Shelob

The conspicuous presence of spiders in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth imaginarium is rooted in Arachnophobia, an irrational fear Tolkien’s son, Michael, was affected by. In the universe of Arda, the spiders were originally spawned by a single being — Ungoliant, a massive demonic entity which entered Middle Earth before the First Age, perhaps one of… Read More Shelob

Crusoe

The Water Horse director Jay Russell first developed the appearance of Crusoe, the titular creature of the film, with concept artist Matt Codd. The core concept was to have a design that would channel the classic depictions of the Loch Ness Monster — like the iconic 1934 photo hoax by surgeon Robert Wilson. “We felt… Read More Crusoe