Fear

Play trailer

Fear

R,

1996,

1h 36m,

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Stream Now

Watchlist

47%

38 Reviews

Tomatometer

63%

50,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

47%

Tomatometer

38 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

When 16-year-old Nicole Walker (Reese Witherspoon) meets 23-year-old David McCall (Mark Wahlberg) at a Seattle nightclub, she falls in love. David is exciting and charming, and despite the wide age gap, he wins over Nicole's family -- except for her workaholic father, Steven (William Petersen), who's suspicious of David from the start. His concerns are realized when David turns out to be a violent sociopath who sees Nicole as his possession, and her family home a fortress to be invaded.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Stream

Prime Video

Watch Fear with a subscription on Prime Video, rent on Fandango, or buy on Fandango.

Critics Consensus

Fear has an appealing young cast, but their efforts aren't enough to consistently distract from an increasingly overblown - and illogical - teen stalker story.

Read Critics Reviews

Susan Wloszczyna

USA Today

Jan 1, 2000

2/4

For a while, the cast is appealing enough, and the design is House Beautiful enough, to camouflage the Fatal flaws that turn the second half into an overblown, predictable snicker-fest.

Go to Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Anatomy of a Scream Podcast Network

Feb 11, 2023

3.5/5

Aside from instigating a sexual awakening for a generation thanks to the rollercoaster scene, this murky, messy erotic thriller features a bad boyfriend AND a bad dad, a madonna/whore complex and a very savvy younger brother.

Go to Full Review

Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

Mar 22, 2022

2/4

Fear is so bad that it's good. It provides no scares, but quite a few laughs.

Go to Full Review

Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

Jul 14, 2020

3/5

If there isn't room for a big, dopey teen thriller in your movie-watching life, then the only thing you have to fear is Fear itself.

Go to Full Review

Brandon Collins

Medium Popcorn

May 4, 2020

2/5

It's not great. An interesting way to spend an hour-and-a-half, that's for sure. The performances were fine, but it was so twisted.

Go to Full Review

Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

May 4, 2020

3/5

It's well-paced, a little crazy and creepy, but that's how it built up the character and the tension...

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Theodore G

Apr 6, 2019

i personally consider this one a must see if you are into the old dramas. fantastic acting from mark and reese, chilling dialogue and great direction. a movie of broken trust and obsession.

See more

Feb 23, 2019

my favorite move of all time

Hagrid P

Dec 18, 2018

I'm surprised to see such low reviews for this movie. Yes, it has its corny moments but is still a decent "angsty" thriller with some charming, steamy scenes. Each character had an interesting dynamic. Besides the actors being beautiful to look at (Mark, Reese, Alyssa), the setting was stunning as well. Good soundtrack, courtesy of the 1990's and who can forget that bubbling rollercoaster scene climaxing to Wild Horses in the background?!

See more

Abraham S

Aug 17, 2018

it's a decent thriller, but i wouldn't call it erotic.

Rey W

Mar 15, 2018

Certainly not a bad film and not a stain on anyone involved but nothing particularly new or exciting. Its very much a teen thriller with a very attractive cast and a cool 90s soundtrack.for the MTV generation.

See more

Theodore S

Sep 3, 2017

Fear is an edgy thriller that seems to borrow similar plot elements from 1993's 'The Crush'. Reese Witherspoon is great and full of believability in her role, Alyssa Milano was a great delight to watch also. Mark Wahlberg on the other hand, I have nothing to say about him except the fact he just comes across as your typical onscreen pretty-boy..

See more

Read all reviews

James Foley

Director

Mark Wahlberg

David McCall

Reese Witherspoon

Nicole Walker

William Petersen

Steve Walker

Amy Brenneman

Laura Walker

Alyssa Milano

Margo Masse

Fear: Official Clip - Wild Roller Coaster Ride

2:09

Now Playing

Fear: Official Clip - All the Time in the World

2:09

Now Playing

Fear: Official Clip - Forever Hold Your Peace!

2:13

Now Playing

Fear: Official Clip - David Apologizes

1:45

Now Playing

Fear: Official Clip - We Have Something That Everybody Wants

2:13

Now Playing

Fear: Official Clip - The Security Guard Is Shot

1:18

Now Playing

Fear: Official Clip - Let Me in the F***in' House!

1:23

Now Playing

Fear: Official Clip - David Kills Gary

2:10

Now Playing

Fear: Official Clip - Nicole 4 Eva

0:37

Now Playing

Fear: Official Clip - Practically Family

1:46

Now Playing

View more videos

The Good Son

26%

54%

The Good Son

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Good Son

Psycho

40%

28%

Psycho

Watchlist

An American Werewolf in Paris

6%

30%

An American Werewolf in Paris

Watchlist

Shattered

40%

55%

Shattered

Watchlist

Nick of Time

30%

47%

Nick of Time

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Nick of Time

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

24 Best-Looking Movie Bad Guys

Comic-Con 2006: Kevin Smith on The Green Hornet and His TV Plans

Willis to Play Berry’s "Perfect Stranger"

View more photos

Synopsis

When 16-year-old Nicole Walker (Reese Witherspoon) meets 23-year-old David McCall (Mark Wahlberg) at a Seattle nightclub, she falls in love. David is exciting and charming, and despite the wide age gap, he wins over Nicole's family -- except for her workaholic father, Steven (William Petersen), who's suspicious of David from the start. His concerns are realized when David turns out to be a violent sociopath who sees Nicole as his possession, and her family home a fortress to be invaded.

Director: James Foley
Producer: Ric Kidney, Karen Snow
Screenwriter: Christopher Crowe
Distributor: Universal Pictures, MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Universal Home Entertainment
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 12, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 10, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $20.5M
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings