Many people believe that 10 Cloverfield Lane is either a prequel or a sequel to the 2008 cult hit, Cloverfield. J.J. Abrams produced both films and Abrams calls 10 Cloverfield a “cousin” of the first film, but I am not sure how sincere he is. What you should know, however, is that both films are adept at utilizing unseen horror – the audience hears rather than sees a good deal of something that scares the beejeesus out of them. In addition to this, 10 Cloverfield relies heavily on psychological horror, which is perhaps the most fundamental way to really scare an audience. There is nothing quite as scary as what’s inside one’s own mind.
One of the challenges in writing a review relates to the attempt to say what the film is about without giving too much away. If you have seen the official trailer for the film then you probably know that there are three people tucked away in a bunker, but what you don’t know is, what are they hiding from? How did they each get there? And what in the world is going on in the outside?
One of the key themes explored in science fiction cinema is that of the Other. The Other may be something that looks just like us but there’s something inhuman hidden underneath. Or, the Other is so radically different from us that there is no mistaking it from anything but what it is. Typically, both Others present a very serious threat to our existence.
What I can say without spoiling the film for you is that the film both touches on the theme of the Other and the choices we must make as human beings in choosing one evil over another.
Howard (John Goodman) is a military veteran who has had the foresight to build a well-stocked bomb shelter. Is Howard just a cautious man who likes to prepare for what the world may throw at him or is he a paranoid guy who doesn’t rule out the fact that little green men may invade our planet?
As Howard, Goodman is excellent in hiding his true motives and yet he is apt at providing subtle hints into his psyche. Goodman, who I believe is a greatly under-appreciated actor, is a kind of father figure to the younger Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) and as a father figure, he embodies both concern and a disturbing amount of menace.
Winstead and Gallagher provide fine acting as residents (captives?) sharing a small, underground space, and the camaraderie between the two seems genuine. But Winstead is given the bigger challenge of portraying her deep fears, suspicions, and terror that she must keep out of sight from her bunkmates.
If the film has any fault, it is in not exploring Winstead’s inner world that is in turmoil because of the circumstances in which she finds herself. As the only woman in the bunker who doesn’t know who she can trust, her fears only grow larger and more insidious, bottled up in her mind.
What I do appreciate most about this film is the way its disturbing tone is achieved because it is initially done on a small scale as little things evoke an uncomfortable feeling that settles into your bones. The set designers, Michelle Marchand II and Kellie Jo Tinney, deserve much of the credit for the mise en scène (essentially everything you see in the frame) because they do so much with so little.
This is a film that has stayed with me since I watched it and I credit that to its performances, its suspense and tension, and how it explored things that may be better left underground.
10 Cloverfield Lane
Producer: J.J. Abrams
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Starring: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr.
Run time: 1 hr 45 min
Rated: PG-13 for thematic material including frightening sequences of threat with some violence, and brief language
See upcoming showtimes for 10 Cloverfield Lane here.
