There are adventure movies that emphasize the fun and excitement of traveling somewhere that's unfamiliar or exotic. They'll usually combine the adventure genre with elements of the action, comedy, or thriller genres. The characters might sometimes be in danger, but they'll generally have a positive attitude, with things kept light enough that the audience won't feel too much dread or discomfort while vicariously living through the adventuring shown on-screen.
On the other hand, adventure films sometimes push a little further into darker territory, doubling down on elements of the thriller genre, and sometimes even incorporating horror. The following 10 movies all fit within the adventure genre, yet put their characters in situations you'd be hard-pressed to describe as fun or light-hearted. While a few here may provide genuine entertainment for viewers, they're not without their tense, dark, and sometimes uncomfortable moments.
'The Mosquito Coast' (1986)
Harrison Ford is no stranger to having adventures on screen, with his two most iconic characters being Indiana Jones and Han Solo. The former's had numerous adventures as an archeologist during the 1930s-1950s, whilst the latter had been a part of numerous adventures in space.
The Indiana Jones and Star Wars films have some darker moments (particularly the former), but neither series compares to the unpleasantness and misery of the "adventure" found in The Mosquito Coast. Ford plays against type as a paranoid, domineering father who takes his family to live in the jungle after he becomes fed up with the way their lives are going in the U.S. Things spiral out of control quickly and continue to get worse, and though it's technically an adventure film, there's very little fun to be had in what emerges as a dark and uncomfortable psychological drama.
'The Descent' (2005)
In The Descent, half a dozen young women get together to go on a caving expedition sometime after one of them experiences a tragedy. They're well-prepared for the dangers that come with ordinary spelunking, but nothing could've prepared them for what they encounter during their time underground: bloodthirsty, vaguely humanoid creatures.
The idea of exploring dark, claustrophobic caves may be terrifying enough for some viewers, but the added threat of monsters pushes The Descent into full-blown horror territory for just about any viewer. It's a consistently tense and nerve-racking movie, and does wonders with its setting and restricted use of lighting.
'Jurassic Park' (1993)
The original Jurassic Park perhaps rides the line between being a fun adventure film and a tense one. There's a great deal of awe and wonder to be had - both by the characters and the audience - in the film's first half, but once all hell breaks loose in the second, it becomes far more suspenseful and terrifying.
While it's a film that's potentially enjoyable for younger viewers, it's not 100% kid-friendly. The child characters are put in some genuinely traumatic situations (particularly the scene with the raptors stalking them in the kitchen) and there are even a few fairly gory moments (Samuel L. Jackson's arm, anyone?). It's equal parts entertaining and frightening; as a director, Steven Spielberg proves himself able to balance those two emotions perfectly here.
'The Island' (1980)
A flawed but interesting cult film, The Island stars Michael Caine in one of his lesser-known roles. It's a bizarre yet compelling movie that blends a wide variety of genres, and sees Caine's character and his son getting wrapped up in the misadventures of a group of modern-day pirates, who hide out on a mysterious island.
The Island starts like an adventure film with a hint of mystery, and it takes a little while for the horror elements to emerge. Once they do, it's a shocking and even confronting film, but then by the final act, it shifts gears again, ending up as an over-the-top action movie. One thing's for sure: this adventure film is also adventurous when it comes to exploring different genres.
'The Most Dangerous Game' (1932)
It shouldn't be surprising that the "adventure" at the heart of this 1930s horror movie is a tense one, given the word "Dangerous" is right there in its title. The Most Dangerous Game is about two siblings who find themselves forced to survive on an island where they are prey, being hunted by the sadistic Count Zaroff.
Given its age, it shouldn't be too horrifying or off-putting to modern audiences, but it packs a punch by 1930s standards. It's also got a breakneck pace, at just 63 minutes long, which is perfectly short and sweet for its simple, direct premise. Even if it's not particularly gruesome or gritty, the concept alone provides enough horror to make up for it.
'King Kong' (1933)
King Kong is another classic adventure movie that was probably more of a horror film to audiences at the time, who wouldn't have seen something like a giant ape portrayed on-screen in such a convincing (for the time) way.
It more than holds up as a great adventure movie, though, with its creative special effects and variety of creatures shown on Skull Island, where the film's characters capture King Kong from. And in the film's defense, the scariest scene was allegedly cut from the film for being too frightening, given it featured the characters falling into a pit of giant spiders. Apparently, audiences in the 1930s just weren't ready for that yet...
'The Green Inferno' (2013)
The Green Inferno features a familiar enough horror movie set-up. A group of young people go somewhere they've never been before, and find dangers they didn't expect, slowly getting killed off one by one. Here, they're a group of student activists on a mission to save the Amazon, and what they come up against is a tribe of cannibals who capture them and quite literally tear them apart.
It's an incredibly grisly and often crude movie, leaning so heavily into its horror elements that most viewers will soon forget it started as something of an adventure film. This kind of in-your-face and ridiculously gore-heavy horror movie probably has a very limited audience, so viewer discretion is heavily advised.
'Deliverance' (1972)
Things seem relatively calm (or maybe just a little eerie) for many of Deliverance's earlier scenes. After all, it's about a group of friends who go on a river-rafting trip in the North Georgian wilderness, as they want to enjoy the Cahulawassee River before it's turned into a lake to create a dam. What could go wrong?
A great deal, it turns out, as the trip soon becomes one that's anything but pleasant, breezy, or awe-inspiring. The four friends are terrorized and pursued by individuals who live in the wilderness they're intending to explore, and their trip becomes a fight for survival that doesn't let up for the rest of the film's duration. Despite being 50 years old, Deliverance's most infamous scenes still have the power to shock, and it's definitely not recommended for those who prefer their adventure films to be an entertaining, good time.
'Island of Lost Souls' (1932)
Island of Lost Souls is an early film adaptation of the novel The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. It tells the story of a mad doctor who conducts horrific experiments on an isolated island, creating half-human mutants who he then presides over in his own private, twisted utopia (or dystopia), and a shipwrecked sailor who's unfortunate enough to find himself trapped on said island.
For a movie of its time, it holds up quite well. The atmosphere is genuinely unsettling, and the creepy premise is executed well on-screen, even with some special effects here and there that haven't aged as well. There were tons of horror movies churned out during the 1930s and 1940s in Hollywood, though it's clear that the passage of time has been kinder to Island of Lost Souls than many of its contemporaries.
'Roar' (1981)
The story behind Roar will always be more interesting than the story told in Roar, but then again, to some extent, perhaps they're one and the same. It's about a family that goes to visit their father in Africa, only to find themselves trapped in a confined location, surrounded by lions and other dangerous wild animals.
It blends with reality because it was directed by Noel Marshall, who also starred in the film with his real-life family (including his wife, Tippi Hedren, and stepdaughter, Melanie Griffith). Also, the terror and destruction on-screen were hardly scripted or exaggerated, as there were a total of 70 injuries (some extremely serious) to various members of the cast and crew during production (apparently no animals were harmed, though). As a traditional film, it may not be great, but as a unique, almost experimental film, it's memorable and shocking.