Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- tense
- campy
- macabre
- horror marathon
- late night viewing
What critics said
Critics generally found the film competently made and entertaining in spots but unoriginal, formulaic, and too derivative of Scream.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The killer stages campus murders around recognizable urban legends discussed in Professor Wexler's folklore class.
The characters and premise are genre-conscious, and the film builds its killings around familiar horror storytelling patterns.
The remote Pendleton University campus separates students from immediate help while the killer hunts among them.
The film belongs to the late-1990s wave of teen slashers that followed Scream's commercial and stylistic influence.
Films like Urban Legend, and why
Scream
Both are self-aware campus-adjacent slashers centered on genre-savvy young people, serial killings, and horror conventions.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Both are late-1990s teen slashers with attractive college-age casts, elaborate murders, and a masked killer targeting young people.
Wes Craven's New Nightmare
Both use a killer’s themed murder pattern, investigative suspense, and a playful relationship with horror storytelling conventions.
The House on Sorority Row
Both are ensemble campus horror films involving serial murder, suspicion among friends, and escalating slasher violence.
Movie Details
- Director
- Jamie Blanks
- Release Date
- 1998-09-25
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (1521)
Cast
- Alicia Witt
- Jared Leto
- Rebecca Gayheart
- Michael Rosenbaum
- Loretta Devine
- Tara Reid
- John Neville
- Joshua Jackson
- Julian Richings
- Robert Englund
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Urban Legend about?
- At a remote New England university, a folklore student investigates a serial killer who is turning urban legends into grisly campus murders.
- What is Urban Legend like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Urban Legend as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Urban Legend violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Urban Legend as graphic.
- What did critics think of Urban Legend?
- Critics generally found the film competently made and entertaining in spots but unoriginal, formulaic, and too derivative of Scream.
- Which films are like Urban Legend?
- Films with a similar feel include Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Wes Craven's New Nightmare, and The House on Sorority Row.
- How long is Urban Legend?
- Urban Legend runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch Urban Legend?
- In United States, Urban Legend is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
