Fear

Name: Fear
Genre: Thriller
Released: April 12, 1996
Duration: 97 min
Rating: 51
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon

1996

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Overwhelming dislike based on 292 Ratings

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1.1	User Score Overwhelming dislike based on 292 Ratings

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Fear

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Movie Details & Credits

Universal Pictures | Release Date: April 12, 1996 | R

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon

Summary: David McCall (Wahlberg) becomes a psychopath boyfriend when Nicole (Witherspoon) tries to end their relationship.

Director: James Foley

Genre(s): Thriller

Rating: R

Runtime: 97 min

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Critic Reviews

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

Testosterone-driven entertainment with a moral, sleekly directed by James Foley. Read full review

Barry Walters

Forceful and well-acted. Fear truly lives up to its title. Read full review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Foley has a fine sense of shading in depicting a slightly dysfunctional family. The problem with this subgenre is the way it has to demonize and dehumanize its villains in order to produce the desired effect, which brutalizes the spectator along with the story and characters. If you can accept this limitation, this is a very efficient piece of machinery. Read full review

Jack Mathews

Fear, thanks mostly to Foley's stylish direction and a couple of strong performances, is a much better movie than "Whispers," but those familiar with the formula will get no major surprises. [12 Apr 1996]

Stephen Holden

A nasty little thriller that starts out on a somewhat higher plane but eventually trades in its level head for conventional scare tactics and violence. Read full review

Matthew Gilbert

Fear is a formulaic thriller that is like "Cape Fear" meets "Fatal Attraction," or "Splendor in the Grass" on crack, but without a hint of those movies' psychological complexities and camp moments. [12 Apr 1996]

Marjorie Baumgarten

Despite a few scattered moments of visceral excitement, the only thing truly frightening about the oh-so-ominously titled Fear is how so many talented people came to be involved in so inane a project. Read full review

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User Reviews

RichardL.

Dec 25, 2008

great! Fear is a dark thriller that will have your heart racing and you mind working through the whole film. This great film form director James Foley stars Reese Witherspoon as Nicole, a 16 year old "good girl" who while partying with her friends she meets David( Mark Wahlberg), a charming great! Fear is a dark thriller that will have your heart racing and you mind working through the whole film. This great film form director James Foley stars Reese Witherspoon as Nicole, a 16 year old "good girl" who while partying with her friends she meets David( Mark Wahlberg), a charming young man who sweeps Nicole off her feet. Soon enough David and Nicole are inseparable, and Nicole's dad doesn't like that; Nicole's dad starts to dig into Davids past and finds some disturbing things. after that he forbids Nicole to see David,and that starts a battle of wits and brawn that explodes into a heart-pounding thriller that you can't miss. I highly recommend this movie.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

RichardL.

Jan 6, 2009

0 of 0 users found this helpful

Molly15x

Sep 11, 2020

Perfect nostalgic 90’s soundtrack, solid performances and genuinely disturbing movie about the dangers of abusive relationships and dating men who raise red flags early on. The location is gorgeous and the House only ads to the terror that is later to come. Both Reese and Mark give greatPerfect nostalgic 90’s soundtrack, solid performances and genuinely disturbing movie about the dangers of abusive relationships and dating men who raise red flags early on. The location is gorgeous and the House only ads to the terror that is later to come. Both Reese and Mark give great performances, especially Mark who plays a brooding psychopath with ease. I’ll always love this movie and the scene on the roller coaster while Wild Horses plays is just top notch perfection. The dad is low key creepy and I think that’s part of the point.… Expand

0 of 39 users found this helpful039

MovieReviews101

Sep 13, 2014

Verdict: Love is a Thriller

Story: When teenagers fall in love we all know that nothing much will come of it when one part turns into a bit of a psycho. We do get to see the highs of the relationship and how in love the couple are, but we also see the dark side once they start to breakVerdict: Love is a Thriller

Story: When teenagers fall in love we all know that nothing much will come of it when one part turns into a bit of a psycho. We do get to see the highs of the relationship and how in love the couple are, but we also see the dark side once they start to break up. We see how one man snaps once he can’t get what he wants and will go to great lengths in his mind games against the family before things get out of hand. It turns from a dull school girl romance into a home invasion psychological thriller. (7/10)

Actor Review

Mark Wahlberg: David the charmer with a dark side because when love takes over he will stop at nothing to get his girl, disposing of whoever gets in his way. Good performance here showing his darker side and range early on in his career. (8/10)

mark

Reese Witherspoon: Nicole the sweet sixteen year old who falls for bad boy David, not noticing that he could have a darker side and wonders why he gets mad when she just stops seeing him, very naïve young girl. Good performance from Reese showing she was going onto bigger and better things. (7/10)

reese

William Petersen: Steve the architect father of Nicole who becomes suspicious of David early on but gets drawn into his mind games. Good protective father performance showing he always had the authority role down to a tee. (7/10)

petersen

Director Review: James Foley – Good direction mixing genres as the film unfolds. (7/10)

Thriller: Once the slow romantic story first finishes the thrills really start. (8/10)

Settings: Some good isolated locations leaving the family trapped while the invasion happens. (7/10)

Suggestion: This is one to try, fans of the actors should go back and see their early work and it is a solid thriller. (Try)

Best Part: Wahlberg is frightening in the lead villain.

Worst Part: Slow starting.

Kill Of The Film: School friend.

Scariest Scene: The dog scene.

Believability: People can become that obsessed but I think this is a bit too far. (3/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Chances of Sequel: No

Post Credits Scene: No

Oscar Chances: No

Box Office: $21 Million

Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

Tagline: He’s dying to date you

Overall: Solid Thriller About A Lost Love… Expand

0 of 49 users found this helpful049

teenviews

Jan 1, 2022

Hot, possessive, boyfriend: gone wrong. There are times of excitement, and there are times in which you want to see more. It's a great cast, and this had the foundation to be a great movie; unfortunately, I expected more. Not a bad film, and if you are looking to pass the time, I will notHot, possessive, boyfriend: gone wrong. There are times of excitement, and there are times in which you want to see more. It's a great cast, and this had the foundation to be a great movie; unfortunately, I expected more. Not a bad film, and if you are looking to pass the time, I will not skip past this.… Expand

1 of 6 users found this helpful15

bfoore90

Oct 8, 2019

Starring a very young Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon, Fear is a decent film and Mark Wahlberg gives a truly chilling performance as David McCall. It's ultimately a forgettable film but its worth checking out sometime.

0 of 40 users found this helpful040

Aquatic75

Mar 2, 2015

This movie is dreadful on every level. Mark has been in a few exciting movies like the italian job remake in 2003. However most of the movies he has been in are below average. This movie has a ridiculous plot and
it is easily one of the movies you should avoid seeing. Sitting through thisThis movie is dreadful on every level. Mark has been in a few exciting movies like the italian job remake in 2003. However most of the movies he has been in are below average. This movie has a ridiculous plot and
it is easily one of the movies you should avoid seeing. Sitting through this movie will torment your mind.… Expand

35 of 35 users found this helpful350

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43	#43 Most Discussed Movie of 1996
41	#41 Most Shared Movie of 1996