10. Willie's Escape - Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom
This deleted scene would have taken place after the infamous scene in which a man's heart is ripped from his chest by villain Mola Ram. After Indy clambers down to the stage to nab the Sankara Stones, he vanishes into the catacombs below having heard the scream of a child - leaving nightclub singer Willie Scott and Short Round waiting for him. At this point in the movie, a Thuggee guard pops up and captures Short Round; if you're paying close attention, however, you'll notice that Willie Scott gets away in the background of the shot - though the next time we see her, she's been captured and the Thuggee guards are preparing to lower her into the lava pit below. But why did we see her get away in that brief moment, disappearing down the passage way and back towards Pankot Palace? Well, that's where this deleted scene comes in - one that was shot and later removed because Spielberg thought that it served little purpose overall and slowed down the film (you can view a very rare clip of the scene on the Temple Of Doom Blu-ray release, or in picture format in the Marvel Comic release of the movie as seen above). The scene in question would have shown Willie Scott returning to her room only to find herself met by the Prime Minister, Chattar Lal, and several guards. For an instant, a panicked Willie believes that Chattar Lal is on her side - and then he reveals his true allegiance to the Thuggee, and proceeds to capture her. It's not a necessary scene by any means, but a cool deleted moment nonetheless.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
