Jurassic Park is a thrilling blend of horror and adventure, and there are plenty of other movies that have pulled off the same exhilarating genre combo. Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster film adaptation of Michael Crichton’s bestselling novel is the quintessential Frankenstein story. It’s all about an ambitious, visionary madman who plays God, creates life, and pays the ultimate price for his hubris. On top of the thought-provoking thematic exploration of scientists who focused on whether they could and never stopped to think if they should, Jurassic Park is a riveting, action-packed cinematic spectacle full of shocking jump scares and dazzling set-pieces.
Spielberg’s dinosaur-infested thrill-ride is as close to perfect as a movie can be. It deals with deep themes and emotionally engaging characters, but it’s also a wildly entertaining ride jam-packed with hair-raising frights and jaw-dropping action scenes. Jurassic Park is arguably the greatest adventure horror movie ever made, but there are plenty of other great films that have achieved this gripping genre cocktail, from other blockbusters like The Mummy to other Spielberg classics like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Jurassic Park still holds up today, but there are similar movies to check out between rewatches.
10
Jurassic Park
In 1993, Jurassic Park broke the mold with its innovative visual effects and compelling blend of dinosaur action and genuine human emotion. Jurassic Park stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum as a trio of scientists who are invited to a remote island to sign off on a theme park full of cloned dinosaurs. However, when the dinosaurs escape from their enclosures, they’re hesitant to give the park their stamp of approval.
From the T. rex’s first appearance to the raptors stalking the kitchen, Jurassic Park is full of exhilarating set-pieces that draw the audience to the edge of their seats and keep them there. It’s a family-friendly horror movie that has hair-raising thrills without going overboard on the gore. And at its core, it’s a touching story about a curmudgeon warming up to a pair of endearing children under his watch.
9
The Meg
It’s up to Jason Statham to save the day when a deep-sea diving team unwittingly releases a 75-foot megalodon in The Meg. This was the perfect role for Statham; it utilizes his skills as a charismatic action hero, but it also utilizes his skills as a former member of the British national diving team. Pitting one man against a prehistoric sea monster is a premise so ridiculous that only Statham could make it work.
Released in 2018, The Meg might not have characters as three-dimensional as Jurassic Park, or explore the theme of playing God quite as deeply as Jurassic Park, but it is just as much fun. The awe-inspiring spectacle of an ancient shark three times the size of the oversized shark from Jaws is undeniable. The Meg is one of the ultimate Statham vehicles.
8
Super 8
Almost all the movies directed by J.J. Abrams have been sequels and reboots tying into popular existing franchises. But the one and only original film of his directorial career, Super 8, proves he should tell his own stories more often. Super 8 combines a deeply personal coming-of-age story about a group of 14-year-old aspiring filmmakers shooting their own zombie movie with a sci-fi conspiracy thriller about an alien invasion.
Abrams perfectly recaptures the warm, nostalgic feeling of old Amblin movies, observing alien visitors and shady government forces through the innocent eyes of children. But he also takes a much darker approach than those classic Spielberg productions. He doesn’t sanitize the bleak realities of childhood, which is more akin to Stephen King’s storytelling than Spielberg’s, and his portrayal of an otherworldly alien invader is genuinely terrifying.
7
The Mummy
Stephen Sommers’ 1999 remake of the Universal Monsters classic The Mummy maintained the old-school supernatural horror of the original while injecting it with a dose of pulpy, Indiana Jones-style action-adventure. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz star as a treasure hunter and a librarian, respectively, who journey to the City of the Dead and unwittingly awaken a cursed high priest with mystical abilities. The original Mummy movie was a straightforward horror story, but Sommers reimagined it as a romantic adventure.
The remake doesn’t have the creepy atmosphere or palpable dread of the original movie, but it replaces those elements with energetic action and a refreshingly brisk pace. Imhotep is brought to life with eye-popping special effects and Fraser is as charming as ever. The Mummy might not be the finest film ever made, but it’s a boatload of fun.
6
Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom
Jurassic Park wasn’t the first time that Spielberg mixed horror elements into the adventure genre. His first follow-up to Raiders of the Lost Ark, the 1984 prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, was a supernatural thriller that sent Indy into the hands of a sadistic underground cult. Indy is tasked with liberating the child slaves of a group of occultists operating underneath a lavish palace.
Temple of Doom is by far the darkest of the Indiana Jones movies. It starts off as a typical Indy adventure, but once he infiltrates the Thuggee temple at the midpoint, it becomes a full-blown horror movie with a creepy atmosphere, tons of jump scares, and paranormal forces at play. Indy’s touching surrogate father-son dynamic with Short Round ensures the movie has a heart, even in its grimmest moments.
5
Predator
Arnold Schwarzenegger leads a team of gun-toting commandos into the jungle in John McTiernan’s 1987 sci-fi actioner Predator. But when they get to the location of their mission, they find that a guerrilla army is the least of their troubles. One by one, they’re being picked off by a ruthless alien assassin with high-tech weapons and sophisticated camouflage, who has come to Earth to hunt humans for sport.
Predator is the ultimate man-versus-beast story. When it boils down to Schwarzenegger and the Predator, pitted against each other in a mud-soaked final battle, the man must use his quick wits and the bare elements around him to outsmart and defeat the relentless beast. Predator shouldn’t work as well as it does. It’s a cheesy ‘80s action movie dripping with testosterone, but it’s also gripping, fast-paced, and deeply atmospheric.
4
King Kong
One of the very first movies to blend horror with adventure was Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack’s 1933 monster movie masterpiece King Kong. Fay Wray stars as struggling actress Ann Darrow, who’s offered “the thrill of a lifetime” by filmmaker Carl Denham. Denham takes Ann to the mysterious Skull Island to shoot his latest project. However, when they get there, they find that the island is home to a cult worshipping a giant ape.
With ritualistic sacrifices, a mountain shaped like a skull, and biplanes shooting up the Empire State Building, King Kong is one of Hollywood’s earliest blockbuster spectacles. But deep down, it’s a tragedy that tugs on the heartstrings. Kong isn’t really a villain; he just wants to fall in love, but he’s perceived as a monster and captured as a tourist attraction.
3
The Goonies
Richard Donner’s 1985 classic The Goonies imagines a Jurassic Park-style adventure with a gang of bright-eyed children. In an attempt to save their homes from foreclosure, a bunch of kids follow an old treasure map to an undiscovered pirate fortune. Along the way, they’re tormented by a family of criminals who want the treasure for themselves. The Goonies is a fun-filled suburban adventure about heroic youngsters, but those sinister villains ensure it’s also genuinely scary.
What makes The Goonies truly special is the dynamic between its lead characters. The perfectly matched ensemble of child actors are fully believable as a group of lifelong friends; their bonds make the movie endearing and emotionally engaging. The Goonies appeals to both kids who can relate to the characters on-screen and nostalgic adults who yearn for their bygone childhoods.
2
Aliens
Ridley Scott’s original Alien movie is essentially a haunted house movie set in the isolated vacuum of space. A bloodthirsty extraterrestrial creature gets on board a spacebound cargo ship and starts picking off its crew. In the first sequel, 1986’s Aliens, James Cameron expanded the scope with more of a sense of action and adventure. Ellen Ripley is reluctantly called in to check out a human colony on a foreign planet that’s been overrun with xenomorphs.
Aliens has all the terror and suspense of its predecessor, but it also has a hefty dose of high-octane action. The Colonial Marines find that the colonists have been completely wiped out, save for one orphaned girl, who forms a heartwarming mother-daughter bond with Ripley. Ripley and Newt’s dynamic gives all the action-packed spectacle a really moving emotional core.
1
Jaws
The movie that put Spielberg on Hollywood’s radar falls into the same adventure-horror category as Jurassic Park. Spielberg’s first major box office hit, 1975’s Jaws, was the original blockbuster. It’s the reason why studios trot out their big-budget, high-concept tentpoles every summer — they’re trying to replicate the box office success of Jaws. Based on Peter Benchley’s novel of the same name, Jaws revolves around a mild-mannered police chief contending with the 25-foot great white shark that’s been terrorizing his sleepy seaside town.
Spielberg directs the horror set-pieces with the nail-biting tension of a Hitchcockian thriller, but he directs the seafaring voyage with the escapist thrill of a pirate movie. Much like Jurassic Park, Jaws’ blockbuster spectacle is grounded in compelling human characters. The shark is just a plot device to get three very different men aboard the same vessel, reluctantly bonding with each other.
