You wouldn’t think there are many science fiction movies that are set in a jungle. But there are. Here are 10 of my favorites.

1. Jurassic Park (1993) – I like this first movie in the series best. A wealthy businessman funds a project where genetic scientists create a wildlife park of dinosaurs. Some of the animals are nice and cute, others are not so nice and not so cute. The special effects were an astonishing breakthrough for the time, and those effects and the movie hold up well after nearly 30 years.

2. King Kong (1933) – This movie has been made several times, but I like the original version best. An expedition travels on a ship to Skull Island where they find dinosaurs and a gigantic ape. The stop-motion special effects were created by Willis O’Brien and amazed audiences of the time. The scenes on the island, where crew members meet various deaths, are still quite scary to me, even today.

3. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) – A small team of scientists hear a legend about a strange creature and travel to the Amazon to find it. They do. The movie was very popular and there were two sequels that are also pretty good: “Revenge of the Creature” (1955) and “The Creature Walks Among Us” (1956).

4. Predator (1987) – Arnold Schwarzenegger is the leader of a military team that goes to Central America to rescue hostages. Instead they find a very nasty alien who is on a hunting trip. The alien kills the rescue team one at a time but meets its match in Arnold. I particularly remember the scene where Arnold camouflages himself and blends in perfectly with the jungle.

5. The Lost World (1960) – This movie is based on the novel of the same name, written by Arthur Conan Doyle (who wrote Sherlock Holmes) and published in 1912. A team of explorers go to a high, nearly inaccessible plateau in Venezuela. When they get to the top they find dinosaurs and primitive tribes. There was also a 1925 silent movie version with special effects by Willis O’Brien.

6. The Ruins (2008) – Two young American couples are in Mexico, and decide it would be a great idea to go off the beaten path and visit a creepy Mayan step pyramid — where local villagers won’t go. Apparently these two couples have never seen virtually every movie ever made that is set in the jungle. They become trapped at the top of the pyramid along with a very nasty species of plant. It does not end well for anyone.

7. Monsters (2010) – A NASA space probe crashes in Mexico. A few years later giant tentacled monsters appear and create an “Infected Zone”. An American photographer goes to the zone to rescue a young woman. This movie was produced on a very low budget, and is very slow in some spots, but overall it’s quite entertaining.

8. From Hell It Came (1957) – Takes place on a South Seas island. A tribesman is killed by an evil witch doctor, and the body is hidden in an old tree trunk. There are some American scientists on the island who are studying radiation from old atomic tests. The radiation brings the evil tree trunk to life as “Tabonga”. The witch doctor is eventually killed and the scientists find a way to kill Tabonga.

9. Monster from Green Hell (1957) – American scientists send various animals into space to determine if they can survive. They send some wasps up in a rocket and then the capsule lands in Africa. The wasps are now giant sized and they terrorize the area. The scientists are menaced by the creatures but luckily a volcano erupts and wipes out the nest.

10. Island of Lost Souls (1932) – This movie is based on the 1896 book “The Island of Dr. Moreau” by author H. G. Wells. On a remote jungle island, a mad scientist converts various animals into humans. A shipwrecked traveler Edward Parker discovers the panther woman, and “The House of Pain” where the scientist performs cruel experiments. In the end, the beast-men take revenge on the scientist and Parker escapes.

Honorable Mention

Congo (1995) – Based on a novel of the same name by Michael Crichton (who also wrote “Jurassic Park”). A tribe of intelligent gorillas guard a diamond mine.

The Flame Barrier (1958) – A space probe crashes in a Mexican jungle. It’s covered by an alien blob. Scientists electrocute it.

The Unknown Terror (1957) – Explorers in a Caribbean jungle find a cave with parasitic fungus and fungus-infested monster-men.

The Land Unknown (1957) – U.S. military explorers in a helicopter crash in a subterranean jungle world with dinosaurs.

Voodoo Island (1957) – Businessmen are on a South Pacific island looking to build a hotel but find man-eating plants and zombies.

Anaconda (1997) – Explorers go to the Amazon rainforest to find a huge anaconda. Bad idea. If this movie had a bit more science fiction elements, it would definitely have been in my top ten.

Unknown Island (1948) – Explorers go to an uncharted island and find stop-motion Brontosauruses, and men-in-costume Tyrannosaurus Rexes.