As the evil Mola Ram placed his fingers on the chest of his next petrified human sacrifice, children around the world slapped their hands over their eyes as the High Priest of The Temple Of Doom eviscerated his victim's heart and held it aloft, maniacally cackling as the still beating organ burst into flames. With this sort of image in mind, it's not unsurprising to find that Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom was produced during some of Spielberg's darkest hours. For both the movie's creators, personal troubles had been brewing, and this was a definite contributing factor to Doom's pervading sense of evil. It's also a fascinating look at the director's dark side. With its gruesome rituals and hellish moments of suspense, Indy II once again shows Spielberg to be the master of the tension-mounting set-piece - The Chamber Of Spikes being a supreme case in point. His ability to tap into these nightmarish visions make Doom an uncharacteristic, but devilish good, slice of Spielberg cinema.

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