Jilli -- I'm NOT arachnophobic and there were these images in the design gallery that were freaking me out. (For some reason the pale unpainted versions of the spider were more freaky than the painted ones.)

It was interesting to listen to. Of course, it was probably made more interesting by the various "Nyyggaaah! Don't open your eyes!" interjections from Pete.

Hubby bravely kept telling me, "Don't look, not yet," but I was being brave and watching--until the funnel web spiders were mentioned. I'm sorry, billytea, but I'm not travelling to a country where those things are common. I wrote off South America due to jumping spiders years ago.

Aren't funnel web spiders NZ? Not Australia.

Actually, I think that they specified that the spiders they modelled Shelob on were NZ's tunnel spiders, not the Australian funnel web ones. Christian Rivers tells about getting some from his home garden and bringing them in, which was an effort on his part considering he himself is a bit of an arachnophobe.

It's pretty clear that the reason why the spider passages are so frightening is that not only was Tolkien arachnophobic but so is Peter Jackson.

Cereal to add: Tunnel-web spider from NZ: [link]

Funnel web spider from Australia: [link]

t avoiding Kathy's links with the fervor of a holy martyr

New Zealand, Australia--big-assed spiders mean no visits from me.

Aww, but New Zealand also has the weta!

Oh, I watched from Book to Script last night and I enjoyed seeing two of the other "endings" -- how people would have complained had they actually had endings for each member of the Fellowship. ( It shows Gimli working with a gem and Legolas wandering in an forest. . .perhaps Fangorn? )

Oh, and watch the Cameras doc for sure, especially the bit about Sam's wedding! Let's just say that Sam and Rosie weren't the only two kissing on set that day...

I just about fell out of my chair. I imagine that the RPS folk are having a field day right about now.