In 2008 you may have been intrigued enough to go see the movie Cloverfield in theaters, and when you were finished with the movie you either loved it or hated it for its found footage style.
Many did not like the movie, but I was in love with the movie just from the trailer and poster because of one reason: a giant monster attacking New York City.
This week’s Monster Vault we are diving into some deep waters to talk about the large monster, Clover from Cloverfield.
History of Clover
J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves put together a project out of nowhere eight years ago that focused on a group of young adults trying to escape New York as a giant monster attacked. The terrifying moments of Cloverfield is that it is told literally from the perspective of the camera guy in the group.
The first initial shock of a monster in the city is when the Statue of Liberty’s head flies in the sky and lands in the middle of the street. Early on in the film we get brief glimpses of the monster as he tears through buildings and stomps on tanks, but soon after we are introduced fully to the creature.
Meet Clover (the official production name of the monster), a creature with truly unknown origins but with many theories. As a part of mystery, viral marketing, and some film backstory, Clover is a creature that seems to come out of nowhere.
From the poster and scene in the film, the monster seems to awake from the ocean to start terrorizing the city.
However, in the final scene of the movie there is a small glimpse of an object flying out of the sky and landing in the ocean. This has been said to be the monster itself, so perhaps coming from space.
Another part of the mystery is the suspicious product brand Slusho!, which was heavily mentioned in the viral marketing as well as seen and mentioned in the film. There were many puzzle pieces and theories leading to believe that the company behind this brand was a secret conspiracy that helped create or perhaps hide the monster.
Though none of this has ever been confirmed or denied, it has always been unusual that this was always a large part of the film’s marketing and merchandise.
Characteristics of Clover
Clover stands at 25 stories tall with more of a quadrupedal stance, but capable of standing upright for a short amount of time. The creature has long and thin limbs with a large body core, and the creators have said that the reason is because the monster is actually a newborn.
The creature designer and filmmakers have stated that the monster is “confused, lost, and scared” and is actually not out there just killing. The monster is capable of withstanding a mass amount of missiles, artillery shells, bombs, and other attacks with minimal damage.
Its underbelly is composed of teeth-like appendages that are capable of consuming full size humans while underneath.
Perhaps the more terrifying trait about Clover is the creature carries parasites all over its body that can drop at any given time. These parasites are about the size of a larger dog and have crustacean-like bodies with several pairs of eyes, claws, and arms.
The parasites are rabid nature and are able to run, scatter, climb, stick, and jump distances with large teeth that can either consume a human or leave a bite. If a human is bitten, they become violently ill and bleeds profusely from the eyes, and shortly after, their torso expands and explodes.
With the combination of the giant baby monster and its hundreds of parasites ravaging the city, this monster is a menace that can’t be taken lightly.
Future
Just recently released in March, J.J. Abrams surprised the world again with a “bloodline” sequel of Cloverfield that is set in the same world, but does not tie directly into the first film.
This film, 10 Cloverfield Lane, does not feature out Clover monster but focuses on the “monsters” inside a bunker as they hide from the contaminated world outside. However, Abrams has discussed many times that he has ideas for another sequel for the original film to bring back the monster or at least more story about it.
Currently there are no official plans in motion or a set release date, but given the nature of Abrams he already may have something in the works.
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