Fear (1996 film)

Fear is a 1996 American psychological thriller film directed by James Foley and written by Christopher Crowe. It stars Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon, William Petersen, Alyssa Milano and Amy Brenneman. The film revolves around the wealthy Walker family whose seemingly perfect life is threatened when teenage daughter Nicole begins dating David McCall, an attractive and mysterious young man who turns out to be a violent sociopath.

Fear was released by Universal Pictures on April 12, 1996. The film was largely derided by critics upon its release but became a sleeper hit in the spring of 1996, grossing $20.8 million at the U.S. box office against a $6.5 million budget. It has since become a cult film, while at the same time launching teen idol status for its two young leads – Wahlberg and Witherspoon – who were romantically linked at the time of the movie's premiere. Wahlberg was nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain at the 1997 MTV Movie Awards. The film's own producer, Brian Grazer, described it as "Fatal Attraction for teens".