![]() ![]() There are eight screen Gollums of which I am aware, not counting pre-Ring Sméagols. How, then, to visually capture this weird and elusive figure… While I do intend to eventually post a wider Gollum analysis, today I thought I would take a look at how the adaptions handle him – it is all very well to throw up vague literary descriptions (and Tolkien’s writings are often a bit shadowy here), but the screen does not have that luxury. No-one could suggest the same of Gollum, with his six teeth and webbed feet. Denethor and Feanor have their idiosyncrasies, yes, but both look normal. It’s such a jarring moment and makes me jump even after countless rewatches of these films.Tolkien’s Gollum is one of his most memorable characters, and this memorability is reinforced by the character’s distinctive appearance. He screams at Frodo as he lurches forward, startling both his nephew and the viewer who never expected such violence from Bilbo. But when his nephew Frodo shows him the One Ring, which was once Bilbo’s, the old hobbit’s face twists into something horrific, complete with sharp gnarled teeth and wild eyes. It’s mostly because Bilbo Baggins is an old, gentle hobbit who is mostly known for his wit and kindness. This is arguably the scariest moment of Lord of the Rings and one of the only real jumpscares in the trilogy. ![]() It doesn’t end well for Frodo, though, who gets a sword right into the chest. It’s haunting and full of dread, especially as Howard Shore’s oppressive score amplifies the anxiety. The wraiths slowly appear through shattered columns and drift into a circle, surrounding the hobbits. So, when the Ringwraiths trap the four young hobbits on top of a structure with no escape route, there’s nothing but terror in both the viewer’s and the characters’ hearts. Their high-pitched screeches are bone-rattling and their swords are coated in a poison that turns their victims into wraith-like creatures. These creatures used to be men but now don black cloaks and do the bidding of Sauron. Ringwraiths, or the Nazgul, are the scariest creatures in Lord of the Rings. Moria is a nightmare-inducing hellscape of death. Plus, it’s home to a Balrog, a legendary demon who craves destruction. Every sound could be an enemy and every smell is rancid. Between the behemoth and the dead, rotting bodies scattered through the group’s path, nothing about Moria feels remotely welcoming or safe. The massacred Dwarven Mines of Moria plus the tentacled beast that guards its entrance make this sequence in Fellowship of the Ring downright haunting. Thankfully he’s saved, again by Sam, but his fight and eventual capture by the massive spider is horrific. Despite his best efforts, Frodo gets a stinger to the gut as Shelob sneaks up on her unsuspecting prey. Frodo runs through a labyrinthine cave full of rotting corpses tangled up in massive webs, remains of other unfortunate souls who couldn’t evade Shelob’s pincers. Once Frodo is turned into hobbit soup, then Gollum can steal the One Ring for himself. Frodo is lured into her lair by Gollum, who knows full well the fate that awaits him. This wouldn’t be a list of scary moments in Lord of the Rings without including Shelob, a giant spider who loves fresh meat.
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