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Mike Prinke:
It was Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. In fact, it was the breaking point that led to the change in ratings.
While most of the movie followed the usual PG adventure format, similar to the previous Indy movie or Star Wars, there were a few unsettling moments, such as the scene where Mola Ram pulls out a man's heart and offers it to Kali. Initially, this alone was enough for an R rating, much like how the explosive head scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark was initially rated R. But for that film, Lucasfilm simply hid the explosion behind a fire column to maintain its PG status. However, Temple of Doom had more frequent moments that could be unsettling for younger audiences.
Annoyed with the situation and determined not to dilute the film, director Steven Spielberg chose to contest the MPAA's decision. He argued that while some of the action and horror might have been too intense for younger viewers, the movie was still a work of fantasy, and therefore should not be restricted to an adult audience.
This wasn’t the only film to face this issue. A wave of action and horror films were emerging that didn’t quite fit the 'mature' category but still raised concerns. For instance, Joe Dante's Gremlins, produced by Spielberg, was another example of a film where the PG rating seemed misleading due to its violence and gore. As a result, Spielberg and his colleagues proposed the creation of a middle rating between PG and R, aimed at films appropriate for teenagers but too intense for children.
Although Temple of Doom kept its PG rating, which left many parents dissatisfied in 1984, the PG-13 rating was introduced that same year. It was first applied to the film Red Dawn months later.
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