22 Years Later, Peter Jackson’s Favorite Lord of the Rings Shot Remains the Trilogy’s Scariest

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Peter Jackson has worked on 17 full-length films throughout his career, but he’s best known for his epic trilogy. Years after the films were released, an interviewer asked him a specific question. In a 2018 interview on the BBC Radio 1 podcast Movies That Made Me, journalist Ali Plumb asked Jackson if he had a favorite single shot from The Lord of the Rings. Jackson initially found it hard to pick just one.

The director immediately thought of the Mines of Moria sequence from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which he’d previously called his favorite part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s book. However, he couldn’t pinpoint a single standout shot from those scenes. After a moment, Jackson recalled one he was particularly proud of: the opening shot of Shelob. He explained, “I hate spiders, so I’m really pleased with that shot.” It shows Frodo hearing something, and the camera slowly moves down to reveal Shelob quietly crawling above him. This shot is from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, occurring right after Frodo escapes Shelob’s Lair and enters the Pass of Cirith Ungol.

Peter Jackson Used Clever Techniques to Make Shelob Horrifying

Despite what Jackson said on the podcast, this wasn’t the first time we saw the spider-like monster, though it was definitely the most striking. She had appeared earlier, crawling out of a dark tunnel in her lair. Jackson skillfully built suspense during this scene, using his experience as a horror director.

While desperately trying to escape, Frodo crashed through tangled cobwebs and the remains of Shelob’s past victims. He barely managed to avoid the monster and survive, finally emerging from the confusing caves. For a moment, the danger seemed to lessen, and it appeared Frodo had reached safety – or as safe as possible within Mordor. But this brief relief was a trick, setting the stage for a signature shot by director Jackson.

Shelob climbed onto the cliffs overlooking Frodo, and the music stopped abruptly, replaced by the sound of wind and her approaching steps. Frodo sensed her too late, turning just as she struck with her poisonous stinger. The venom paralyzed him, and he fell unconscious. The scene was deeply frightening, particularly for anyone afraid of spiders, and the sight of Shelob looming over Frodo was the most terrifying moment. The filmmakers used clever camera angles to heighten the drama.

The filmmakers built suspense in this scene using several camera techniques. First, the camera faced Frodo from behind, allowing the audience to see the approaching spider before he did, making viewers anxious for him to notice the danger. Second, the camera was positioned very low to the ground, making the spider appear much larger and more imposing, and it nearly filled the screen, blocking out the sky. Finally, a tilted, or Dutch, angle was used, which created a feeling of instability and unease – a technique director Peter Jackson used effectively and sparingly throughout The Lord of the Rings.

Peter Jackson’s Favorite The Lord of the Rings Shot Was Not in the Storyboards

In the commentary for The Return of the King, director Peter Jackson shared how the iconic shot of Shelob’s lair came about almost by chance. He and the crew were experimenting with a wide-angle lens and a camera crane on set, simply looking for interesting perspectives. This demonstrates the advantage of building large, physical sets. Had the scene been filmed with green screens or painted backgrounds, Jackson wouldn’t have had the same freedom to move around and discover such a captivating camera angle.

Peter Jackson has confessed to being afraid of spiders and other insects. Interestingly, this fear has often inspired him to include them in his movies. For example, his 1989 film, Meet the Feebles, briefly featured a large spider puppet as a villain – a reference to a cut scene from an earlier version of the film. Jackson realized that making something frightening for himself would be the most effective way to scare viewers, and he proved this with the terrifying spider, Shelob.

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2025-11-16 01:06