night, alone
Skip if
- You dislike deliberate, unhurried pacing
- You prefer action-heavy films
- You are sensitive to on-screen violence
Best watched: Late evening, lights off, phone in another room.
Editor's note
“Scream is the entry our readers write to us about most. Half of those letters disagree with the placement. We read all of them and we have not changed our minds.”
