Urban Legend

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2:20

Urban Legend

R

1998

1h 35m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

30%

Tomatometer

66 Reviews

38%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

A university is beset by a rash of gruesome murders that resemble old urban legends. When her friend Michelle (Natasha Gregson Wagner) is killed by someone hiding in her car, Natalie (Alicia Witt) begins to notice the pattern. Her suspicions grow stronger when her own roommate is strangled to death. Soon the quiet college campus is transformed into hunting grounds for a maniac, and Natalie struggles to find the killer and stop the bloodshed before she becomes the next victim.

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Critics Consensus

Elements of Scream reappear in a vastly inferior vehicle.

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Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

Like Frankenstein's monster before the lightning strikes, it's all recycled cold flesh and bolts, without a twitch of originality.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 25, 2003

Full Review

Kim Newman

Sight & Sound

Manages somehow to be rather endearing.

Mar 3, 2002

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Bob Heisler

Los Angeles Times

A low-voltage drive-in movie, made strictly by the book.

Rated: 1/5

Feb 14, 2001

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Josh Winning

Radio Times

Urban Legend deserves its place in the pantheon of pulse-raising 90s popcorn slashers.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 25, 2024

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Brian Bisesi

Horror Movie Club Podcast

Urban Legend lacks captivating characters, but it does deliver on the promise of its premise by packing in a good amount of urban legend-related deaths. Props for encasing some of these urban legends in a piece of culture that may outlive the legends.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 14, 2024

Full Review

Rocco T. Thompson

Rue Morgue Magazine

Twenty years on, Jamie Blanks’ glossy, post-Scream slasher is a tasty slice of 90s teen horror: nostalgia softening its logical flaws, caustic young people, and of-its-time-ness into charms.

Jul 3, 2024

Full Review

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Gabriel S

I just had the opportunity of rewatching the slasher classic Urban Legend from 1998, and it was somewhat worth it. Movies were simpler back then, straightforward and predictable, but entertaining. The story follows some teens at an university where one seemingly random murder happens, but then a series of events leads Natalie and Paul to believe a serial killer is on the loose. It is your classic who/whydunit shameless and bare. Simplistic as it sounds, Urban Legend spanwed a franchise. Yup, on the same trend as I Know What You Did Last Summer — a nice book, by the way —, Urban Legend ended up spawning the Urban Legends series, so you know what to wait for here. Urban Legend is like Scream, but without trying to ethernalize a masked killer. Like most cult classics, this movie is funny and entertaining and mostly flawed, but you love to hate it. If you want a nostalgic slasher vibe, this one should be on your list.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/15/25

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Liam D

One of the better scream ripoffs thanks to an talented cast and an really cool gimmick with the killer’s way of slaughter but it falls down the slasher movie cliches of a group of characters that aren’t interesting or likeable and an very obvious twist

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/20/25

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Melissa L

Kept me guessing about the culprit to the very end.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/19/25

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L. F

One of my all time favourites! Original, funny, creepy, jumpy and twisted. It has everything you want from a good slasher with a little more to offer. They really don't make them like this anymore!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/18/25

Full Review

Caleb L

A Scream inspired film that surprisingly does quite a bit to stand out from the other imitators.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/09/25

Full Review

Johnny H

Basic slasher movie, although without spoiling anything the kills dont make one bit of sense at the end. Theres a plot one of the victims finds out why the spree happened, however as a viewer you'd like to know at the start of the movie not near the end like one of the victims. Basic slasher movie, good acting tbf however major flaws in the plot. 2/5 is a fair representation in my opinion.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/28/25

Full Review

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Jamie Blanks

Director

Jared Leto

Paul Gardener

Alicia Witt

Natalie Simon

Rebecca Gayheart

Brenda Bates

Michael Rosenbaum

Parker Riley

Loretta Devine

Reese Wilson

Urban Legend: Official Clip - Killer Car Chase

2:27

Urban Legend: Official Clip - Chased by the Killer Tara Reid Scene

2:27

Urban Legend: Official Clip - Bloody Parking Garage Kill

2:05

Urban Legend: Official Clip - Killer in the Car

2:23

Urban Legend: Official Clip - Tortured by the Killer

3:23

Urban Legend: Official Clip - Pop Rocks Poisoning

2:24

Urban Legend: Official Clip - Sexy Goths Must Die

2:29

Urban Legend: Official Clip - Attacked in the Car

1:51

Urban Legend: Official Clip - Brutal Hanging

2:28

Urban Legend: Official Clip - Bloody Corpse in the Killer's Car

1:32

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Urban Legend: Trailer 1

2:20

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Synopsis

A university is beset by a rash of gruesome murders that resemble old urban legends. When her friend Michelle (Natasha Gregson Wagner) is killed by someone hiding in her car, Natalie (Alicia Witt) begins to notice the pattern. Her suspicions grow stronger when her own roommate is strangled to death. Soon the quiet college campus is transformed into hunting grounds for a maniac, and Natalie struggles to find the killer and stop the bloodshed before she becomes the next victim.

Director: Jamie Blanks
Producer: Gina Matthews, Michael McDonnell, Neal H. Moritz
Screenwriter: Silvio Horta
Distributor: TriStar Pictures, Columbia Tristar
Production Co: Original Film, Phoenix Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 25, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 11, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $38.1M
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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