One could easily make the argument that the Indiana Jones movies are horror movies. All of the films feature gruesome deaths and focus on a hero (played by Harrison Ford) who kills without remorse. Fans of these films have reduced the numbers, and Indiana Jones killed more than 50 people directly in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” alone. In comparison, Jason Voorhees kills 34 people throughout “Friday the 2nd,” “Friday the 13th,” and “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter” (via Gamespot).
(In fairness, Indy only kills people who try to kill him, but the point still stands.)
Furthermore, people die in gruesome ways in the “Indiana Jones” movies. Villains who open the name “Lost Ark” are all melted or exploded by God’s power. A victim similarly had his heart magically removed from his chest in “Temple of Doom” before being thrown into a lava pit, while Walter Donovan (Julian Glover) aged prematurely into bones in seconds in “The Last Battle.” Steven Spielberg, who directed the first four films of “Indiana Jones”, has a great eye for horror, as it is shown time and time again. That extends to 1982’s “Poltergeist,” a haunted house movie that he produced, co-wrote, and held much creative control over. Tobe Hooper, however, is the famous director of the film.
However, as reported in Paul Bullock’s 2017 oral history of “Temple of Doom,” Indiana Jones creator George Lucas once created an idea for an Indiana Jones horror film set in a haunted castle in Scotland. Spielberg rejected Lucas’s idea, however, having just worked on “Poltergeist.”
Read more: The Complete Indiana Jones Timeline Explained
George Lucas once created an Indiana Jones movie set in a haunted castle
Indiana Jones disguised as the king of Scotland and Elsa disguised as his assistant Indiana Jones and the Last Stand – Lucasfilm
1981’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was a hit with critics and audiences alike. So, since the movie was inspired by old games from the 1930s, there were reasons to make a sequel. Finally, Steven Spielberg directed “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” in 1984, a film set several years before “Raiders.” However, before that, George Lucas had many ideas for the Indiana Jones films, some of which involved the god known as the Monkey King (in Empire).
Finally, Lucas came up with the idea of a movie about Indiana Jones dealing with evil spirits in a haunted castle in Scotland. As Lucas recalled (according to Paul Bullock’s oral history):
“The first story was about a haunted castle in Scotland. But Steven said, ‘Aww, I just did Poltergeist,’ I don’t want to do that again.’ That’s where we started working with Bill Huyck and Gloria Katz [on ‘Temple of Doom’].”
Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz (who previously wrote Lucas’ 1973 breakout “American Graffiti”) are the famous writers of “Temple of Doom,” a film set in 1930s India and involving a dangerous sect of supernatural Thuggees who perform human sacrifices, enslave children of darkness and various magic. It has a dark story, so much so that it scared “Lost Ark” author Lawrence Kasdan.
“The story ended up being darker than we intended,” Lucas admitted. He continued:
“Part of it was that I was going through a divorce at the time, and I wasn’t in a good mood; and part of it was that we wanted to do something smaller.”
Steven Spielberg really didn’t want to make Temple of Doom
A short time later, Willie and Indy are watching the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – Lucasfilm
Steven Spielberg, it should be noted, did not really have the heart to make “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” He may not have wanted to direct a horror movie with ghosts, but “Temple of Doom” was as scary as anything. However, it was not based on any burning personal desire to tell this particular story. Since then, Spielberg even admitted that “Temple of Doom” is his favorite “Indiana Jones” movie, until he said:
“I wasn’t happy with ‘Temple of Doom’ at all. It was very dark, underground, and very scary. I thought it was a cleanup of ‘Poltergeist.’ None of my thoughts on ‘Temple of Doom.’
With that in mind, Spielberg didn’t need to be in a bad mood to make a dark film. In fact, he had already directed a lot of horror or, at least, horror projects close to “Temple of Doom,” especially at the beginning of his career. He began his directing career by helming the “Eyes” episode of the 1969 “Night Gallery” pilot of the TV series, dark and scary. After that, he directed the 1971 horror film “Duel,” which follows a man who, while driving on desert highways, finds himself being chased by a mysterious truck. Spielberg even helmed the 1972 TV movie “Something Evil,” a straight movie about demons.
And, of course, Spielberg directed several creature features that you may have seen. His shark movie “Jaws” had a bit of blood in it, while his dino-bonanza “Jurassic Park” had several people being attacked by prehistoric monsters. Spielberg has stayed away from horror in recent years, but he certainly has it in him.
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Read the original article at SlashFilm.
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