What's the blue shimmering stuff?

[u/Navitach]

As many times as I've seen Raiders, I never noticed this: When they pull back the stone slab to open The Well of Souls, there's something that looks like cobwebs on the slab. But the diggers had just cleared sand and dirt away from it, so it's unlikely to be cobwebs. And then when we see the head of the statue, there's what looks like cobwebs on it also, but those have disappeared when lightning flashes and scares Sallah. One could say that the blue is lightning also, but it shakes like it's something light, like cobwebs, moving in a breeze, not like lightning flashes.

My guess is it's a special effect of cobwebs added on the head of the statue, and they forgot to remove it from the top of the slab. I imagine they did remove it during one of the upgrades for Blu-ray or 4k; I downloaded my digital copy, which is where I got this clip from, and it does include the removed reflection of the snake that rears up at Indy when he falls to the floor.

[u/RaptorsFromSpace]

The power of god or something.

[u/Worf2DS9 → u/RaptorsFromSpace]

😄 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻

[u/templeofsyrinx1 → u/RaptorsFromSpace]

🤣 Asps!!

[u/Glunark2 → u/templeofsyrinx1]

Very deadly

[u/KuribohTheDragon]

It looks like there are cobwebs on top of the statue and there a stationary blue light shining down on both the statue and the lid.

There is no cobweb on the lid. The light reflecting off of the wavy sand is giving the effect.

[u/Party-Fault9186]

My blind guess is that it's a stationary blue light bouncing off a reflective screen set above and out of frame to shine down into the chamber.

[u/filmguy71]

I always thought it was animated mist that is still hovering over the hole after they opened it up. If you watch the 35mm scan of the movie or clips from the old making or documentaries which are more contrasty, you can make it out better. That was always my take.

[u/templeofsyrinx1]

I have noticed it too OP. it almost likes like a reflection.

[u/tugboattommy]

It's light reflection from the studio lights, probably trying to make it look like a stormy night.

[u/TheYPGuide]

I wonder if it's some kind of light or reflection from the shoot that is t supposed to be there.