20 Things You Didn't Know About Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Because computer-generated effects were in their infancy during the 1980s, Spielberg and Lucas knew they had to get creative while shooting the film's climax. They were aware that creating the otherworldly spirits would be a challenge and so, consulted the model maker of Industrial Light & Magic, Steve Gawley. For certain shots, Gawley filmed mannequins and puppets wearing silk robes underwater in slo-mo through a blurry lens. The miniatures were wiggled around in front of a blue-screen and the footage was then incorporated into the scene.

This may sound like a lot of work but Spielberg believed it wasn't enough. He needed at least one clear shot of a ghost's face so the spectres wouldn't look fake. The special effects team thought the receptionist at Lucasfilm had the perfect face for a ghost (not sure if that's a compliment), and cast her as one of the apparitions. She was swung around in front of a blue-screen and then her motions were reversed to make them appear less natural. Her face was composited with a model of a skull for the shot when she changes from an angelic being into a deathly creature.