Fear

Play trailer

Fear

R

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

Stream 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

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

Noel L

@RT15930389 Oct 13, 2026

Just goes to show you how toxic relationships can be dangerous in more ways then one

See more

Gunner I

@RT64755212 Sep 16, 2026

To be one of Mark Wahlberg's first movies, this movie is not too bad. Mark Wahlberg actually did a very good job playing the bad guy.

See more

Barbara M

@Barbara1561 Sep 12, 2026

This movie is 10 out of 10! I’ve seen it many times and it does not disappoint! Very suspenseful from the beginning to the incredible end. A must see!

See more

B P

@Bradster69 Sep 6, 2026

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

See more

Pedro Henrique C

@Pedro2005 Aug 10, 2026

Fear (1996) It's the kind of movie that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. It's not exactly groundbreaking, as we've seen many similar films in this genre even today. However, it's only worth seeing once in a lifetime.

See more

Juan C.

@RT56343886 Jun 24, 2026

This is now my current favorite movie. The acting by mark is absolutely phenomenal and better than a lot of stuff I’ve seen him in. The range is insane! His best movie imo. I didn’t like that he died at the end though, in my opinion he should got what he wanted just for a more surreal ending.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

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

A Kiss Before Dying

31%

32%

A Kiss Before Dying

Watchlist

The Watcher

11%

28%

The Watcher

Watchlist

The Trigger Effect

72%

45%

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

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings