The Jurassic Park franchise is crawling with genetically engineered dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. With six films under its belt (and a seventh film, titled Jurassic World Rebirth, in the works), the series ended up with a lot more teeth than we ever expected.
Not all the dinosaurs in the films are bad, though. While each entry has a primary prehistoric antagonist, there are also some pretty cuddly ones, too, whether it’s the sneezing Brachiosaurus in the 1993 film or the “Gentle Giants” in 2015’s Jurassic World.
But, naturally, audiences are most drawn to the InGen’s more terrifying creations. And, with the spooky season finally here, there’s no better time than to take a look at Jurassic Park‘s scariest theme park monsters (all of which have been spared no expense, of course).
The Scariest Dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park Films
Velociraptor — Jurassic Park Trilogy
While fans have understandably criticized the Jurassic World films for making the Velociraptors less scary, you still wouldn’t want to bump into one in a dark alleyway. Or in broad daylight, for that matter. Still, the Velociraptors in the Jurassic Park trilogy — looking specifically at Steven Spielberg’s 1993 sci-fi thriller — are the stuff of nightmares.
Straight from the off-set, we learn that the raptors are animals not to be trifled with. InGen completely underestimated these animals’ intelligence, and, as such, aren’t equipped with having them in captivity (although it’s obviously the lesser of two evils). Smart, cunning, and downright cruel, we never quite looked at kitchens the same way again after the first film.
Tyrannosaurus Rex– Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park
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What isn’t utterly terrifying about a 25-foot beast that’s able to tear down a metal fence like it’s made of cardboard? Okay, so the power was out, but that doesn’t make Tyrannosaurus Rex any less terrifying. From its thunderous footfalls to its mighty roar, the T-Rex evokes in us a primal fear like no other creature in the Jurassic Park film series.
Unfortunately, much like Velociraptor, T-Rex (the same one from the original film, in fact) has been figuratively “de-fanged” and “de-clawed” by the Jurassic World films, becoming something more akin to an anti-hero than a gigantic animal that should have us all cowering in fear. But, in the same way Velociraptor made us afraid of silverware, the King of the Dinosaurs has given us a phobia of toilets.
Dilophosaurus — Jurassic Park and Jurassic World Dominion
Though significantly smaller than Velociraptor (although, in real life, this dinosaur was a lot bigger than it is in Jurassic Park, while the raptors are a lot smaller), Dilophosaurus is still a nightmarish addition to InGen’s remote island theme park resort. Its neck frills might make it look like a flower, but, like many venomous plants, this creature is beautiful but deadly.
“I thought you were one of your big brothers,” a nervous Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) quips in the 1993 film, adding, “You’re not so bad.” Oh, how wrong he is: this Jurassic theropod can spit blinding, paralyzing venom from its mouth (another fictitious add-on), before it eats you alive. In Dennis Nedry’s case, it’s gut-first. They also have spine-tingling hoots.
Procompsognathus — The Lost World: Jurassic Park
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We haven’t really put any thought into the order of this list, but like you’ve probably already noticed, we can see that the dinosaurs are getting smaller with each entry. Perhaps that’s because size doesn’t always matter when it comes to these primordial predators. And, in the case of Procompsognathus (“Compy” for short), this couldn’t be a more apt description.
Compys are said to have been “the size of a chicken with the bite of a crocodile.” In 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park, they’re shown to hunt in a flock or herd, overwhelming their prey like a swarm of bees. Similarly to Dilophosaurus, the Compys have with toxins (also made-up) in their bite that render their victims weak, making them easier to take down.
Dimetrodon — Jurassic World Dominion
Last but not least, Dimetrodon is one of the franchise’s most terrifying dinosaurs. Okay, so technically speaking, it isn’t a dinosaur (although you could argue that, technically, it is). The Permian Period-era reptile was quite late to the party in the long-running Jurassic Park film series, turning up at the eleventh hour in the latest sequel, Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
When Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon) are trying to navigate their way out of some amber mines beneath the Biosyn facility, they stumble upon these dark, lake-dwelling monstrosities. While we don’t get to see them take down any characters (thankfully), they remain one the series’ creepiest creations.
Jurassic World Rebirth
Directed by Gareth Edwards (2014’s Godzilla, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), the upcoming sequel Jurassic World Rebirth (2025) stars Scarlett Johansson (Avengers: Endgame), Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer), Rupert Friend (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Mahershala Ali (The Green Book), Luna Blaise (Manifest), David Iacono (Dead Boy Detectives), Audrina Miranda (Lopez vs Lopez), Philippine Velge (Station Eleven), Bechir Sylvain (BMF), and Ed Skrein (Deadpool).
The film will be released in theaters worldwide on July 2, 2025.
Are you excited to see more terrifying dinosaurs in Jurassic World Rebirth? Let Disney Fanatic know your thoughts in the comments down below!