The 8 Most Terrifying Moments In The ‘Jurassic Park’ Series

Since the series began in 1993, Jurassic Park (and its succeeding series, Jurassic World) have reshaped our collective understanding and appreciation for our prehistoric counterparts.

Presenting the creatures as living, breathing beings of startling size and complexity, Jurassic Park has allowed us all to look back at dinosaurs with wonder, amazement, and more than a little fear – especially when it comes to some of the series’ carnivorous dinos like Velociraptors, the Spinosaurus, or the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

With Jurassic World Rebirth arriving at the beginning of July, we felt it only fitting to take a look back at some of the scariest moments in the overarching Jurassic Park series, ranking them in order from incredibly tense to downright horrifying.

“We Have to Leave Now!” (Jurassic Park 3)

Most viewers might have been disappointed by producers choosing to replace the T-Rex with the Spinosaurus in Jurassic Park 3, but there’s no question that every scene featuring the hulking predator is pure nightmare fuel. Announcing his presence with a blood-curdling roar and a relentless determination to kill every human character who’s ventured onto Isla Sorna, the Spino’s first appearance in Jurassic Park 3 continues to haunt viewers in a way few Jurassic Park dinosaurs have been able to, before or since.

“It’s in There With You!” (Jurassic World)

If the Raptors and Indominus Rex have anything in common (aside from some overlaps in DNA), it’s each creatures’ startling ability to map out intricate traps for their human quarry. Launching an ingenious escape attempt from her restricted paddock, few phrases have proven as gut-wrenchingly terrifying as hearing “It’s in there with you!” as Owen and his fellow Jurassic World staff explore the dinosaur’s enclosure.

“No Wonder You’re Extinct” (Jurassic Park)

It speaks volumes that the Dilophosaurus is only on-screen for less than five minutes, but somehow manages to remain every bit as horrifying as Jurassic Park’s T-Rex or carnivorous Velicoraptors. Initially portrayed as a curious, cute, inquisitive, dinosaur, it isn’t long before the Dilophosaurus’ predatory motives are soon revealed. Unleashing a massive hood, letting out a chilling roar, and spitting out blinding venom, viewers almost feel a touch of sympathy for Nedry watching the Dilophosaurus close in for the kill…. Almost.

Compy Attack (The Lost World: Jurassic Park)

Don’t let their size fool you – like piranhas, Compys can work themselves into a murderous frenzy of truly devastating proportions in the Jurassic Park series. For evidence of this fact, one needn’t look further than their furious attack on Dieter Stark in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Infecting Stark with a potent venom and stalking him up a meandering creek, Compys prove that even the smallest carnivores can be just as deadly as a T-Rex or rampaging Raptor.

Eddie’s Death (The Lost World: Jurassic Park)

Just as devastating as it is unwaveringly scary, Eddie’s death in The Lost World continues to tug on our heartstrings almost 30 years later. Doing his best to help his friends in spite of the mortal danger to himself, Eddie manages to briefly hold his own against two royally P.O.ed T-Rexes in a miraculous feat of bravery. Try as he might, though, poor Eddie winds up being torn in two by the massive behemoths – a scene capable of haunting every viewers’ imagination for years, perhaps even decades, afterwards.

“Clever Girl” (Jurassic Park)

Combining two tense scenes in one, our first full-blown glimpse of the Raptors comes shortly after Ellie switches the power back on throughout the park. As relieved as she is about this critical accomplishment, her enthusiasm winds up being short-lived, with a massive Raptor springing from the darkness and hunting Ellie through the facility.

If that weren’t horrifying enough, audiences get another equally chilling look at the Raptors in the following scene, which shows Muldoon attempting to pick off a few of the Big One’s minions just outside the power shed. Though it’s certainly unnerving seeing a veteran animal expert like Muldoon sweating profusely in search of the Raptors, their sudden emergence from the forest continues to send goosebumps racing down our arms, emphasizing Grant’s theory about just how smart – and undeniably deadly – they are in the wild.

“Do You Feel That?” (Jurassic Park)

One thing Steven Spielberg has always managed to do well is the suspense surrounding a deadly creature’s imminent arrival. Just as Spielberg channeled a taut atmosphere with the great white shark’s first appearance in Jaws, the director once again captures an electric atmosphere with the T-Rex’s first appearance in Jurassic Park. Hinting at her looming appearance with the gentle tremors of a water glass, every quake we see on-screen only causes our stomachs to shrink into a tighter and tighter knot, eagerly awaiting the T-Rex’s appearance with a mixture of anxious excitement and tense unease.

Raptors in the Kitchen (Jurassic Park)

Having seen just how intelligent they are with their hunting tactics a few short scenes prior, audiences knew exactly what Tim and Lex were up against when the Raptors strolled into the park’s inner kitchen. Barely staying one step ahead of the bloodthirsty predators, Tim and Lex end up playing an intense game of cat and mouse with Jurassic Park’s most dangerous dinosaur antagonists near the climax of the film. With every minor noise causing viewers’ hearts to skip a beat, we can only watch in rigid horror as the two youngsters struggle to make it out of the kitchen with their lives, with the only thing separating them from the snapping jaws of the Raptors being a measly metal kitchen counter.