Remember the movie Cloverfiled? Sure you do. The 2008 found footage science fiction film was well-known for its viral marketing campaign, and also for terrifying anyone who had the misfortune of watching it. So now that a surprise sequel, 10 Cloverfield Lane, is arriving in theaters, fans are wondering if they should expect the same sorts of thrills. But is 10 Cloverfield Lane scary? It's worth noting that, although much of the new film is still shrouded in mystery, its tone and story are very different from its predecessor. Producer J.J. Abrams, who worked on both films, told EW that the new film isn't a true sequel, but more of a "spiritual successor" to Cloverfield. He also said that the monster who terrorized the first movie isn't even in the film. So what's there to be scared of?
It's hard to say for sure — Abrams and the other filmmakers have been extremely careful with what they've revealed of the movie's plot. Although it is refreshing, and quite daring, for a studio film to reveal almost nothing about itself as it heads into theaters, it doesn't do much to prepare audiences for how scared they should be.
In his EW interview, Abrams admitted that the movie does have monsters, but they're not what fans are expecting. And while his comments are purposefully vague, he does seem to believe that people who were frightened by Cloverfield will be scared in the same way by the new film. Here's what he said:
"There is a monster in this movie. It’s not the monster you expect, but there is a monster. The thing that I will say about anyone who is going to it expecting to see literally Cloverfield 2, those characters and that monster are not in this movie, but there are other characters and other monsters. It’s a very different story, but it is a spiritual successor to that movie. What I hope is that they will be satisfied by wanting to see something that is not of this natural Earth and not necessarily something that you would expect, and I hope that what they find gives them that fix, that thrill that I think they might be looking for in a literal Cloverfield 2 movie."
So far, just based on the trailers that have been released, I'm going to make the prediction that what's scary about the movie isn't the literal monsters, but rather the human element. The slogan unveiled in the film's second trailer, "Monsters come in many forms," seems to be implying that the people in the film are where the real horror lies. Especially John Goodman's character, who looks extremely creepy. Just imagine waking up chained in a bunker with a pistol-packing madman who tells you that he saved your life and that everyone outside the bunker is dead. Even if he's telling the truth, Goodman's character definitely seems like the scariest aspect of the film.
So although 10 Cloverfield Lane will include actual, otherworldly monsters, it looks like the most frightening aspect of the film is going to be the evil things that real live humans are capable of. And what's scarier than that?
Images: Paramount Pictures; giphy.com
