25
An artificial and hypocritical effort to escape the artistic limitations of teenage slasher flicks.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
90
Craven's other accomplishment here, besides resuscitating the genre, is the way he keeps things scary even when they're at their funniest. The grand finale, while thoroughly bloody and tense, has some genuinely hilarious shtick.
70
TV Guide Magazine by Frank Lovece
Compared with most of what passes for scary movies these days, this is golden: It's not stupid, it's not wussy and it pulls off a couple of pretty nasty jolts.
50
Doesn't know when to stop with the jokes about other horror movies and settle down to tell a coherent story.
63
Chicago Tribune by John Petrakis
Pretty run-of-the-mill stuff. [20 December 1996, Friday, p.J]
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Liam Lacey
May not be the most scary or the grossest horror film you've ever seen, but it has one distinct feature: it actually talks up to the audience. By the conclusion, you won't be shaking in your seat, but you may enjoy the status of someone who has earned a Master's in Slashology.
50
Chicago Reader by Lisa Alspector
Tiresome, blood-filled comedy.
63
While Scream has its frights, it feels more like one of those solve-the-mystery jigsaw puzzles than a real movie.
“You’re gonna love this one. It’s a scream, baby!” One of the most enjoyable, endlessly rewatchable movies ever. It perfectly pulls off a complicated balance of humor, horror, genre-awareness, and mystery. Well-deserving of its iconic reputation.