8 Best Movies of 1996

By Vlad Zakh · June 29, 2026

1996 ranged from family fantasy to horror satire. Matilda has a gifted girl standing up to her neglectful family, Scream has a masked killer terrorizing a small town, and A Time to Kill has a lawyer defending a father who killed his daughter’s attackers. Star Trek: First Contact, Sleepers, Primal Fear, Fargo and Trainspotting round out the eight.

Matilda (1996)

IMDb ★ 7.0 RT 89% Metacritic 72

A neglected, telekinetic girl finally finds an ally in her kind-hearted teacher.

Directed by Danny DeVito · 1h 38m · Rated PG

3 wins & 7 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

TMDB ★ 7.3

The Enterprise crew travels back in time to stop the Borg from preventing humanity's first contact with aliens.

Directed by Jonathan Frakes · 1h 51m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Time to Kill (1996)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A young lawyer defends a Black father who killed the men who assaulted his daughter, igniting racial tension in a Southern town.

Directed by Joel Schumacher · 2h 29m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Philo · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Scream (1996)

TMDB ★ 7.4

Reinvented the slasher genre by having its characters know the rules of one.

Directed by Wes Craven · 1h 52m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu, fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Peacock Premium, Paramount+ Amazon Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, 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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sleepers (1996)

TMDB ★ 7.6

Childhood friends brutalised in a juvenile detention centre reunite years later to enact a plan of revenge.

Directed by Barry Levinson · 2h 27m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Primal Fear (1996)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A hotshot defence attorney defends a stuttering altar boy accused of murdering a beloved archbishop.

Directed by Gregory Hoblit · 2h 10m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Fargo (1996)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 95% Metacritic 88

A car salesman's botched kidnapping scheme spirals into a series of increasingly violent complications.

Directed by Joel Coen · 1h 38m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars84 wins & 59 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Trainspotting (1996)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 93% Metacritic 83

A group of Edinburgh friends cycle through heroin addiction, betrayal and half-hearted attempts to get clean.

Directed by Danny Boyle · 1h 34m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar23 wins & 35 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

8 Best Movies of 1996

Matilda (1996)

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

A Time to Kill (1996)

Scream (1996)

Sleepers (1996)

Primal Fear (1996)

Fargo (1996)

Trainspotting (1996)

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