Fear

Play trailer

Fear

R

Released Apr 12, 1996

1h 36m

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

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 at Home

Buy Now

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

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Susan Wloszczyna

USA Today

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.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Joey O'Bryan

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 1/5

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Anatomy of a Scream Podcast Network

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.

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 11, 2023

Full Review

Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

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

Rated: 2/4

Mar 22, 2022

Full Review

Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

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.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 14, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

Niza R

One of Mark Wahlberg's best performances, his acting carries this movie to a different level. While the plot is a little lackluster, the twist and turns displayed make it incredible and definitely worth a watch. I didn't research the movie at all so i thought i was getting into a cheesy teen movie, but was pleasantly surprised by thrill and suspense.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/08/25

Full Review

Cecilia S

Have rewatched this so many times and always pick up something new I've missed

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/21/25

Full Review

Robyn M

I agree with reboot review. Love to see an updated version

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/25

Full Review

Vik D

So good. Love to see a reboot

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/23/25

Full Review

Stephen H

“SO LET ME IN THE F’ING HOUSE!!!”

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/19/24

Full Review

Isaiah G

This movie was so bad and hilarious, it was good. That fake dog head made me and my dad laugh

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/19/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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

Fear: Official Clip - All the Time in the World

2:09

Fear: Official Clip - Forever Hold Your Peace!

2:13

Fear: Official Clip - David Apologizes

1:45

Fear: Official Clip - We Have Something That Everybody Wants

2:13

Fear: Official Clip - The Security Guard Is Shot

1:18

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

1:23

Fear: Official Clip - David Kills Gary

2:10

Fear: Official Clip - Nicole 4 Eva

0:37

Fear: Official Clip - Practically Family

1:46

View more videos

A Kiss Before Dying

31%

32%

A Kiss Before Dying

Watchlist

The Watcher

11%

28%

The Watcher

Watchlist

The Trigger Effect

73%

44%

The Trigger Effect

Watchlist

Eye See You

18%

28%

Eye See You

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Eye See You

The Crush

28%

42%

The Crush

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

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

Most Popular at Home Now