Movies
Explaining Cloverfield & It’s Weird, Chaotic Multiverse
The Cloverfield franchise has had a long, bizarre journey to being a big-name horror franchise. The J.J. Abrams-produced sci-fi horror film had its way to theaters paved by an especially strange and engaging ARG (alternate reality game); played through the internet, fans dove into a series of puzzling websites, hidden images, and in-universe promotional materials that told a twisted story of corporate conspiracy. At its center? Slushy drinks, kawaii mascots, satellite crashes, seabed-dwelling parasites, and of course, a 300-foot-tall aquatic monster fans would dub Clover.
With viral marketing on a whole other level, a simple kaiju movie wrapped in a found footage package became THE landmark horror film of 2008 and soon embedded itself into the hearts and minds of horror fans worldwide. It became so big in fact that the brand name eventually consumed other unrelated films: The Cellar, which was eventually retitled and rewritten to become 10 Cloverfield Lane, and God Particle, which eventually became The Cloverfield Paradox.
Cloverfield as a pop culture entity is an undeniable juggernaut with active fans still discussing it and its sequels to this day. But what brings together these three films, with a prospective fourth still in development? Today, we explain exactly what makes the Cloververse tick.
The Cloverfield franchise has had a long, bizarre journey to being a big-name horror franchise. The J.J. Abrams-produced sci-fi horror film had its way to theaters paved by an especially strange and engaging ARG (alternate reality game); played through the internet, fans dove into a series of puzzling websites, hidden images, and in-universe promotional materials that told a twisted story of corporate conspiracy. At its center? Slushy drinks, kawaii mascots, satellite crashes, seabed-dwelling parasites, and of course, a 300-foot-tall aquatic monster fans would dub Clover.
With viral marketing on a whole other level, a simple kaiju movie wrapped in a found footage package became THE landmark horror film of 2008 and soon embedded itself into the hearts and minds of horror fans worldwide. It became so big in fact that the brand name eventually consumed other unrelated films: The Cellar, which was eventually retitled and rewritten to become 10 Cloverfield Lane, and God Particle, which eventually became The Cloverfield Paradox.
Cloverfield as a pop culture entity is an undeniable juggernaut with active fans still discussing it and its sequels to this day. But what brings together these three films, with a prospective fourth still in development? Today, we explain exactly what makes the Cloververse tick.
WAIT, WHAT IS THE CLOVERVERSE?
The three different films of the Cloverfield franchise take place across 4 separate universes, with the multiverse at large being dubbed the Cloververse by fans back in 2016 with the release of 10 Cloverfield Lane.
The multiverse angle was only truly established in the third film, The Cloverfield Paradox; while Paradox explores astronauts trying to access infinite energy through a particle accelerator and messing up terribly, this inciting incident is the lynchpin that connects all three films.
A scene of a conspiracy theorist named Mark Stambler (a relative of that universe’s Howard Stambler from 10 Cloverfield Lane) on television elaborates that Clover, the aliens from Lane, and other creatures could be summoned by the ignition of the Shepard particle accelerator. When the fabric of space-time was ruptured by the accelerator firing off, it “unleashed chaos” and seemingly scattered horrific aliens across the multiverse.
Hence, Cloververse.
WHAT IS CLOVER?
A juvenile kaiju of an unknown species, Clover is the most notable of the monsters released by this event. Created by concept artist and creature designer Neville Page, Clover was described by director Matt Reeves and company as a frightened child that had been wrenched from its mother, causing it to rampage across the world after being woken up.
Dubbed the Large-Scale Aggressor by the U.S. government, the creature was an alien adapted for aquatic environments and could go for extended periods of dormancy at the bottom of the ocean. It carried on its body thousands of aggressive, dog-sized parasites, which only compounded the damages done to New York by Clover’s attack.
It was also effectively unkillable, surviving everything thrown at it, including the Hammerdown Protocol bombing that ended the first film. A subtle message in the end credits reveals that the creature is still alive, and quite possibly grew into a similar giant monster seen at the end of The Cloverfield Paradox.
WHERE DID CLOVER COME FROM?
A long-time debate among Cloverfield fans was spurred by exactly this question, and by the final scene of the film which shows an object falling into the Atlantic Ocean. The ARG and J.J. Abrams’s own answers suggest the object is a satellite, but director Matt Reeves seems to believe this is the monster. Most disagree with Reeves because the ARG goes to lengths to explain the timeline of events leading up to Clover’s attack on New York, which just doesn’t work if it is Clover.
Without getting lost in the weeds of exact dates, the ARG details that a Japanese satellite known as the Chimpanzee III crashed into the Atlantic Ocean under mysterious circumstances, a portion of which ended up off the coast of New York (which we see in the final moments of the film). Tagruato, a shadowy transnational corporation with concerted interests in deep sea drilling, went on the hunt for the rest of the satellite and discovered a dormant Clover. An oil drilling station was established over the creature’s location as a coverup, and Tagruato experimentation at that drill site eventually woke it up.
In short: Clover was torn into the universe by the Shepard accelerator, went dormant at the bottom of the ocean, was woken up by Tagruato, and then subsequently went on a rampage.
WHAT WOKE UP CLOVER?
Among the many Tagruato subsidiaries, none was as popular as Slusho!, a drink company that was quickly becoming the most popular beverage in the world. A big part of the ARG is a series of video messages and emails detailing the titular soft drink was made with an addictive chemical compound called Seabed’s Nectar. Seabed’s Nectar was toxic when consumed in its raw form as seen in the Jamie videos of the ARG, causing hallucinations and eventually death in humans after continued consumption.
The Special Investigation commentary on the home release of Cloverfield revealed that the thousands of Parasites that landed in New York City with Clover all had high levels of Seabed’s Nectar in their blood. The Parasites, Clover, or both were the source of Seabed’s Nectar, and Tagruato’s misguided attempts to extract and farm it from the creatures woke it up.
Still, kind of thirsty for some Slusho.
ARE THE ALIENS FROM 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE RELATED TO CLOVER?
Probably not. Chances are they’re just one of many threats caused by a misguided attempt to harness infinite energy. J.J. Abram’s has said in the past that he’s hoping for the Cloverfield series to end up as more of an anthology than anything else, so there’s no telling where the story goes from here. I’m just hoping we get either the return of the parasites or some nasty new monster designs.
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And that will be it for today’s Horror 101 lesson. See you in the next class and stay tuned to Horror Press’s social media feeds for more content on horror movies, television, and everything in between!
Shudder knows summer is the perfect time to watch scary things in air-conditioned places. Which is why the beloved streamer is giving us newer movies like Heresy, Whistle, This is Not a Test, and Smothered. While it’s always fun to see recent titles arrive alongside classics and deep cuts, my eye isn’t on the films this month. Most of my picks this May are television series and documentaries. Maybe that means I want longer comments with my media and an open library. Or perhaps I’m just reminding myself that I’m a cool nerd and making it your problem too. Whatever the case may be, I have curated another list of titles that I believe deserve our attention. Check out my top five priorities while surfing our favorite streamer below.
Tales From the Crypt (1989 – 1996)
Our beloved 90s anthology is finally making its way to our most cherished streamer. As someone who hasn’t seen Tales From the Crypt since I was a tyke, I’m so giddy that I get to watch it as an adult. More importantly, I get to binge it as John Kassir (the voice of our favorite ghoul) intended. I have been floating since this news was announced at the Overlook Film Festival in April. My insomnia and my Crypt Keeper are about to be reunited, and all is going to be alright in my little world. Come for the celebrities and stay for the puns and wicked deaths. I sincerely hope you call out of work each Friday as a new season gets added to Shudder.
You can watch Tales From the Crypt: Season 1 on May 1st. Subsequent seasons will premiere on Fridays, concluding with Season 7 on June 12
Horror Noire: History of Black Horror (2019)
Based on Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman’s book of the same name, Horror Noire: History of Black Horror is simply that girl. It unpacks the complicated history of Black people in the genre with humor, honesty, and heart. It even gets into the conversations no one seems to want to have and makes room for Black horror icons to actually be heard for once. You could hear the record scratch on Bluesky when this Shudder Original disappeared a few months ago. So, we can all rest easy knowing that it’s coming back home and we can continue to have it in our regular rotation. Horror Noire made many of us feel seen and made us better cinephiles and critics. It’s worth the Shudder subscription on its own if we’re being completely honest.
You can watch Horror Noire: History of Black Horror on May 4th.
The Terror: Devil in Silver (2026)
Your favorite unsettlingly stoic anthology has returned for a new season, and this time, Dan Stevens is in the mix. Stevens plays Pepper, a man with bad luck and a bad temper who gets himself committed to a psychiatric hospital. Any horror fan knows that’s the recipe for many horror bangers, and that’s why I will be sat. The cast also includes CCH Pounder, Judith Light, and Marin Ireland. However, my heart belongs to Karyn Kusama, who is in the director’s chair and the queen of tension. As a Momma Kusma stan account, I am so ready for her to raise my blood pressure and send me to the ER. The demonic duo of AMC+ and Shudder is cooking with this one.
You can watch episode one of The Terror: Devil in Silver on May 7th. Subsequent episodes will premiere weekly, concluding with the season finale on June 11th.
In Search of Darkness 1990-1994 (2024)
We all love to see our faves get together and discuss the horror eras we have romanticized. Which is why watching genre royalty unpack the “lost” decade of horror is something we all probably want to see. As a 90s kid, I feel like we ate pretty well in my day. So, I want to collect all of these stories like infinity stones. Some of the faces we can expect to see are Heather Langenkamp, John Carpenter, Frank Henenlotter, Tim Balme, and Michael Gross. My little nerd heart could bust, and I am happy Shudder is opening the library this May.
You can watch episode one of In Search of Darkness 1990-1994 on May 11th.
Something Is About to Happen (2023)
Things take a turn for a woman who loses her job as a computer programmer. The only movie in my roundup this month goes to the one I perhaps know the least about. Truthfully, I am just here for horror movies about women going through it. Excuse me as I gesture to the world and my bank account. More importantly, Spanish-language horror rarely fails me. So, I am willing to look past the two-hour and two-minute runtime. I am ignoring that it is listed as a romantic horror. I’m doing this because I expect my kind of chaos, and I hope I am right. From one down girl to another, I am rooting for this character on sight.
You can watch episode one of Something Is About to Happen on May 15th.
That is what I plan to use my Shudder Saturdays for this month. Let us know what you’re plotting to hit play on in the comments because we’re nosy.
Is anyone else remembering we have movies at home and logging in a lot of Netflix hours this spring? I know I am, and I keep finding more hidden treasures on this app. They collect so much international media and never tell us they have it. I find this frustrating as I pull up late to things I’m probably going to love. Quite a few foreign films make it into my lineup this month. Two of them I have never heard of before and are newer titles that should be getting some attention, in case they’re some of the best of their respective years. One is French, and we all need to revisit it for reasons that I’ll explain later.
Another thing worth noting about Netflix’s recent additions is an American show called Man on Fire. This serialized adaptation of A. J. Quinnell’s novel of the same name stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. He’ll be playing the character my generation associates with Denzel Washington because of the 2004 film adaptation. As a nerd who has been wondering why Yahya hasn’t been on my screen for a minute, I will probably have finished binging this before you even make it to the end of this article. I digress! Here are the five movies I plan to watch this month on Netflix!
180 (2026)
An act of road rage leaves a young boy in critical condition and his father seeking revenge. As usual, Netflix has not really advertised this South African thriller. However, I love revenge and am always game for a new release. So, I’m happy the powers that be put this in the recent lineup. It looks good, which gives me hope that this is going to be a gritty and bloody adventure. Fingers crossed, a few of you also hit play on this one because I’d like more quality South African thrillers that are easily accessible in America. I’m tired of hunting them down years after the fact.
Benedetta (2021)
A nun has religious visions that threaten the core of the Church while she is also having a secret affair in the 17th century. You are probably confused as to why Paul Verhoeven’s French psychological romantic drama is in my Netflix round-up. Especially if you clocked the long run time, and now I love a 90-minute or less movie. Listen! If you give me a nun having visions and having a lesbian affair in a period piece, it is my sworn duty to tell everybody. It is also my job to rewatch it for reasons. Don’t say I never did anything for you!
Him (2025)
A young athlete discovers why you should never meet your heroes when he is invited to train with a football legend. People were way too mean to this movie. It’s giving Neon Demon and Black Swan for Black male athletes. It’s not perfect, but the aesthetics and vibes are on 10. More importantly, Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers deliver some pretty fantastic performances that keep you locked in. I’m excited to revisit it and see if I like it more (or less) than when I caught it in theaters. Hopefully, more people will do the same now that the more biased discourse has died down.
Mudborn (2025)
A spirit terrorizes a video-game designer and his pregnant wife. I have no idea what to expect from Meng-Ju Shieh’s Mandarin supernatural horror film. However, I’m excited to see what this spirit is about. Again, Netflix continues to drop the ball on advertising international films. So, it’s up to us to find it in the streets and raise the alarm. In a perfect world, this movie will be the nightmare fuel I’m always seeking out. However, at the end of the day, I’m just happy to show up and support international films helmed by people of color. It’s a win-win situation, however I look at it.
Scream (2022)
A new Ghostface is terrorizing Woodsboro 25 years after the original killing spree rocked the town. As a Wes Craven stan account and fan of Radio Silence, I was so happy this movie turned out awesome. I can still say this is one of my favorite horror wins of this decade because it showed this franchise still had some life in it. It also introduced us to our Core Four, led by my new favorite final girl, Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera). As someone who enjoyed these first six movies, I will always clear my schedule for a marathon and am happy to see Scream (2022) on Netflix this month. I plan to rewatch it and continue being salty that I will never know how this new trilogy was supposed to end.
That’s what I have this month. Happy Netflixing to each and every one of you!
