Chachapoyan Temple light trap

Junior Jones

New member
In a section of the hallway where a shaft of sunlight illuminates the chamber, Indy warns, "Stay out of the light." To test his instincts, he momentarily places his hand in the shaft of light. This sets off a primitive, light-sensitive booby-trap. With a ferocious noise, giant spikes spring together from the sides of the chamber - impaled there on the gate are the remains of a white man, half-flesh, half-skeleton, his mouth agape in horror. Indy recognizes the explorer-victim, his competitor: "Forrestal" - one of the best explorers in the business. They continue on.
Where does the light that keeps the trap from activating come from? If it is an outside light, what happens at night, or for that matter, on a cloudy day, or if a plant grows over the opening which provides the light? :confused:
 

spohlso

New member
This one kind of bugged me from the beginning. Beyond all of the things that would set off the trap for no reason, how the heck do primative people make a photosensitive trigger? That's some pretty advanced stuff there.
 

IAdventurer01

Well-known member
And yet. it seems to be a reacurring event with Indy of primitive cultures being more advanced that we take them to be.
 

Indydan13

New member
Perhaps the light was just a warning for a trap in the floor that indy set off when he put his hand in the light.
 

spohlso

New member
Mozart said:
Why do people think that the Hovitos or other cultures are primitive?

I guess by 'primative' I mean 'incapable of creating the advanced electronics needed to make a photoreceptive trigger.'

I guess the reason I jumped to that conclusion was that there was absolutely no indication of advanced electronics displayed anywhere in the films for the Hovitos. As a matter of fact, I don't think that any industrialized nation was capable of photosynthetics in 1936, much less at whatever time that temple was supposed to have been built.
 

Aaron H

Moderator Emeritus
Who says the Hovitos built the temple? It could have been built by some Atlantean-like civilization several thousand years ago.
 

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
spohlso said:
As a matter of fact, I don't think that any industrialized nation was capable of photosynthetics in 1936, much less at whatever time that temple was supposed to have been built.

Save maybe the ancient batteries found in Mesopotamia or Egypt, right...? ;)
 

Original Raider

New member
What bugs me even more about this scene is that fact that Indy saves his partner, only for him to try to steal the idol from Indy, not throw him his whip, then gets killed trying to escape by the same trap...only to reincarnate as Doc Octopus!!!
 

spohlso

New member
Pale Horse said:
Save maybe the ancient batteries found in Mesopotamia or Egypt, right...? ;)

I wasn't aware of those. Good point. However, while they may have been photosynthetic (able to store energy from light) that still doesn't mean they were photosensitive (able to react to the presence or absence of light.)

I'm still not aware of any civilization that had such technology in the 30s or earlier. If I'm wrong, I'd be happy to hear it because it would make that scene MUCH cooler to me.
 

Tennessee R

New member
Aaron H said:
Who says the Hovitos built the temple? It could have been built by some Atlantean-like civilization several thousand years ago.

Yeah, please insert a rare metallic sphere into the mouth of the skeleton to turn off the light. ;)

Energy conservation, made possible by wasting precious metal. ;)

-----------------------
Like on Carol Burnett:

-Sees candles on table-
"Ahh, I see you are conserving energy! You know we are too!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, my husband took the light-bulb out of the refrigerator."
-----------------------
 

Raffey

Member
spohlso said:
This one kind of bugged me from the beginning. Beyond all of the things that would set off the trap for no reason, how the heck do primative people make a photosensitive trigger? That's some pretty advanced stuff there.

Well, what about the generic blowdart booby trap that many movies seems to incorporate? :D

I don't remember hearing about any jungle natives inventing air compressors. Maybe I'd buy it if the area was near volcanic activity such as a hot air vent.

But, creating pressure point triggers on the floor that will activate not one but several dozen blowdarts is pretty advanced; not to mention, finding a way to keep that air constantly pressurized ready to shoot those darts for an infinite period of time.
 

spohlso

New member
Raffey said:
Well, what about the generic blowdart booby trap that many movies seems to incorporate? :D

I don't remember hearing about any jungle natives inventing air compressors. Maybe I'd buy it if the area was near volcanic activity such as a hot air vent.

But, creating pressure point triggers on the floor that will activate not one but several dozen blowdarts is pretty advanced; not to mention, finding a way to keep that air constantly pressurized ready to shoot those darts for an infinite period of time.

I was willing to let that one slide becuase it seems more like a question of extremely complex mechanics as opposed to advanced circuitry.
 

ElodieJones

New member
When the light shine in the temple, it let the trap inside the wall.
But when something stop the light, the trap come out.

So in night, or when a plane or anything else stop the lignt, I think the trap come out.
 

Original Raider

New member
Theres a midget Hovito hiding in the wall who's sole purpose in life is to stab people when they get in the way of his sunshine. He also releases the boulder, and his friends blow darts at Indy.
 

spohlso

New member
Original Raider said:
Theres a midget Hovito hiding in the wall who's sole purpose in life is to stab people when they get in the way of his sunshine. He also releases the boulder, and his friends blow darts at Indy.

NOW it makes sense! Thank you!
 

VP

Moderator Emeritus
Does anybody remember the monkey theory? It was something like there's a little monkey who is sleeping in a crack in the wall. When something gets in the light, it wakes up and starts doing something, but I can't remember what.
 
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