The PG rating in the 1980s became a controversy in the film industry, andSteven Spielbergwas behind a lot of it. Before the PG-13 rating, there was no slot for a film that was between a PG and an R-rated film. Thus, a lot of films fell on either end of the spectrum. Some were doomed to an R rating, which limited their audience by not letting anyone under 17 in without a parent or guardian. The others were released under PG and let kids be exposed to films that were probably too scary or adult for them. Spielberg was pushing boundaries, and that led to the birth of the middle rating PG-13, which allowed for a sweet spot within film ratings.
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Indiana Jones and ‘Jaws’ Showed Why We Needed a PG-13 Rating
You cannot talk about PG-13 without talking about everyone’s favorite adventure hero: Indiana Jones. As the franchise is coming to an end this summer withIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, it’s fun to look back at the groundbreaking series that pushed limits.Raiders of the Lost Arkis a fairly average action movie regarding its violence. That is until the very end, where the Ark’s cosmic power melts the Nazi’s flesh right off their bodies and is perhaps one of the most iconic movie scenes ever.Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doomstepped up its game a lot further. While it is still a fun adventure film, there are a lot more horrific elements here. Indy is possessed, and tortured through voodoo, there’s disturbing child enslavement, and the scene where a man’s still-beating heart is ripped out of his chest before he is sacrificed into a lava pit.Indiana Jones and theTemple of Doomdoes not hold back.
But that’s not Spielberg’s only PG film that pushes its limits. A great deal of us grew up on the best oceanic thriller there is;Jaws. I sawJawswhen I was young, many years after its release, of course, like many kids. But even in its initial release, the film frightened audiences so much that sharks became trophy-hunted, andtheir population decreased rapidly in the 1970s. It should also be mentioned that both Spielberg and the author of the book,Peter Benchley, have expressed their regret about this situation.Jawsis tamer thanTemple of Doom, but it has its fair share of violence and gore. Children are eaten, there’s the iconic corpse jumpscare, Quint’s (Robert Shaw) dramatic death as Bruce the shark bites his torso and blood spews out of his mouth. It’s quite graphic imagery, especially considering the parameters of what PG suggests. It was not only these films either, other films that Spielberg did not direct himself, but had a hand in, are also the ones that caused this shift in rating.
‘Poltegeist’ and ‘Gremlins’ Pushed the Boundaries of a PG Rating
Poltergeist, written by Steven Spielberg and directed byTobe HooperofThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre, is another film that pushed the boundaries of a PG rating. Not only does it have pretty scary imagery involving the numerous ghosts and monsters throughout the film, like the iconic Beast that manifests as a giant skull and later guards the doorway to the children’s room in the final act as a skeletal giant. The film has a deliciously creepy atmosphere, but that’s not all. Marty (Martin Casella), one of the researchers who come to the Freeling family’s house, has maybe the goriest encounter of the film. After eating a maggot-ridden chicken wing he runs to the bathroom.
Looking in the mirror, he starts picking at a cut on his cheek. The scene escalates to him ripping the flesh off his face, leaving only his bloody skull to be seen. Thunder flashes, revealing it to be a vision, but is nonetheless one of the most disturbing sequences in the film. Another sequence is when Diane (JoBeth Williams) falls into the unfinished pool in the backyard, only to find there are corpses from the unmoved cemetery rising through the dirt because of the rain. It’s a disgusting notion on its own, swimming in muddy water with skeletons. It is even more disturbing knowing thatreal human remains were used for this scene.
The other film that directly influenced the PG-13 rating is the Spielberg-producedGremlins.Releasing the same year asTemple of Doom, it was the one-two punch that brought great criticism to the use of scary images.Gremlinswas likely the sneakiest of the films, looking like a fun Christmas film through the trailers. Though the trailer teased the monstrous turn of the cute furry creatures, it did not show how violent the film would be. Gremlins are torn apart, blown up in the microwave, and melted. It’s a comedy, but it’s also a very violent film. Add on the scene where Kate (Phoebe Cates) recounts her dad dying in the chimney dressed as Santa as her way of finding out he is not real, and it is understandable why parents were upset taking their kid’s to see this film. After all of these films, especiallyTemple of DoomandGremlins, it was evident that there needed to be a rating between PG and an R. Otherwise, it was going to continue to be a problem.
The PG-13 Rating Changed Movies Forever
AfterTemple of DoomandGremlinswere released in 1984, and Spielberg faced sharp criticism, he suggested to the president of the Motion Picture Association that they should implement a new rating in the system. The first PG-13 release came that very same year withRed Dawn.Spielberg noted thatit was “unfair that certain kids were exposed toJaws,but also unfair that certain films were restricted, that kids who were 13, 14, 15 should be allowed to see.” The most successful films of all time are all PG-13, includingJames Cameron’sAvatar. Spielberg’s pioneering of the rating system changed the movie-going experience as well as the movies themselves. PG has since been used mostly for kid’s films, though some films have slipped into this rating that isn’t directly targeted at kids. PG-13 movies were allowed to be a little bit more violent and include deeper adult themes without risking upsetting a young audience, or their parents. Despite Spielberg facing harsh criticism for pushing boundaries in his films (whether directed by him or just behind the scenes), ratings changed for the better because of him.
