10 Scariest Scenes In The Jurassic Park Movies

The Jurassic Park movies offer audiences the perfect blend of adventure and prehistoric creature feature. It’s an award-winning formula that’s kept audiences entertained for more than thirty years.

The tone of the films shifted between the original trilogy and the Jurassic World movies, but each installment contains at least a few scary scenes. Those scares aren’t limited to the big dinosaurs either, and some of the most memorable encounters feature smaller creatures that would devour their prey much more slowly.

Jurassic Park is not a horror franchise, but some of its most iconic scenes are frightening, particularly for younger audiences. Many of those events are among the best parts of the films, so here are 10 of the scariest scenes in the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movies.

10

Velociraptors Attack From The Long Grass – The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

The Lost World: Jurassic Park has plenty of scary moments, but few rival the raptors’ feasting on the group when they unwittingly enter their territory.

Ajay (Harvey Jason) is the only person to realize the danger his team is in. He yells to his comrades, “No! Don’t go into the long grass!” but nobody heeds his warnings, and he reluctantly follows. We see the raptors silently approach, leaving trails in the grass and quietly taking out armed grunts one by one.

It’s a tense moment that’s still scary, particularly for children. Guns are useless when you can’t see your target, and the scene demonstrates the lethality of the hunting raptors.

9

The T. Rex Escapes The Boat – The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

Another Lost World scene is surprisingly gory by Jurassic Park standards. InGen decides to transport a Tyrannosaurus rex and its baby from Site B to San Diego on a boat.

We don’t know precisely what happened on the journey to the mainland, but we do see the aftermath. The walls of the boat are covered in blood, and there are even body parts, like a severed hand, on display in the control room.

A worker unwittingly releases the T. rex from the hold, which is a scary event in itself. The buildup is ominous after the transport ship crashes into the dock, as it appears nobody on board survived.

8

Claire and Franklin Face The Baryonyx – Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

The tone of the Jurassic World movies is quite different from the Jurassic Park trilogy, but there are still a few scary moments. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, in particular, has several notable scenes, including one on Isla Nublar.

Claire and Franklin attempt to restore the park systems just before the volcanic eruption. They get cornered in a small room with lava creeping in from one side and an aggressive Baryonyx in the other.

The event isn’t built up for horror, but the implications are terrifying if you put yourself in our hero’s shoes. Unless they escape, they have to choose between slowly burning alive or becoming a hungry carnivore’s next meal. The scene is played off for laughs with Franklin’s high-pitched scream, but it’s a scary situation nonetheless.

7

The Caravan Rescue Scene – The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

We’re back with The Lost World for our next entry, this time, when the pair of rexes decide to push our heroes’ trailer off the cliff. Sarah (Julianne Moore) loses her footing as the transport perilously hangs off the edge and falls onto the glass window below.

The scene is terrifying because cracks start to appear under her hands and knees as she tries to move to safety. The situation is tense, and it’s no less desperate outside.

Eddie (Richard Schiff) attempts to drag the trailer back onto the cliff with his car, while the dinosaurs are still nearby. He ultimately saves the team, but suffers an unusually grim hero’s death for a Jurassic Park movie.

6

The Velociraptor In The Test Tube – Jurassic Park 3 (2001)

Jurassic Park 3 is set on Isla Sorna, where Alan Grant (Sam Neill) becomes an unwilling participant in a rescue mission. The team stumble across a derelict research station on their journey, full of old lab equipment.

Amanda (Tea Leoni) spots the body of a fully-grown raptor motionless inside a large glass tube. However, it’s a trick. The raptor jumpscares the group and the audience, revealing that it had been standing still behind the glass the entire time.

It’s a scary moment, followed by a tense action scene where the group attempts to escape from a pack of dinosaurs. We also catch a glimpse of how intelligent the raptors have become after one gets stuck and calls for help.

5

The Indominus Rex Reveal – Jurassic World (2015)

The introduction of hybrid dinosaurs into the franchise remains a polarizing choice among audiences. Still, even if you’re not a fan, it’s hard not to appreciate the buildup to the Indominus reveal. It’s creepy and tense, with a brilliant payoff.

The first time we learn of the Indominus Rex, we don’t even see it. We see Masrani (Irrfan Khan) looking shocked, but that’s all. When Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) introduces Owen (Chris Pratt) to the hybrid, she explains that she ate her friend. The pair then mistakenly assumes the dinosaur got loose when they observe deep scratches in the walls.

When Owen inspects the supposedly empty enclosure, the revelation that the Indominus is still lurking inside is brilliant. The dinosaur is hyper-aggressive, intimidating, and a terrifying addition to Jurassic World.

4

Maisie Hides From The Indoraptor – Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

The scariest scene in the Jurassic World movies is arguably in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom when the Indoraptor escapes and stalks Maisie (Isabelle Sermon) and our heroes around the mansion.

One of the most remarkable aspects of this scene is that many parts are shot like a horror movie. A thunderstorm is brewing outside, the music quietens, and the Indoraptor is relentless and smart.

The scene where the dinosaur slowly moves toward Maisie with its claw outstretched is unforgettable. It’s a fierce creature, and we have plenty of opportunities to see what the Indoraptor is capable of before its inevitable escape.

3

The Kitchen Scene – Jurassic Park (1993)

The original Jurassic Park movie is arguably one of the greatest movies of all time. It also has plenty of scary moments that frighten children and adults alike.

One of the most tense scenes in the movie is when the raptors arrive at the Visitor’s Center and hunt Lex (Ariana Richards) and Tim (Joseph Mazzello), who are taking refuge in the kitchen. The stakes are high, as the dinosaurs are on the prowl and the pair tries to sneak away.

We get a deliberate close-up of one of the raptor’s clawed toes, and the cat-and-mouse events between the dinosaurs and the children are among the most iconic in the film. Both children get their chances to shine as they overcome their fears and fight to survive.

2

Dennis Nedry Meets The Dilophosaurus – Jurassic Park (1993)

Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) may have set the disastrous events at the park in motion, but he dies in arguably the most visceral way out of everyone in the original movie.

Nedry encounters the Dilophosaurus when his car gets stuck. The creature seems playful and friendly, but it quickly reveals a deadly mean streak. We hear the dinosaur make cute, unassuming noises as it follows Nedry. Then, all of a sudden, a frill around its neck extends, and it makes a horrifying screech as it spits black goo.

The Dilophosaurus lands some of the venom in Nedry’s eyes, but he appears to have escaped when he reaches the car. However, the dinosaur still gets inside, and we hear Nedry screaming as he’s slowly eaten alive in the driver’s seat.

The entire scene is horrific, especially for a PG-13. It’s also quite jarring following the scenes of awe and wonder that came before.

1

Tyrannosaurus Rex Breaks Free – Jurassic Park (1993)

The Tyrannosaurus rex escaping its enclosure in the original Jurassic Park movie is a terrifying spectacle. At the time, audiences had never heard the T. rex roar, and it’s clear how helpless the characters we’ve followed since the start of the movie are against its might.

Once the electric fences are powered down, we hear the wires snap with a metallic whipping noise. The audience finally catches its first glimpse of the legendary carnivore, and how it scares Gennero (Martin Ferrero) into abandoning Lex and Tim. We see Grant put his knowledge of dinosaur behavior to the test, and the rescue that follows is unforgettable.

The T. rex reveal is the perfect blend of action and horror. The scene may seem tame by today’s standards, but it was intense when Jurassic Park premiered. The main characters narrowly escape with their lives, and events spiral into chaos shortly after.