In this classic and still haunting sequence from this rousing adventure from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, the Nazi henchmen who finally have possession of the ancient Ark of the Covenant, prepare to open it. Indiana Jones and Marion are tied to a pole to watch. The entire film we've waited for this awesome moment, when we finally see what they would find when they opened this priceless artifact, which was supposed to have held the original Ten Commandments brought down by Moses from the mountain. At first nothing seems to happen when they open it and all they find inside is white ashes, supposedly the crushed remains of the Ten Commandments. But everyone soon learns there is a price to pay for opening this artifact of God -- spirits fly out of the Ark, and one appears to the three main "bad guys" as a beautiful apparition, but her beautific face immediately changes into that of an evil skeletal face, whereby everyone who leaves their eyes opened is killed in the most grisly matters, including melting, while Belloq explodes. Indiana and Marion know to close their eyes and are saved. It's a powerful moment of anticipation to the opening of the Ark, and a powerful payoff.