Over on Reddit, in the r/horror subreddit (affectionately known as “Dreadit”), user u/tcard16 posed the question of whether or not Jurassic Park belongs in the horror category. They asked, “My buddy and I were having a conversation. I was trying to argue that I can see how someone would classify Jurassic Park as horror, but he’s saying I’m ridiculous. Honestly though, maybe it isn’t in the same realm as Predator or Alien, but if Sharknado can be classified as sci-fi horror, then why not Jurassic Park?” Reactions were varied, to say the least.
One user, with a Reddit handle that frankly cannot be printed here, echoed our assessment. “Stylistically, it’s presented as more of an action-adventure sci-fi thriller,” they wrote. “There are, however, some scenes which are shot much like a horror film. […] In some ways, it’s quite a similar film to Jaws. Both films captivated and scared me s***less in equal measure when I was a child.” User u/a-roh came down even more firmly on the “yes, horror,” side by writing, “Absolutely it counts. For all intents and purposes, T-rex is a monster.”
Meanwhile, some Redditors slapped the notion down — like u/Kaleesh_Warrior, who wrote, “Maybe it’s better to state that it has horror elements, the first [two] movies at least do.” User u/sick-nurse was even more blunt in their assessment, simply stating, “No, it’s an action movie.”
The best and most diplomatic response, though, belonged to Reddit user u/ValkyrieWeather. “Horror is […] very personal,” they wrote. “If someone found [Jurassic Park] terrifying and wants to call it horror, I’m not gonna be a gatekeeping jerk about it to them.”
Now, that is a sentiment we should all be able to get behind.
