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Where does one begin in determining the most memorable or iconic moment from the Indiana Jones franchise? From elaborate set pieces to thrilling action and daring stunts to the occasional comedic gag, the list of candidates for such a distinction is seemingly endless. But narrowing down the most disturbing or terrifying moment in the franchise is a different story, especially when considered through the eyes of more youthful and impressionable viewers. While many fans may be quick to single out Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom‘s infamous heart removal scene, it’s arguably the finale of Raiders of the Lost Ark that takes the cake, and my vivid recollection of seeing it for the first time can provide receipts.
‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’s Most Terrifying Scene
I didn’t watch Raiders of the Lost Ark from start to finish until I was 7 or 8 years old. In the long-lost era of TV guides, the TBS Superstation, and blurry picture quality via seemingly ancient analog televisions, I sat flanked by my parents on the family sofa and felt a twinge of anticipation as the grand finale of one of cinema’s greatest films approached. As my mom and dad traded memories of seeing Raiders when it debuted in 1981, I suddenly noticed a concerned tone in their voices. Upon inquiry, I learned that the sequence ahead would likely provide me with nightmare fuel for the foreseeable future. Not wanting to appear intimidated, I pushed back and insisted I’d be able to withstand what the film had in store, but I also wanted a little peace of mind and couldn’t resist asking about what I’d see when Belloq and his Nazi cronies opened up that mysterious Ark.
“They turn into monsters,” my dad ominously told me. Hearing those four unforgettable words, I was equally curious and anxious, although I didn’t know exactly who “they” were. As Raiders‘ finale kicked off, my anticipation rose further courtesy of the scene’s sinister and stormy backdrop, John Williams‘ eerie score, and the look of fear on Indy’s (Harrison Ford) typically brave and stoic face. The Ark’s lid came off and, to Belloq’s (Paul Freeman) disappointment and Nazi Officer Toht’s (Ronald Lacey) giggling glee, contained only sand. But then strange things started happening. The Nazis’ equipment malfunctioned, a low rumbling sound growled from the Ark, and thick mist began spilling out of it, engulfing the nearby troops and materializing into angelic-looking figures. Indy warned Marion (Karen Allen), “Shut your eyes and don’t look at it no matter what happens.”
In the blink of an eye, the scene turned grim and gory as the ethereal angelic faces transformed into, well, monsters. Dad was right. Williams’ score shrieked as Toht screamed in panic, and the mist emitting from the Ark began firing what looked like beams of fire into the crowd of onlooking Nazis, violently bursting through their chests and faces. And then came the showstopper as Colonel Dietrich’s (Wolf Kahler) head shriveled into a gooey mess, Toht’s face literally melted down to the bone, and Belloq’s head exploded into a million pieces. With their eyes clamped shut, Indy and Marion miraculously survived as whatever it was that came out of that Ark was sucked back in, taking along the horde of bodies it had just eviscerated. After picking my jaw up off the floor and finishing the film, I knew I had a restless night of sleep ahead of me, and probably many more in the ensuing weeks or even months. Though it pains me to admit it, there may have even been a nightlight involved and the words “the power of God” took on a new meaning for me.
How Was the Shocking Finale of ‘Raiders’ Achieved?
While some of the effects in Raiders‘ climax may seem dated depending on who you ask, a variety of tricks and techniques were employed by the wizards at Industrial Light and Magic to pull off the sequence. Shooting on a large soundstage at London’s Pinewood Studios, and working with meticulously-crafted storyboards, Spielberg and his team used a combination of practical effects, optical effects, and miniature models. To create the illusion of Nazi soldiers being blown away by the Ark’s contents, small lights were fastened to the actors for use as a reference for the beams that would eventually be composited into the shots. And with Spielberg’s precise direction, the actors flailed their bodies on set to further sell the effect of being struck. In achieving the effect of the mysterious creatures that emerge from the Ark, a combination of real-life models and miniatures were used. By placing the miniatures in a water tank, manipulating their movements, and photographing them against a black backdrop, they appeared to float and fly gracefully.
To simulate Toht’s face melting, a model of the actor’s face and skull was sculpted using alginate, the same material used by dentists to make molds of teeth. Applying heat to the material caused it to slowly melt, allowing the filmmakers to shoot at one frame per second and then project the footage at 24 frames per second, resulting in a seamless, real-time effect of the character’s face deteriorating. Colonel Dietrich’s death was relatively straightforward, requiring a hollow model of the actor’s head to be sculpted and, according to effects supervisor Richard Edlund, sucking the air out of it. For the explosion of Belloq’s head, a model of the actor’s likeness was constructed and simply blown up in front of the camera. However, according to Spielberg, this effect was deemed graphic enough to warrant an R rating from the MPAA, requiring the addition of a second layer of fire in the frame to obscure some of the gore.
Steven Spielberg Was Famous For Stretching the PG Rating
As the reigning king of the blockbuster through the 1970s and ’80s, Steven Spielberg had an uncanny knack for crafting thrills, chills, and awe-inspiring spectacles. Seamlessly blending action, wonder, suspense, and comedy all into one film is no easy feat, and the wunderkind from Arizona did it on the regular with those he directed, produced, and co-wrote. But working in an era in which the PG-13 rating was non-existent, Spielberg often pushed the boundaries of what the broadly encompassing PG rating could deliver to audiences, often to the shock and horror of unsuspecting viewers.
Look no further than Jaws, which featured, among other things, multiple severed limbs and mangled bodies, a fountain of gore as a little boy is attacked by a shark, and a main character spitting up blood before meeting his ultimate demise. Co-written and produced by Spielberg, Poltergeist also notoriously provided plenty of nightmare fodder with its house of horrors. Malevolent spirits terrorizing a family, a homicidal tree attempting to devour a child, a swimming pool full of real skeletons, and the gruesome depiction of a man tearing his own face to bloody shreds are just some of the terrors the PG film foisted on audiences. And of course, there was Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with its infamous example of human sacrifice, as well as the Spielberg-produced Gremlins with its comedic yet graphic violence. As fate would have it, Temple of Doom and Gremlins were intense enough to spark a backlash that prompted the MPAA to implement the PG-13 rating.
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