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{{About|the 2008 film|the film franchise|Cloverfield (franchise){{!}}''Cloverfield'' (franchise)}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2023}}

{{Infobox film
| name           = Cloverfield
| image          = Cloverfield theatrical poster.jpg
| alt            = A decapitated Statue of Liberty is in front of a partially wrecked New York City.
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Matt Reeves]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Bryan Burk]]
* [[J. J. Abrams]]
}}
| writer         = [[Drew Goddard]]
| starring       = {{Plainlist|<!--- per poster billing block, matches closing tombstone stand-alone credits --->
* [[Lizzy Caplan]]
* [[Jessica Lucas]]
* [[T.J. Miller]]
* [[Michael Stahl-David]]
* [[Mike Vogel]]
* [[Odette Yustman]]
}}
| music          = <!-- DO NOT ADD "MICHAEL GIACCHINO", MICHAEL GIACCHINO ONLY COMPOSED ONE TRACK WHICH ONLY PLAYS IN THE END CREDITS -->
| cinematography = Michael Bonvillain
| editing        = [[Kevin Stitt (film editor)|Kevin Stitt]]
| studio         = [[Bad Robot]]
| distributor    = [[Paramount Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|2008|01|18}}
| runtime        = 85 minutes<ref>{{cite web |title=''CLOVERFIELD'' (15) |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/cloverfield-2008-0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224103654/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/cloverfield-2008-0 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 24, 2013 |work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |date=January 4, 2008 |access-date=June 29, 2013}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $25–30 million<ref name="BOM">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=cloverfield.htm |title=Weekend Box Office |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=February 26, 2008}}</ref><ref name="rolls"/>
| gross          = $172.4 million
}}

'''''Cloverfield''''' is a 2008 American [[Found footage (film technique)|found footage]] [[monster movie|monster]] [[horror film]] directed by [[Matt Reeves]] and written by [[Drew Goddard]]. It stars [[Lizzy Caplan]], [[Jessica Lucas]], [[T.J. Miller]] (in his film debut), [[Michael Stahl-David]], [[Mike Vogel]], and [[Odette Yustman]].<!--- per poster billing block, matches closing tombstone stand-alone credits ---> In the film, six friends attempt to flee from a monster that attacks [[New York City]].

Development began when producer [[J. J. Abrams]] started conceptualizing a monster film and enlisted [[Neville Page]] to design the eventual creature, called [[Clover (creature)|Clover]]. In February 2007, the project was secretly [[greenlit]] by [[Paramount Pictures]] and produced by Abrams's [[Bad Robot]]. [[Principal photography]] took place in [[Los Angeles]] and New York City in 2007. The project had several working titles, including ''Slusho'', ''Cheese'', and ''Greyshot''. As part of a [[viral marketing]] campaign, a teaser trailer was released ahead of screenings of ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'' (2007) without a title. The final title was revealed in a second teaser trailer attached to screenings of ''[[Beowulf (2007 film)|Beowulf]]'' (2007). With limited pre-release details, it garnered online speculation, including forums and websites dedicated to uncovering hidden information about the film. Several tie-ins, including a [[Cloverfield/Kishin|prequel manga series]], were released as part of the marketing campaign.

''Cloverfield'' was released on January 18, 2008, and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Reeves's direction and the [[cinéma vérité]] style narrative. It earned $172 million worldwide at the box office against a $25 million budget. It is the first installment of the [[Cloverfield (franchise)|''Cloverfield'' franchise]], followed by ''[[10 Cloverfield Lane]]'' in 2016 and ''[[The Cloverfield Paradox]]'' in 2018. A direct sequel is in development.

==Plot==
<!-- Per [[WP:FILMPLOT]], plot summaries should be between 400 to 700 words. Please check the word count before making any additions. -->
The [[Found footage (film technique)|footage]] from a personal camcorder is recovered by the [[United States Department of Defense|U.S. Department of Defense]] in the area "formerly known as [[Central Park]]", bearing a disclaimer about multiple sightings of a case designated "Cloverfield".

On April 27, 2008, Rob Hawkins wakes up with Beth McIntyre in her father's apartment before embarking on a date across [[New York City]] and [[Coney Island]].

On May 22, 2008, Rob's brother Jason and Jason's girlfriend, Lily Ford, throw a surprise farewell party for Rob at his [[Lower Manhattan]] apartment before he moves to [[Japan]] for his new job. Jason asks Rob's best friend, Hudson "Hud" Platt, to film testimonials for Rob during the party. Beth, upset by Rob's lack of communication after their one-night stand, brings another man to the party. Beth and Rob argue, and she leaves shortly before a massive [[earthquake]] occurs, causing a brief citywide [[power outage]]. The local news reports a [[Capsizing|capsized]] [[oil tanker]] near [[Liberty Island]]. From the roof, the partygoers witness an explosion in the distance and flee as flaming debris flies in their direction.

As the partygoers flee, the severed head of the [[Statue of Liberty]] falls into the street. In the chaos, Hud records [[Clover (creature)|an enormous creature]] several blocks away, collapsing the [[Woolworth Building]]. Rob, Jason, Lily, and Hud take cover in a nearby convenience store, sheltering from the smoke and debris that have resulted from the building's collapse. When they emerge, they find their friend Marlena Diamond covered in dust, in shock from seeing the creature "eating people." When the group attempts to evacuate [[Manhattan]] (through the [[Brooklyn Bridge]]), Rob receives a message from Beth, who is trapped in her apartment at the [[Time Warner Center]]. However, the creature's tail destroys the Brooklyn Bridge, killing Jason. While the group retreats back to Lower Manhattan, news reports show the [[Army National Guard]]'s [[42nd Infantry Division (United States)|42nd Infantry Division]] attacking the monster and hostile [[parasites]] falling off its body.

Rob, Hud, Lily, and Marlena venture up to [[Midtown Manhattan]] to rescue Beth from her apartment. Finding themselves in a battle between the creature and the military, they hide in a nearby subway station and decide that staying underground will be safer. While walking through the subway tunnels toward Midtown, they are attacked by a group of parasites, one of which bites Marlena. The four escape the tunnels and enter [[Bloomingdale's]], where they are found by soldiers and taken to a [[field hospital]] within. When Marlena begins to bleed from her eyes, she is forcibly taken away from the group by a biohazard team before her body swells and explodes in a matter of seconds.

Rob, still intending to save Beth, persuades a commander to release them. He is informed when the last evacuation helicopter will depart before the military executes its "Hammerdown Protocol", a [[saturation bombing]] operation which will kill the monster but also destroy Manhattan. The survivors travel to the Time Warner Center, find Beth impaled on exposed [[rebar]], and rescue her. The group then travels to the [[Grand Central Terminal]], where they reencounter the creature.

Lily is rushed into the first helicopter to escape. Rob, Beth, and Hud are taken away in a second helicopter, witnessing the creature being attacked with [[Mark 82 bomb]]s by a [[B-2 Spirit]]. It briefly collapses, but rises from the smoke and strikes the helicopter, causing it to crash into Central Park. The group survives the crash and escapes the wreckage. After placing the camera down to help an injured Rob, Hud turns back to retrieve it when the creature suddenly appears and partially devours him. Rob and Beth grab the camera and take shelter under [[List of arches and bridges in Central Park|Greyshot Arch]]. As [[air raid siren]]s blare, Rob and Beth each provide their last testimony of the day's events.

The arch begins to crumble, and the camera is knocked out of Rob's hand and buried beneath the rubble. Rob and Beth proclaim their love for each other just as the bombing commences, possibly killing them both, while the camera freezes before the footage cuts. The film ends with the finale of Rob and Beth's trip to Coney Island a month earlier. Unseen by them, a barely discernible object falls from the sky and into the ocean.

After the credits, a voice can be heard saying, "Help us." When [[backmasking|played in reverse]], it says "It's still alive".

==Cast==
{{Further|List of Cloverfield characters{{!}}List of ''Cloverfield'' characters}}
<!-- Cast and order per closing tombstone credits, roles (same order) per closing credits scroll -->
* [[Michael Stahl-David]] as Rob Hawkins
* [[Odette Yustman]] as Beth McIntyre, Rob's girlfriend
* [[T.J. Miller]] as Hud Platt, the cameraman capturing the events and Rob's best friend
* [[Jessica Lucas]] as Lily Ford, Jason's fiancée
* [[Lizzy Caplan]] as Marlena Diamond, a fellow partygoer and Hud's crush
* [[Mike Vogel]] as Jason Hawkins, Rob's brother
* [[Ben Feldman]] as Travis Marello, Beth's friend
* Jamie Harlan as Jamie Lascano, who is part of Viral who makes a small appearance in the film
* Margot Farley as Jenn
* [[Theo Rossi]] as Antonio
* [[Kelvin Yu]] as Clark
* [[Brian Klugman]] as Charlie
* [[Billy Brown (actor)|Billy Brown]] as Sergeant Pryce

In addition, [[NY1]] TV journalist [[Roma Torre]] has a cameo as herself, reporting on a television screen watched by the party-goers. The film's director, [[Matt Reeves]], provides the uncredited voice for the two brief phrases (one normal, one in [[Backmasking|reversed audio]]) [[Post-credits scene|after the credits]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/346501/io9-talks-to-cloverfield-director-matt-reeves |title=io9 Talks To Cloverfield Director Matt Reeves |last=Kelly |first=Kevin |work=io9|access-date=August 3, 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Production==
===Development===
[[J. J. Abrams]] conceived a monster film after he and his son visited a toy store in [[Japan]] while promoting ''[[Mission: Impossible III]]''. He explained, "We saw all these [[Godzilla]] toys, and I thought, we need our own American monster, and not like [[King Kong]]. I love King Kong. King Kong is adorable. And Godzilla is a charming monster. We love Godzilla, but I wanted something that was just insane and intense."<ref>{{cite news | first= Alex |last= Billington |url= http://www.firstshowing.net/2007/07/26/comic-con-live-paramount-panel-star-trek-indiana-jones-iv-and-more/ |title= Comic-Con Live: Paramount Panel - ''Star Trek'', ''Indiana Jones IV'', and More... |publisher=First Showing |date=July 26, 2007 |access-date=September 17, 2007}}</ref><ref name="moviesonlineca">{{cite news |website= moviesonline.ca| url= http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_12553.html |title=J. J. Abrams talks ''Cloverfield'' |publisher=Movies Online |access-date=March 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080218034125/http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_12553.html |archive-date=February 18, 2008}}</ref>

In February 2007, [[Paramount Pictures]] secretly [[Greenlight|greenlit]] ''Cloverfield'', to be produced by Abrams, directed by [[Matt Reeves]], and written by [[Drew Goddard]]. Both Abrams and Reeves have been friends since they were 13 years old<ref name="vanityfair">[[Kathleen Kennedy (producer)|Kathleen Kennedy]] in {{cite news |title=What Star Wars: The Force Awakens Producer Kathleen Kennedy Learned From Working With a Teenage J. J. Abrams |first=Bruce |last=Handy |date=May 20, 2015 |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/05/kathleen-kennedy-star-wars-interview |work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |access-date=October 15, 2019}}</ref> and went on to co-create the college drama series ''[[Felicity (TV series)|Felicity]]'' for [[The WB]],<ref>David Hofstede {{google books|0bCxW4fs_BwC|5000 Episodes and No Commercials: The Ultimate Guide to TV Shows On DVD|page=221}}</ref> while Goddard was a writer for [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Lost (TV series)|Lost]]'' at the time (also co-created by Abrams). The project was produced by Abrams's company, [[Bad Robot]].<ref name="rolls">{{cite news |first1= Borys |last1= Kit | first2= Tatiana |last2= Siegel |url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3id4ef5b33280f855a6076329c1ca10481 |title=Paramount rolls in the ''Cloverfield'' |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=July 6, 2007 |access-date=July 6, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070708103155/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3id4ef5b33280f855a6076329c1ca10481 |archive-date=July 8, 2007}}</ref>

The severed head of the [[Statue of Liberty]] was inspired by the poster of the 1981 film ''[[Escape from New York]]'', in which the head lies on a street in New York. Reeves explained, "It's an incredibly provocative image. And that was the source that inspired producer J. J. Abrams to say, 'Now this would be an interesting idea for a movie'."<ref>{{cite web |first= Scott |last= Collura |url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/841/841703p1.html |title=Exclusive: ''Cloverfield'' Director Speaks! Part Two |website=IGN.com |date=December 14, 2007 |access-date=December 22, 2007}}</ref>

===Title===
The film was initially titled ''Cloverfield'', changed several times throughout production, and was reverted. Matt Reeves explained this was due to the hype caused by the teaser trailer. "That excitement spread to such a degree that we suddenly couldn't use the name anymore. So we started using all these names like ''Slusho'' and ''Cheese''.<ref name="slashfilm"/> And people always found out what we were doing!" He said that "Cloverfield" was the government's case designation for the events caused by the monster, comparing the titling to that of the real [[Manhattan Project]], though the government did not originate this.<ref>{{cite web |first= Scott |last= Collura |url=https://ign.com/articles/2007/12/14/exclusive-cloverfield-director-speaks |title=Exclusive: ''Cloverfield'' Director Speaks! |website=IGN.com |date= December 14, 2007 |access-date=December 22, 2007}}</ref> Cloverfield Blvd is the highway exit Abrams takes to his [[Santa Monica]] office,<ref name="slashfilm">{{cite news | first= Peter |last= Sciretta |url= https://www.slashfilm.com/497039/what-will-cloverfield1-18-08-be-titled-exclusive-photo/ |archive-url= https://archive.today/20120909161439/http://www.slashfilm.com/2007/09/05/what-will-cloverfield1-18-08-be-titled-exclusive-photo/ |url-status=live |archive-date=September 9, 2012 |title=What will ''Cloverfield/1-18-08'' Be Titled? |website= SlashFilm.com |date=September 5, 2007 |access-date=September 5, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first= Bruce |last= Newman |url= http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8006739?nclick_check=1 |title=''Cloverfield'': A monster for the MySpace generation |newspaper=[[San Jose Mercury News]] |date=January 18, 2008 |access-date=January 18, 2008}}</ref> and which used to lead to the [[Santa Monica Airport]], which originally bore the name Clover Field.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Masters |first1=Nathan |title=Before Santa Monica Airport, There Was Clover Field |url=https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/before-santa-monica-airport-there-was-clover-field |access-date=May 14, 2020 |work=[[KCET]] |date=March 27, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

The final title ''Greyshot'' was proposed, taken from the archway that the two survivors take shelter under at the end of the movie, but Matt Reeves said this was rejected because the film was already so well known as ''Cloverfield''.<ref name="DVDComm">{{cite video |title=Cloverfield-(Commentary by director Matt Reeves) |medium=DVD |publisher=[[Paramount Pictures]] |date=2008}}</ref>

The film received a subtitle in [[Japan]], where it was released as {{nihongo|''Cloverfield/Hakaisha''|クローバーフィールド/HAKAISHA|Kurōbāfīrudo/HAKAISHA}}. The subtitle "Destroyer" was chosen by Abrams and was translated into Japanese as {{nihongo|Hakaisha|破壊者|lit. "Destroyer"}} by Paramount Japan at his request.<ref name="hakiasha">{{cite news |date=January 23, 2008 |title=全米大ヒット!「クローバーフィールド/HAKAISHA」に続編の噂!? |trans-title=American Blockbuster! ''Cloverfield/Hakaisha'' Sequel Rumors!? |publisher=Eiga.com |url=http://eiga.com/buzz/20080123/4/ |access-date=May 17, 2010}}</ref> The subtitle {{nihongo|Kishin|鬼神|lit. "[[Wrathful deities|Fierce God]]"}} was chosen for the [[manga]] spin-off, ''[[Cloverfield/Kishin]]'', released exclusively in Japan.

===Casting===
Casting was done in secret, with no script sent to candidates. To prevent the leaking of plot information, instead of auditioning the actors with scenes from the film, scripts from Abrams's previous productions were used, such as the television series ''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]'' and ''[[Lost (2004 TV series)|Lost]]''. Some scenes were also written specifically for the audition process, not intended for use in the film. [[Lizzy Caplan]] stated that she accepted a role in ''Cloverfield'' without knowing the premise, solely because she was a fan of the Abrams-produced ''Lost'', and her experience of discovering its true nature initially caused her to state that she would not sign on for a film in the future "without knowing full well what it is". She indicated that her character was a sarcastic outsider, and that her role was "physically demanding".<ref name="blackbook">{{cite web |url=http://www.blackbookmag.com/features/comments/lizzy/ |title=Lizzy Caplan: The Meanest Girl in Hollywood? |work=[[BlackBook Magazine]] |date=November 15, 2007 |access-date=November 16, 2007}}</ref>

===Production===
With an estimated production budget of $30&nbsp;million, principal photography began in mid-June 2007 in New York.<ref name="rolls"/> One cast member said that the film would look like it cost $150&nbsp;million, though without recognizable and expensive actors.<ref name="blackbook"/> Filmmakers used the Panasonic [[HVX200]] for most of the interior scenes, and the Sony [[CineAlta]] F23 [[high-definition video]] camera to record nearly all of the New York exterior scenes.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/b2b/broadcast_production/content_create_edit/release/32931.html |title=Sony's F23 high-definition camera cuts its teeth in the making of "Cloverfield" |publisher=[[Sony Electronics]] |date=January 21, 2008 |access-date=January 22, 2008 |archive-date=April 30, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430045239/http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/b2b/broadcast_production/content_create_edit/release/32931.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Filming took place on [[Coney Island]], with scenes shot at [[Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park]] and the [[B&B Carousell]].<ref>{{cite news |first= Farrah |last= Weinstein |title=Bait Balls of Fire |newspaper=[[New York Post]] |date=July 16, 2007 |url= http://www.nypost.com/seven/07162007/entertainment/movies/bait_balls_of_fire_movies_farrah_weinstein.htm |access-date=July 17, 2007}}</ref> The scenes of tanks firing at the creature while the main characters hide in a stairwell were filmed on Hennesy Street on [[Warner Bros. Studios Burbank|Warner Bros. Studios backlot]] in [[Burbank, California]]. Some interior shots were taped on a soundstage at [[Downey, California]]. [[Bloomingdale's]] in the movie was actually shot in an emptied [[Robinsons-May]] store that was under reconstruction in [[Arcadia, California]]. The outside scenes of [[Sephora]] and the electronics store were taped in Downtown [[Los Angeles]].<ref>{{cite magazine |first= Lisa |last= Blake |title=Bases harnessed for double duty |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=August 22, 2007 |url= https://variety.com/2007/film/markets-festivals/bases-harnessed-for-double-duty-1117970662/ |access-date=August 27, 2020 }}</ref>

[[File:Brooklyn-Bridge-Night.jpg|thumb|[[Brooklyn Bridge]], as viewed through the film's [[first-person narrative]]]]
The film was shot and edited in a [[cinéma vérité]] style,<ref name="ManohlaDargis">{{cite news | first= Manohla |last= Dargis |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/movies/18clov.html |title=We're All Gonna Die! Grab Your Video Camera! |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 18, 2008 |access-date=January 18, 2008}}</ref> to look like it was taped with one hand-held camera, including [[jump cut]]s similar to ones found in [[home movies]]. [[T. J. Miller]], who plays Hud, has said in various interviews that he taped a third of the movie and almost half of it made it into the film.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HORMlVMgY1Q |publisher=YouTube |title=''Cloverfield'' TJ Miller Interview |date=January 18, 2008 |access-date=June 11, 2009}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}}</ref> Director Matt Reeves described the presentation, "We wanted this to be as if someone found a Handicam, took out the tape and put it in the player to watch it. What you're watching is a home movie that then turns into something else." Reeves explained that the pedestrians documenting the severed head of the Statue of Liberty with the camera phones was reflective of the contemporary period. According to him: "''Cloverfield'' very much speaks to the fear and anxieties of our time, how we live our lives. Constantly documenting things and putting them up on [[YouTube]], sending people videos through e-mail&nbsp;– we felt it was very applicable to the way people feel now."<ref name="excl">{{cite news |first= Ryan |last= Rotten |url=http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=4027 |title=EXCL: ''Cloverfield'' Director Speaks! |website= ShockTillYouDrop.com |date=December 14, 2007 |access-date=December 22, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071222032321/http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=4027 |archive-date=December 22, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Visual effects|VFX]] and [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] were produced by effects studios [[Double Negative (VFX)|Double Negative]] and [[Tippett Studio]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/cloverfield-reinventing-monster-movie |title='Cloverfield': Reinventing the Monster Movie |website=Animation World Network |date=January 21, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dneg.com/fr/show/cloverfield/ |title=Cloverfield |website=DNEG |access-date=February 10, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tippett.com/portfolio/cloverfield/ |title=Cloverfield |website=Tippett Studio |access-date=February 10, 2023}}</ref>

Several of the filmmakers are heard but not seen in the film. The man yelling "Oh my God!" repeatedly when the head of the Statue of Liberty lands in the street is producer [[Bryan Burk]], and director Matt Reeves voiced the whispered radio broadcast at the end of the credits.<ref name="DVDComm"/> After viewing a cut of the film, [[Steven Spielberg]] suggested giving the audience a hint at the fate of the monster during the climax, which resulted in the addition of a countdown overheard on the helicopter's radio and the sounding of [[air raid siren]]s to signal the forthcoming Hammer Down bombing.<ref name="DVDComm"/>

====Style of cinematography====
[[File:Cloverfieldwarning.jpg|thumb|Sign at an AMC theater warning customers by comparing the film to a [[roller coaster]].]]
The film's [[shaky camera]] style of cinematography, dubbed "La Shakily Queasy-Cam" by [[Roger Ebert]], caused some viewers (particularly in darkened movie theaters) to experience [[Motion sickness#Virtual reality|motion sickness]], including [[nausea]] and a temporary loss of balance. Audience members prone to migraines have cited the film as a trigger. Some theaters showing the film, such as [[AMC Theatres]], provided poster and verbal warnings, informing viewers about the filming style of ''Cloverfield'', while other theatres like [[Pacific Theatres]] just verbally warned customers in detail at the box office about experiencing motion sickness upon viewing the film and what to do if they had to step out and vomit.<ref>{{cite web |work=Koco.com |date=January 22, 2008 |title=Hit Horror Flick Leaving Local Moviegoers Queasy |publisher=Oklahoma City News |url=http://www.koco.com/news/15112533/detail.html |access-date=June 11, 2009}}</ref>

===Creature design===
{{Main|Clover (creature)}}
Visual main effects supervisor Nick Tom and [[Phil Tippett|Phil Tippett's]] "Tippett Studio" were enlisted to develop the visual effects for ''Cloverfield''.<ref>{{cite magazine | first= Ryan |last= Ball |url= http://www.animationmagazine.net/article/7409 |title=Tippett Making Abrams' Monster |magazine=[[Animation Magazine]] |date= September 27, 2007 |access-date=December 6, 2007}}</ref> Because the visual effects were incorporated after filming, cast members were only familiar with early conceptual renderings of the beast and had to react to an unseen creature during their scenes.<ref>{{cite news |first= Ryan |last= Rotten |url=http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=4141 |title=EXCL: Michael Stahl-David Talks ''Cloverfield'' Experience |publisher=Shock Till You Drop |date=January 2, 2008 |access-date= January 8, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080105074757/http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=4141 |archive-date=January 5, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Artist [[Neville Page]] designed the monster, creating a biological rationale for it, though many of his ideas, including an "elongated, articulated external esophagus", would not show up on screen.<ref>{{cite news |author=Edward |url=http://tagruato.blogspot.com/2008/03/tagruato-interview-cloverfield-lead.html |title=Tagruato Interview: ''Cloverfield'' Lead Creature Designer Neville Page |date=March 12, 2008 |website=Tagruato |access-date=March 13, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317195901/http://tagruato.blogspot.com/2008/03/tagruato-interview-cloverfield-lead.html |archive-date= Mar 17, 2008 }}</ref> His central concept was that of an immature creature suffering from "[[separation anxiety disorder|separation anxiety]]." This recalls real-life circus elephants who get frightened and lash out. The director stated that "there's nothing scarier than something huge that's spooked."<ref name="merry">{{cite news |first= Max |last= Evry |title= Reeves Runs Merrily Through ''Cloverfield'' |website= ComingSoon.net |date= January 21, 2008 |url= https://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=41100 |access-date= January 21, 2008 |archive-date= January 22, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080122114618/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=41100 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

==Marketing==
Before the film's release, Paramount carried out a [[viral marketing]] campaign to promote the film which included viral tie-ins similar to ''[[Lost Experience]]''.<ref name="burk">{{cite news |first= Tara |last= DiLullo Bennett |url= http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=46450 |title=Producer Talks ''Cloverfield'' |publisher=[[Sci Fi Wire]] |date= December 17, 2007 |access-date=December 22, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071220142258/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=46450 |archive-date=December 20, 2007}}</ref> Filmmakers decided to create a teaser trailer that would be a surprise in the light of commonplace media saturation. Rather than edit the teaser from footage taken from the finished film, footage was captured during the preparation stages solely for creation of the teaser. Ernest Holzman, who would later be replaced with ''[[Lost (2004 TV series)|Lost]]'' cinematographer Michael Bonvillain, used the [[Thomson Viper FilmStream Camera]] for the shoot.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ICG Magazine|url=http://icgmagazine.com/2008/jan/jan08.html|access-date=2020-08-25|website=icgmagazine.com}}</ref> The teaser was then used as a basis for the film itself. Paramount Pictures encouraged the teaser to be released without a title attached, and the [[Motion Picture Association of America]] approved the move.<ref name="excl"/> As ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'' showed high tracking numbers before its release in July 2007, the studio attached the teaser trailer for ''Cloverfield'' that showed the release date of January 18, 2008, but not the title.<ref name="rolls"/> A second trailer was released on November 16, 2007, which was attached to ''[[Beowulf (2007 film)|Beowulf]]'', confirming the title.<ref>{{cite magazine |first= Olly |last= Richards |title=Exclusive: The New ''Cloverfield'' Trailer |magazine=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |date=November 19, 2007 |url= https://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=21492 |access-date=November 19, 2007}}</ref>

The studio had kept knowledge of the project secret from the online community, a cited rarity due to the presence of [[Scoop (term)|scoopers]] that follow upcoming films. The controlled release of information on the film has been observed as a risky strategy, which could succeed like ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]'' (1999) or disappoint like ''[[Snakes on a Plane]]'' (2006), the latter of which had generated online hype but failed to attract large audiences.<ref>{{cite news|last=Waxman|first=Sharon|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/21/movies/21box.html |title=After Hype Online, "Snakes on a Plane" Is Letdown at Box Office|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 21, 2006|access-date=December 19, 2022}}</ref>

===Pre-release plot speculation===
The sudden appearance of the untitled teaser for ''Cloverfield'', and limited details available in the lead up to the film's release fueled wide media speculation over the film's plot, with many expecting it to be an adaptation of an existing property. Among the possibilities reported on, ''[[The Star Ledger]]'' suggested that the film could be based on the works of [[H. P. Lovecraft]], or a new entry in the ''[[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]'' series.<ref>{{cite news |first= Lisa |last= Rose |url= http://www.nj.com/entertainment/ledger/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fentertainment-1%2F118395545882520.xml&coll=1&thispage=1 |title= Hush-hush project stirs wild speculation |publisher= The Star Ledger |date= July 9, 2007 |access-date= July 9, 2007 |archive-date= June 15, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090615063858/http://www.nj.com/entertainment/ledger/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fentertainment-1%2F118395545882520.xml&coll=1&thispage=1 |url-status= dead }}</ref> ''The Guardian'' reported the possibility of a spin-off to Abrams' television show ''[[Lost (2004 TV series)|Lost]]'',<ref name="guard">{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/jul/11/news |title=Trailer for Abrams film lost on moviegoers |newspaper=The Guardian |date=July 11, 2007 |access-date=July 26, 2007}}</ref> and a misinterpretation of the trailer's line "It's alive!" as "It's a lion!" led ''[[USA Today]]'' to speculate on a live-action adaptation of Japanese animated series ''[[Voltron]]''.<ref name="merry"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Wolfson |first=Julie |url=http://laist.com/2008/01/09/laist_interview_88.php |title=LAist Interview: Matt Reeves, Director of Cloverfield |work= Laist.com |date=January 9, 2008 |access-date=August 21, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111001210105/http://laist.com/2008/01/09/laist_interview_88.php |archive-date=October 1, 2011}}</ref> ''[[IGN]]'' and ''[[Time Out (company)|Time Out]]'' suggested that the film would feature an alien called "''The Parasite''", with that rumored to be the working title of the film.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://movies.ign.com/articles/801/801593p1.html |title=It's Alive: 1-18-08 |website=IGN |date=July 5, 2007 |access-date= July 10, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first=Chris |last=Tilly |url=https://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/3141/what-is-cloverfield.html |title=What is ''Cloverfield''? |magazine=Time Out |date=July 11, 2007 |access-date=July 26, 2007 |archive-date=July 14, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714164932/http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/3141/what-is-cloverfield.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Elsewhere online, ''Slusho'' and ''Colossus'' had been discussed as other possible titles,<ref>{{cite news |first=Greg |last=Morago |title=Our summer of mystery ads |publisher=[[Daily Press (Virginia)|Daily Press]] |date=August 22, 2007 }}</ref> as well as ''Monstrous'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cloverfieldnews.com/2007/09/05/was-monstrous-supposed-to-be-the-title/ |title=Was Monstrous Supposed To Be The Title? |publisher=Cloverfieldnews.com |date=September 5, 2007 |access-date=February 3, 2012 |archive-date=April 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425065431/http://www.cloverfieldnews.com/2007/09/05/was-monstrous-supposed-to-be-the-title/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> although this was dispelled by Abrams at ComicCon.<ref name="moviesonlineca"/>

The viral marketing campaign drew the attention of [[alternate reality game]] enthusiasts, hoping to uncover information about the film hidden online. Members of the forums at argn.com and unfiction.com have investigated the background of the film, with the "1-18-08" section at Unfiction generating over 7,700 posts in August 2007. The members have studied photographs on the film's official site, potentially related [[MySpace]] profiles,<ref>{{cite news |first=Chaping |last=Young |url=http://current.com/items/88818115_cloverfield_s_fake_myspace_pages |title=Cloverfield's Fake MySpace Pages |publisher=[[Current TV|Current]] |date=January 17, 2008 |access-date=January 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080121003431/http://current.com/items/88818115_cloverfield_s_fake_myspace_pages |archive-date=January 21, 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> and the Comic-Con teaser poster for the film.<ref name="buzz">{{cite news |first=Omar L. |last=Gallaga |title=To market a movie, no name is needed; just create mystery and some Web buzz |newspaper=[[Austin American-Statesman]] |date=August 3, 2007 }}</ref> A popular piece of [[fan art]] posited that the monster was a mutated [[humpback whale]].<ref name="merry"/>

===Viral tie-ins===
All of the major characters received a personal [[Myspace]] page, all of which are accessible and featuring available photos, though blog posts have been removed.

Unlike most viral marketing campaigns, this one had virtually nothing to do with the film's plot or characters. Instead it focused mainly on the fictional drink Slusho! and the fictional company Tagruato, slowly giving clues of the secret origin of the monster that isn't addressed properly in the film. Following various clues, players discovered that the monster is an ancient amphibious organism discovered during the construction of Chuai Station, an oil platform off the coast of [[Connecticut]] belonging to the Japanese company Tagruato, which has been repurposed for the extraction of a substance called Sea Bed Nectar that would become the secret ingredient of a drink created by its founder Ganu Yoshida,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dennis |date=2007-09-30 |title=Cloverfield Clues: Tagruato.jp |url=https://cloverfieldclues.blogspot.com/2007/09/tagruatojp.html |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=Cloverfield Clues}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dennis |date=2007-12-18 |title=Cloverfield Clues: Whistle Blower Memo #2 - pseunmoisuf |url=https://cloverfieldclues.blogspot.com/2007/12/whistle-blower-memo-2-pseunmoisuf.html |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=Cloverfield Clues}}</ref> named Slusho. Tagurato carries out a coverup involving the ordered assassination of the employee who originally made the discovery,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-12-27 |title=T.I.D.O. » Death of Tagruato Biologist! |url=http://tidowave.com/blog/?p=11 |access-date=2022-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227014005/http://tidowave.com/blog/?p=11 |archive-date=December 27, 2007 }}</ref> and also uses the platform for surveillance of the monster and its parasites,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dennis |date=2008-05-02 |title=Cloverfield Clues: USGX8810B467233PX Now Open! |url=https://cloverfieldclues.blogspot.com/2008/05/usgx8810b467233px-now-open.html |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=Cloverfield Clues}}</ref> who are using Sea Bed's nectar as a means of nourishment for their host, applying the substance on its back. Eventually, the monster awakens and destroys the station,<ref>{{Citation |title=Chuai Station English News - CloverfieldClues.com |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KarNwKx5mGY |language=en |access-date=2022-07-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dennis |date=2008-01-07 |title=Cloverfield Clues: More Chuai Station News Videos - English, Russian, and Japanese |url=https://cloverfieldclues.blogspot.com/2008/01/more-chuai-station-news-videos-english.html |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=Cloverfield Clues}}</ref> before finding its way to the shores of New York at the beginning of the film.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Cloverfield ARG - FULL EXPLANATION - My Whole Thing Ep: 1 | date=March 28, 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhERWNtY16c |language=en |access-date=2022-07-06}}</ref>

Puzzle websites containing Lovecraftian elements, such as ''[[Ethan Haas Was Right]]'', were originally reported to be connected to the film.<ref name="guard" /><ref name="usa">{{cite news |first=Anthony |last=Breznican |title=Mystifying trailer transforms marketing |newspaper=USA Today |date=July 9, 2007 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-07-08-abrams-trailer_N.htm |access-date=July 16, 2007}}</ref> On July 9, 2007, producer [[J. J. Abrams]] stated that, while a number of websites were being developed to market the film, the only official site that had been found was 1–18–08.com.<ref>{{cite news |first=Harry|last=Knowles|author-link=Harry Knowles |url=https://www.aintitcool.com/node/33261 |title=J. J. Abrams drops Harry a Line on all this 1-18-08 stuff! |publisher=[[Ain't It Cool News]] |date=July 9, 2007 |access-date=July 9, 2007}}</ref> At the site, which now redirects to the [[Paramount Pictures]] home page, a collection of time-coded photos were available to piece together a series of events and interpret their meanings. The pictures could also be flipped over by repeatedly and rapidly moving the mouse side to side. Also, if the page was left open for six minutes, the monster's roar could be heard. Eventually, CloverfieldMovie.com was created.<ref name="Slide">{{cite web |title=Research into viral marketing |url=http://www.slideshare.net/afrench14/research-into-viral-marketing |work=SlideShare |publisher=SlideShare Inc |access-date=August 26, 2012 |author=afrench14 |date=September 14, 2010}}</ref> The site provided both a trailer and a number, 33287, which, when texted from a mobile phone, provided a ringtone of the monster's roar and a wallpaper of a decimated Manhattan. This eventually turns out to be a [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] number (people later received material on ''[[Iron Man (2008 film)|Iron Man]]'', ''[[Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull]]'', ''[[Kung Fu Panda (film)|Kung Fu Panda]]'', and ''[[The Love Guru]]'').<ref>{{cite news |title=Movie codenamed Cloverfield next blockbuster |url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/movie-codenamed-cloverfield/story-fna7dq6e-1111114145680 |access-date=August 26, 2012 |newspaper=Courier Mail |date=August 11, 2007 |agency=News Queensland}}</ref>

The drink Slusho! served as part of the [[viral marketing]] campaign. The drink had already appeared in producer Abrams' previous creation, the TV series ''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]''.<ref name="iesb">{{cite news |first=Silas |last=Lesnick |url=http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3945&Itemid=99 |title=IESB Exclusive Interview: ''Cloverfield'' Director Matt Reeves! |publisher=IESB |date=December 14, 2007 |access-date=December 22, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217062430/http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3945&Itemid=99 |archive-date=December 17, 2007}}</ref> Websites for Slusho! and Taguruato were launched to add to the mythology of ''Cloverfield''. The Japanese phone number in the Tagruato website did work, but only played recorded messages. For example, one of the messages was: ''"Thank you for calling Tagruato. Due to high call volumes, your call has been transferred to an automated answering service. There are no updates at this time. After the tone, please leave a message, and one of our associates will find you as soon as possible"''. A building bearing the company logo for Tagruato can also be seen in the TV spot of the 2009 [[Star Trek (2009 film)|''Star Trek'']] film, and [[Uhura]] orders a Slusho! during the bar scene.<ref name="burk"/> When ''Cloverfield'' was hosted at Comic-Con 2007, gray Slusho! T-shirts were distributed to attendees.<ref>{{cite news |first=Larry |last=Carroll |url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/07/27/comic-con-jj-abrams-secret-project-and-the-dark-knight-go-guerilla-with-marketing-tactics/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914181730/http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/07/27/comic-con-jj-abrams-secret-project-and-the-dark-knight-go-guerilla-with-marketing-tactics/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 14, 2007 |title=Comic-Con: J. J. Abrams' Secret Project And ''The Dark Knight'' Go Guerrilla With Marketing Tactics |publisher=MTV |date=July 27, 2007 |access-date=December 22, 2007}}</ref> Fans who had registered at the Slusho! website received e-mails of fictional [[sonar]] images before the film's release that showed a deep-sea creature heading toward Manhattan.<ref>{{cite news |first=Will |last=Pavia |title=The cloak-and-dagger approach to hype |newspaper=[[The Australian]] |date=January 2, 2008}}</ref> Fans who ordered merchandise received pieces of torn Tagruato documents and Japanese newspapers along with their products. A cup of Slusho! appears briefly in ''[[The Cloverfield Paradox]]'', and it has also appeared in ''[[Fringe (TV series)|Fringe]],'' ''[[Super 8 (2011 film)|Super 8]],'' and ''[[Heroes (American TV series)|Heroes]]''. A Slusho! [[bobblehead]] figure also appears shaking in ''The Cloverfield Paradox'' trailer and film.

Producer Burk explained the viral tie-in, "It was all done in conjunction with the studio... The whole experience in making this movie is very reminiscent of how we did ''[[Lost Experience|Lost]]''."<ref name="burk"/> Director Reeves described Slusho! as "part of the involved connectivity" with Abrams' ''Alias'' and that the drink represented a "meta-story" for ''Cloverfield''. The director explained, "It's almost like tentacles that grow out of the film and lead, also, to the ideas in the film. And there's this weird way where you can go see the movie and it's one experience... But there's also this other place where you can get engaged where there's this other sort of aspect for all those people who are into that. All the stories kind of bounce off one another and inform each other. But, at the end of the day, this movie stands on its own to be a movie.... The Internet sort of stories and connections and clues are, in a way, a prism and they're another way of looking at the same thing. To us, it's just another exciting aspect of the storytelling."<ref name="iesb"/>

===Merchandise===
A four-installment [[prequel]] [[manga]] series by Yoshiki Togawa titled {{nihongo|''[[Cloverfield/Kishin]]''|クローバーフィールド/KISHIN|Kurōbāfīrudo/KISHIN}} was released by Japanese publisher [[Kadokawa Shoten]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Kadokawa |last=Shoten |url=http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/ |title=Kadokawa Shoten Official Website |publisher=Kadokawa Shoten |language=ja |date=January 19, 2008 |access-date=January 19, 2008}}</ref> The story focuses on a Japanese high school student named Kishin Aiba, who somehow bears a connection to the monster.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-01-16/shonen-ace-posts-cloverfield-movie-tie-in-manga-online |title=Shonen Ace Posts ''Cloverfield'' Movie Tie-In Manga Online |work=Anime News Network |date=January 16, 2008 |access-date=January 19, 2008}}</ref>

Based on the film's successful opening weekend, [[Hasbro]] began accepting orders for a {{convert|14|in|cm|adj=on}} collectible toy figure of the monster with authentic sound<ref>{{cite news |url=http://1-18-08.blogspot.com/2008/03/hasbros-cloverfield-monster-toy.html |title=Hasbro toys with ''Cloverfield'' monster |publisher=Project Cloverfield |date=March 6, 2008 |access-date=March 6, 2008}}</ref> and its parasites that were shipped to fans by December 24, 2008.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Marc |last=Graser |url=https://variety.com/2008/biz/markets-festivals/hasbro-toys-with-cloverfield-monster-1117979422/ |title=Hasbro toys with ''Cloverfield'' monster |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=January 21, 2008 |access-date=January 22, 2022 }}</ref>

==Music==
{{Infobox album
| name         = Rob's Party Mix
| type         = compilation
| artist       = various artists
| cover        = 
| alt          = 
| released     = January 17, 2008
| recorded     = 
| venue        = 
| studio       = 
| genre        = 
| length       = 64:02
| label        = 
| producer     = 
| prev_title   = 
| prev_year    = 
| next_title   = 
| next_year    = 
}}

Due to its presentation as footage from a consumer digital recorder, ''Cloverfield'' has no [[film score]], with the exception of the composition "Roar! (''Cloverfield'' Overture)" by [[Michael Giacchino]] that plays over the end credits. Similarities between "Roar!" and the music of ''Godzilla'' composer [[Akira Ifukube]] have been noted, and it has been suggested that Giacchino's overture is a tribute to Ifukube's work,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.syracusenewtimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1563&Itemid=88 |title=''Cloverfield'' review |newspaper=[[Syracuse New Times]] |date=January 2008 |access-date=June 11, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aintitcool.com/node/36217 |title=ScoreKeeper Has News About The Release Of Michael Giacchino's CLOVERFIELD Overture!! |publisher=Ain't it Cool News |date=March 2008 |access-date=June 11, 2009}}</ref> which was confirmed by [[Matt Reeves]] in the DVD's commentary track.<ref name="DVDComm"/> The soundtrack was supervised by William Files and Douglas Murray at [[Skywalker Sound]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Cloverfield |url=https://www.skysound.com/projects/cloverfield/ |website=[[Skywalker Sound]] |publisher=[[Lucasfilm|Lucasfilm Ltd.]] |access-date=April 7, 2020}}</ref>

''Rob's Party Mix'' or ''Cloverfield Mix'' is a collection of the music played in the opening party sequences of the film that was released exclusively on Apple's [[iTunes Store]] on January 22, 2008, in lieu of a traditional soundtrack album. The ''Cloverfield'' score, "Roar! (''Cloverfield'' Overture)" by Michael Giacchino that plays over the end credits<ref name="roar">{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Phillips |url=http://chicago.metromix.com/movies/movie_review/movie-review-cloverfield/286254/content |title=Movie review: ''Cloverfield'' |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=January 16, 2008 |access-date=January 22, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080120105037/http://chicago.metromix.com/movies/movie_review/movie-review-cloverfield/286254/content |archive-date=January 20, 2008 }}</ref> is not featured on the album, as it is the [[mixtape]] played at the party and is not the official soundtrack of the film. This album was distributed to guests at a ''Cloverfield'' premiere party held at the Dark Room in [[New York City]] on January 17, 2008.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cloverfieldmovie.com/robspartyrules.html |title=The "Rob's" Party Sweepstakes Official Rules |publisher=[[Paramount Pictures Corporation]] |date=January 7, 2008 |access-date=January 23, 2008 |archive-date=July 5, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705135751/http://www.cloverfieldmovie.com/robspartyrules.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A complete soundtrack release of all the music in the film, including Giacchino's "Roar!" end title piece, has now also been released exclusively on iTunes; it has not been officially released in retail stores. A CD entitled ''Rob's Party Mix'' comes packaged in a special edition of ''Cloverfield'' made available for sale in Canadian [[Wal-Mart]] stores beginning on April 22, 2008.

{{Track listing
| headline        = Track listing
| extra_column    = Artist
| title1          = West Coast
| note1           =
| extra1          = [[Coconut Records (band)|Coconut Records]]
| length1         = 3:32
| title2          = [[Taper Jean Girl]]
| note2           =
| extra2          = [[Kings of Leon]]
| length2         = 3:05
| title3          = [[Beautiful Girls (Sean Kingston song)|Beautiful Girls]]
| note3           =
| extra3          = [[Sean Kingston]]
| length3         = 4:01
| title4          = Do I Have Your Attention
| note4           =
| extra4          = [[The Blood Arm]]
| length4         = 3:35
| title5          = Got Your Moments
| note5           =
| extra5          = [[Scissors for Lefty]]
| length5         = 3:11
| title6          = [[Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)]]
| note6           =
| extra6          = [[Parliament (band)|Parliament]]
| length6         = 5:46
| title7          = [[19-2000]]
| note7           =
| extra7          = [[Gorillaz]]
| length7         = 3:27
| title8          = [[The Underdog (song)|The Underdog]]
| note8           =
| extra8          = [[Spoon (band)|Spoon]]
| length8         = 3:42
| title9          = [[Pistol of Fire]]
| note9           =
| extra9          = [[Kings of Leon]]
| length9         = 2:20
| title10         = [[Disco Lies]]
| note10          =
| extra10         = [[Moby]]
| length10        = 3:22
| title11         = Do the Whirlwind
| note11          =
| extra11         = [[Architecture in Helsinki (band)|Architecture in Helsinki]]
| length11        = 4:39
| title12         = Grown So Ugly
| note12          =
| extra12         = [[The Black Keys]]
| length12        = 2:24
| title13         = Four Winds
| note13          =
| extra13         = [[Bright Eyes (band)|Bright Eyes]]
| length13        = 2:09
| title14         = The Ride
| note14          =
| extra14         = [[Joan As Policewoman]]
| length14        = 3:09
| title15         = [[Seventeen Years (song)|Seventeen Years]]
| note15          =
| extra15         = [[Ratatat]]
| length15        = 4:26
| title16         = Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games
| note16          =
| extra16         = [[Of Montreal]]
| length16        = 4:15
| title17         = Fuzz
| note17          = {{nihongo2|ファズ}}
| extra17         = [[Mucc]]
| length17        = 4:47
}}

==Release==
===Theatrical===
First publicized in a teaser trailer in screenings of ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'', the film was released on January 17, 2008, in [[New Zealand]], [[Russia]] and [[Australia]]; January 18 in North America; January 24 in [[South Korea]]; January 25 in [[Republic of China|Taiwan]]; January 31 in Germany; and February 1 in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy. In Japan, the film was released on April 5.

===Home media===
The [[DVD]] was released on April 22, 2008, in two versions: the standard single-disc edition and an exclusive "[[steel]]-book" special edition that was sold at [[Suncoast Motion Picture Company|Suncoast]] and [[F.y.e.|FYE]] retailers in the US and [[Future Shop]] in Canada. Other store exclusives include an exclusive bonus disc titled "T. J. Miller's Video Diary" with the DVD at all [[Best Buy]] retailers, an exclusive mix CD titled "Rob's Goin' to Japan Party Mix" with the DVD at all [[Target Corporation|Target]] and [[Wal-Mart]] retailers and an exclusive [[ringtone]] with the DVD at all [[Kmart (United States)|Kmart]] and [[Sears]] retailers. [[Borders (retailer)|Borders]] also had an exclusive booklet encased with their DVD.

The [[DVD region code#2|Region 2]] DVD was released on June 9 in both one-disc and two-disc editions. The limited steel-book edition is only available from [[HMV]], while [[Play.com]] offers exclusive cover artwork. The HMV-exclusive steel-book contains two discs.

The DVD includes two [[alternative ending]]s, which vary only slightly. The first alternative ending shows Rob and Beth exiting the [[Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue]] station instead of on the Ferris wheel and features different sirens in the background as Rob talks to the camera. In the second alternative ending, just after the final explosion, Beth can be heard screaming "Rob!" followed by a brief clip of an unknown person looking at the camera (in the commentary, Reeves stated that it was one of the crew members) and brushing rubble off the lens. The film then ends with the original final clip of Rob and Beth on their [[Coney Island]] date recording themselves on the Ferris Wheel as the camera tape runs out, with two differences: there is no [[timestamp]] in the lower left-hand corner of the screen, and there is an additional beeping tone indicating the end of the tape.<ref>{{cite video |title=Cloverfield Special Features&nbsp;– Alternative Endings |medium=DVD |publisher=[[Paramount Pictures]] |date=April 2008}}</ref>

A [[Blu-ray Disc|Blu-ray]] edition was released on June 3, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/releasedates.html |title=Blu-ray Disc Release Dates {{!}} High Def Digest |access-date=June 11, 2009}}</ref> It includes a "Special Investigation Mode", as well as all the bonus features of the 2-disc DVD in HD.

On the film's 10th anniversary, Paramount issued a 4k [[UHD Blu-ray]] version of the film, accompanied by the standard Blu-ray and bonus extras. It was released on January 23, 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ultrahd.highdefdigest.com/54168/cloverfield4kultrahdbluray.html |title=Cloverfield - 4k Ultra HD Blu-Ray {{!}} High Def Digest |date=January 22, 2018 |access-date= May 1, 2019}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Box office===
''Cloverfield'' opened in 3,411 theaters on January 18, 2008, and grossed a total of $16,930,000 on its opening day in the United States and Canada. It made $40.1 million on its opening weekend, which at the time was the most successful [[dump months|January release]] (record then taken by ''[[Ride Along (film)|Ride Along]]'' in 2014 with a weekend gross of $41.5 million).<ref name="Box Office Mojo January opening weekends table">{{cite web |title=Top Opening Weekends by Month—January |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/month/?mo=01&p=.htm |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |year=2014 |access-date=January 3, 2014}}</ref> Moreover, the film simultaneously beat ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'' and ''[[Black Hawk Down (film)|Black Hawk Down]]'' to have the biggest Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend and opening weekend grosses.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/king-day-crown-cloverfield-103099/|title=King Day crown for 'Cloverfield'|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=January 22, 2008 }}</ref> Worldwide, it has grossed $170,602,318, making it the first movie in 2008 to gross over $100&nbsp;million.<ref name="BOM" /> In Japan, the film held the top spot in the box office rankings for one week before the release of ''[[Kamen Rider Den-O & Kiva: Climax Deka]]'' took the top spot in its first weekend.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mainichi.jp/enta/mantan/manga/archive/news/2008/04/20080415mog00m200006000c.html|title=映画興行成績: 「仮面ライダー電王」女性人気で堂々1位 「クローバーフィールド」は2位に 4月12、13日|access-date=2008-04-16|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421051532/http://mainichi.jp/enta/mantan/manga/archive/news/2008/04/20080415mog00m200006000c.html|archive-date=2008-04-21}}</ref>

===Critical reception===
<!-- Please note, when updating Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic ratings, you should also update the "accessdate" field within the citation tags to reflect the date on which you have updated them. -->
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 78% based on 213 reviews, with an average rating of 6.80/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A sort of ''[[The Blair Witch Project|Blair Witch Project]]'' crossed with ''[[Godzilla (1998 film)|Godzilla]]'', ''Cloverfield'' is economically paced, stylistically clever, and filled with scares".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cloverfield/ |title=Cloverfield (2007) |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media]]|access-date=June 17, 2025}}</ref> According to [[Metacritic]], the film has received an [[Weighted arithmetic mean|average]] score of 64 out of 100 based on 37 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.<ref>{{cite Metacritic |id=cloverfield |title=Cloverfield |type=movie |access-date=April 1, 2021 }}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite magazine |first1=Joshua |last1=Rich |title=''Cloverfield'' sets box office records |url=https://ew.com/article/2008/01/23/cloverfield-sets-box-office-records/ |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=January 23, 2008 |quote=But its quite-poor CinemaScore grade of C (from an audience that was mostly young and male, naturally) is troubling }}</ref>

Marc Savlov of ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]'' called the film "the most intense and original creature feature I've seen in my adult moviegoing life [...] a pure-blood, grade A, exhilarating monster movie". He cites [[Matt Reeves]]' direction, the "whip-smart, stylistically invisible" script and the "nearly [[subconscious]] evocation of our current paranoid, [[terrorism|terror]]-phobic times" as the keys to the film's success, saying that telling the story through the lens of one character's camera "works fantastically well".<ref>{{cite news |title=''Cloverfield'' |url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Calendar/Film?Film=oid%3A581461 |first=Marc |last=Savlov |newspaper=[[The Austin Chronicle]] |date=January 18, 2008 |access-date=January 18, 2008}}</ref> Michael Rechtshaffen of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' called it "chillingly effective", generally praising the effects and the film's "claustrophobic intensity". He said that though the characters "aren't particularly interesting or developed", there was "something refreshing about a monster movie that isn't filled with the usual suspects".<ref>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Rechtshaffen |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?JSESSIONID=cmcqHP7Vhpt2qhDZG4xPbzSPJJ52gNL5jTbBTlwGl9NrGCtQVQQx!3588094&&rid=10467 |title=Bottom Line: It's "''The Blair Godzilla Project''"—and that's a compliment. |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=January 17, 2008 |access-date=January 17, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216072151/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?JSESSIONID=cmcqHP7Vhpt2qhDZG4xPbzSPJJ52gNL5jTbBTlwGl9NrGCtQVQQx%213588094&&rid=10467 |archive-date=December 16, 2008}}</ref> Lisa Schwarzbaum of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' said that the film was "surreptitiously subversive, [a] stylistically clever little gem", and that while the characters were "vapid, twenty-something nincompoops" and the acting "appropriately unmemorable", the decision to tell the story through amateur footage was "brilliant".<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Lisa |last=Schwarzbaum |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20172122,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119093726/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20172122,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 19, 2008 |title=Movie Review: ''Cloverfield'' |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=January 16, 2008 |access-date=January 17, 2008}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] in the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film three stars out of four and wrote that it is "pretty scary at times" and cites "unmistakable evocations of [[9/11]]". He concludes that "all in all, it is an effective film, deploying its special effects well and never breaking the illusion that it is all happening as we see it".<ref>{{cite news |first=Roger |last=Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/cloverfield-2008 |title=Review: ''Cloverfield'' |newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times |date=January 17, 2008 |access-date=9 December 2021}}</ref>

Todd McCarthy of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called the film an "old-fashioned monster movie dressed up in trendy new threads", praising the special effects, "[[nihilism|nihilistic]] attitude" and "post-9/11 anxiety overlay." but said, "In the end, [it's] not much different from all the marauding creature features that have come before it".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/2008/film/markets-festivals/cloverfield-3-1200553615/ |title=''Cloverfield'' review |magazine=Variety |first=Todd |last=McCarthy |date=January 16, 2008 |access-date=January 17, 2022 }}</ref> Scott Foundas of ''[[LA Weekly]]'' was critical of the film's use of scenes reminiscent of the [[September 11 attacks]] in [[New York City]] and called it "cheap and opportunistic". He suggested that the film was engaging in "stealth" attempts at social commentary and compared this unfavorably to the films of [[Don Siegel]], [[George A. Romero]] and [[Steven Spielberg]], saying, "Where those filmmakers all had something meaningful to say about the state of the world and [...] human nature, Abrams doesn't have much to say about anything".<ref>{{cite news |first=Scott |last=Foundas |url=http://www.laweekly.com/film+tv/film/cloverfield-is-a-horror/18158/ |title=''Cloverfield'' Is a Horror |newspaper=LA Weekly |date=January 16, 2008 |access-date=January 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118081005/http://www.laweekly.com/film%2Btv/film/cloverfield-is-a-horror/18158/ |archive-date=January 18, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Manohla Dargis in the ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' called the allusions "tacky", saying, "[The images] may make you think of the attack, and you may curse the filmmakers for their vulgarity, insensitivity or lack of imagination", but that "the film is too dumb to offend anything except your intelligence". She concludes that the film "works as a showcase for impressively realistic-looking special effects, a realism that fails to extend to the scurrying humans whose [[destiny|fates]] are meant to invoke pity and fear but instead inspire yawns and contempt".<ref name="ManohlaDargis"/> [[Stephanie Zacharek]] of ''[[Salon.com]]'' calls the film "badly constructed, humorless and emotionally sadistic", and sums up by saying that the film "takes the [[psychological trauma|trauma]] of 9/11 and turns it into just another random spectacle at which to point and shoot".<ref>{{cite news |first=Stephanie |last=Zacharek |url=https://www.salon.com/2008/01/18/cloverfield/ |title=''Cloverfield'': Do we really need the horror of 9/11 to be repackaged and presented to us as an amusement-park ride? |work=Salon.com |date=January 17, 2008 |access-date=January 18, 2008}}</ref> Michael Phillips of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' warned that the viewer may feel "queasy" at the references to September 11, but that "other sequences [...] carry a real jolt" and that such tactics were "crude, but undeniably gripping." He called the film "dumb", but "quick and dirty and effectively brusque", concluding that despite it being "a harsher, more demographically calculating brand of fun", he enjoyed the film.<ref name="roar"/> Bruce Paterson of ''Cinephilia'' described the film as "a successful experiment in style but not necessarily a successful story for those who want dramatic closure". Some critics also pointed out the similarity to the [[Half-Life (series)|''Half-Life'']] video game series, in particular the "Ant-lion" monsters from ''Half-Life 2'', and the constant first-person perspective.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2008/feb/14/cloverfieldishalflife |title=Cloverfield is Half-Life |newspaper=The Guardian |date=February 14, 2008 |access-date=March 23, 2013}}</ref>

''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine named it the fifth best film of 2008.<ref name="mctop08">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2008/toptens.shtml |title=Metacritic: 2008 Film Critic Top Ten Lists |website=Metacritic |access-date=January 11, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090102205252/http://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2008/toptens.shtml |archive-date=January 2, 2009}}</ref> The French film journal ''[[Cahiers du Cinéma]]'' named the film as the third best of 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~ejohnson/critics/cahiers.html |title=Cahiers du Cinema: Top Ten Lists 1951-2009 |publisher=Alumnus.caltech.edu |access-date=August 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327102838/http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~ejohnson/critics/cahiers.html |archive-date=March 27, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Bloody Disgusting]] ranked the film number twenty in their list of the "Top 20 Horror Films of the Decade", with the article calling the film "A brilliant conceit, to be sure, backed by a genius early marketing campaign that followed the less-is-more philosophy to tantalizing effect...much like ''[[The Blair Witch Project|Blair Witch]]'' nearly ten years earlier, ''Cloverfield'' helped prove, particularly in its first half hour, that what you don't see can be the scariest thing of all".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/18403 |title=00's Retrospect: Bloody Disgusting's Top 20 Films of the Decade...Part 4 |date=December 16, 2009 |publisher=Bloody Disgusting |access-date=January 3, 2010}}</ref> In 2022, Aedan Juvet of ''[[Screen Rant]]'' revisited the original film, labeling it as an "influential" found footage, sci-fi hybrid.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2022-01-14|title=Cloverfield: 7 Storylines Worth Exploring In The Upcoming Sequel|url=https://screenrant.com/cloverfield-storylines-worth-exploring-in-the-upcoming-sequel/|access-date=2022-02-14|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US}}</ref>

===Accolades===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col"| Award
! scope="col"| Category
! scope="col"| Recipient(s)
! scope="col"| Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Refh}}
|-
|rowspan="17"| 2008
|rowspan="2"| [[34th Saturn Awards|Saturn Awards]]
| [[Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film|Best Science Fiction Film]]
| ''Cloverfield''
| {{won}}
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="/Film">{{cite web|last1=Sciretta|first1=Peter|title=2008 Saturn Awards Winners – /Film|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/2008-saturn-awards-winners/|website=[[/Film]]|access-date=March 1, 2018| date=June 25, 2008}}</ref>
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| [[Lizzy Caplan]]
| {{nom}}
|-
|rowspan="7"| Golden Schmoes Awards
| Best Horror Movie of the Year
|rowspan="7"| ''Cloverfield''
| {{won}}
|rowspan="7" style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="JoBlo">{{cite web |title=Golden Schmoes Winners and Nominees (2008) |url=https://www.joblo.com/goldenschmoes/results/golden-schmoes-winners-and-nominees-2008/|website=[[JoBlo.com]]|access-date=March 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221181231/http://www.joblo.com/goldenschmoes/results/golden-schmoes-winners-and-nominees-2008/|archive-date=February 21, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| Most Underrated Movie of the Year
| {{nom}}
|-
| Trippiest Movie of the Year
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Sci-Fi Movie of the Year
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Special Effects of the Year
| {{nom}}
|-
| Favorite Movie Poster of the Year
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Trailer of the Year
| {{nom}}
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[Golden Trailer Awards]]
| Best Thriller
|rowspan="2"| ''Cloverfield''
| {{nom}}
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="GTA">{{cite web|title=GTA9 Nominees (2008) - Nominees Categories {{!}} Golden Trailer Awards|url=http://www.goldentrailer.com/gta9-nominees/|website=[[Golden Trailer Awards]]|access-date=March 1, 2018}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|-
| Most Original
| {{nom}}
|-
| Internet Film Critics Society Awards
| Most Experimental Film
| ''Cloverfield''
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="IFCS">{{cite web|title=2008 IFCS Awards - Internet Film Critics|url=http://www.internetfilmcritics.com/?page_id=67|website=www.internetfilmcritics.com|access-date=March 1, 2018}}</ref>
|-
| Italian Online Movie Awards
| Best Special Effects
| ''Cloverfield''
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="IOMA">{{cite web|title=Le nomination IOMA 2008 - CinemaItaliano.info|url=https://www.cinemaitaliano.info/news/01542/le-nomination-ioma-2008.html|website=CinemaItaliano.info|access-date=March 1, 2018|language=it}}</ref>
|-
| [[2008 Scream Awards|Scream Awards]]
| Best Science Fiction Movie
| ''Cloverfield''
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="MTV">{{cite web|last1=Seijas|first1=Casey|title=Comics Take Over '2008 Scream Awards' As Nominees Announced|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2592805/comics-take-over-2008-scream-awards-as-nominees-announced/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224082450/http://www.mtv.com/news/2592805/comics-take-over-2008-scream-awards-as-nominees-announced/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 24, 2015|website=[[MTV News]]|access-date=March 1, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan="3"| [[2008 Teen Choice Awards|Teen Choice Awards]]
| Choice Movie: Horror/Thriller
| ''Cloverfield''
| {{nom}}
|rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web|url=http://theenvelope.latimes.com/env-2008-teen-choice-awards-scorecard17jun17,0,2603341.htmlstory|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=June 17, 2008|access-date=March 1, 2008|title=2008 Teen Choice Awards winners and nominees|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912051322/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/env-2008-teen-choice-awards-scorecard17jun17,0,2603341.htmlstory|archive-date=September 12, 2008}}</ref>
|-
| Choice Movie: Horror/Thriller Actor
| [[Michael Stahl-David]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| Choice Movie: Horror/Thriller Actress
| [[Odette Yustman]]
| {{nom}}
|-
|rowspan="14"| 2009
| [[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards]]
| Top Box Office Films
| [[Michael Giacchino]]
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web|title=ASCAP Honors Top Film and Television Music Composers and Songwriters at 24th Annual Awards Celebration |url=https://www.ascap.com/press/2009/0512_filmtv|website= ascap.com| publisher= [[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers]]|access-date=March 1, 2018}}</ref>
|-
| [[International Film Music Critics Association#IFMCA Awards|International Film Music Critics Awards]]
| Film Music Composition of the Year
| Michael Giacchino
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web|title=2009 IFMCA Awards|url=http://filmmusiccritics.org/awards-archive/2009-ifmca-awards/ |website= filmmusiccritics.org| publisher= [[International Film Music Critics Association]]|access-date=March 1, 2018|date=November 25, 2010}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan="3"| [[Fangoria Chainsaw Awards|''Fangoria'' Chainsaw Awards]]
| Best Wide Release Film
|rowspan="2"| ''Cloverfield''
| {{nom}}
|rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web|title=The 2009 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards Results |url= https://goremasternews.wordpress.com/2009/06/25/the-2009-fangoria-chainsaw-awards-results/|website=GoreMaster News|access-date=March 1, 2018|date=June 26, 2009}}</ref>
|-
| Worst Film
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Score
| Michael Giacchino
| {{won}}
|-
| Gold Derby Awards
| Visual Effects
| Kevin Blank, Mike Ellis and Eric Leven
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web|title=2009 Gold Derby Film Awards |url=http://www.goldderby.com/2009-goldderby-film-awards/ |website=GoldDerby.com |access-date=March 1, 2018|date=March 7, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[Golden Reel Award (Motion Picture Sound Editors)|Golden Reel Awards]]
| Best Sound Editing - Dialogue and ADR in a Feature Film
| Douglas Murray, Will Files, Cheryl Nardi, Sue Fox and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web|last1=Kilday|first1=Gregg|title='Button' among Golden Reel nominees|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/button-golden-reel-nominees-78170|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=January 25, 2009|access-date=March 1, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
|-
| Best Sound Editing - Sound Effects and Foley in a Feature Film
| Will Files, Douglas Murray, Luke Dunn Gielmuda, Robert Shoup, Josh Gold, Andrea Gard, Steve Bissinger, Kim Foscato, Samuel H. Hinckley, Andy Malcolm and Goro Koyama
| {{nom}}
|-
|rowspan="3"| International Online Cinema Awards
| Best Visual Effects
| ''Cloverfield''
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web|title=7th Annual International Online Cinema Awards – Awards Daily|url=http://www.awardsdaily.com/2009/01/17/7th-annual-international-online-cinema-awards/|website=[[AwardsDaily]]|date=January 18, 2009 |access-date=March 1, 2018}}</ref>
|-
| Best Sound Mixing
| Anna Behlmer, Will Files and Ed White
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Sound Editing
| Douglas Murray and Will Files
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[7th Visual Effects Society Awards|Visual Effects Society Awards]]
| Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture
| rowspan="3"| ''Cloverfield''
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.visualeffectssociety.com/ayear/7th-annual-ves-awards |title=7th Annual VES Awards |access-date=December 21, 2017}}</ref>
|-
| Best Single Visual Effect of the Year
| {{nom}}
|-
| Outstanding Created Environment in a Feature Motion Picture
| {{nom}}
|-
|}

==Sequels==
{{Main|10 Cloverfield Lane{{!}}''10 Cloverfield Lane''|The Cloverfield Paradox{{!}}''The Cloverfield Paradox''}}
At the ''Cloverfield'' premiere, director Matt Reeves talked about possibilities of what a sequel would look like if the film succeeded.<ref>{{cite news |author=SpookyDan |url=http://www.fearnet.com/MCNewsDetailPage.aspx?catid=30&mid=12649 |title=Cloverfield Sequel News |publisher=[[Fearnet]] |date=January 19, 2008 |access-date=January 19, 2008}}</ref> According to Reeves:

{{blockquote|While we were on set making the film we talked about the possibilities and directions of how a sequel can go. The fun of this movie was that it might not have been the only movie being made that night, there might be another movie! In today's day and age of people filming their lives on their camera phones and [[Handycam]]s, uploading it to [[YouTube]]... That was kind of exciting thinking about that.<ref>{{cite news |author=SpookyDan |url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/10927 |title=''Cloverfield'' Sequel Talk, Violent Plans! |publisher=[[Bloody Disgusting]] |date=January 17, 2008 |access-date=January 17, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308181518/http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/10927 |archive-date=March 8, 2012}}</ref>}}

In another interview, Reeves stated:

{{blockquote|There's a moment on the Brooklyn Bridge, and there was a guy filming something on the side of the bridge, and Hud sees him filming and he turns over and he sees the ship that's been capsized and sees the headless Statue of Liberty, and then he turns back and this guy's briefly filming him. In my mind that was two movies intersecting for a brief moment, and I thought there was something interesting in the idea that this incident happened and there are so many different points of view, and there are several different movies at least happening that evening and we just saw one piece of another.<ref name="merry"/>}}

Reeves also pointed out that the final scene on Coney Island shows something falling into the ocean in the background without an explanation. This may have been either the satellite owned by the fictional Japanese media company, Tagruato, or the creature itself. A company news piece on the Tagruato website mentions that a piece of the Japanese Government's ChimpanzII satellite fell off into the Atlantic. Producers Bryan Burk and J. J. Abrams also revealed their thoughts on possible sequels to ''Entertainment Weekly''. According to Burk, "The creative team has fleshed out an entire backstory which, if we're lucky, we might get to explore in future films". Abrams stated that he did not want to rush into the development of the sequel merely because the first film was a success; he explained that he would rather create a sequel that is true to the previous film.<ref name="EWsequel">{{cite magazine |author=SpookyDan |url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/10991 |title=''Cloverfield'' Monster Has History, More Sequel Talk! |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=January 27, 2008 |access-date=January 27, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140218204747/http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/10991/ |archive-date=February 18, 2014 }}</ref>

At the end of January 2008, Reeves entered early talks with Paramount to direct a sequel, which was planned to be filmed before Reeves's other project, ''The Invisible Woman''.<ref>{{cite magazine |first= Michael |last= Fleming |url= https://variety.com/2008/film/features/paramount-sows-cloverfield-sequel-1117979910/ |title=Paramount sows ''Cloverfield'' sequel |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=January 30, 2008 |access-date=January 22, 2022 |quote=There's a good chance the sequel will be Reeves' next film, in which case he will direct 'The Invisible Woman' afterward. 'Woman' is a [[Alfred Hitchcock|Hitchcock]]-style thriller}}</ref> Reeves said:

{{blockquote|The idea of doing something so differently is exhilarating. We hope that it created a movie experience that is different. The thing about doing a sequel is that I think we all really feel protective of that experience. The key here will be if we can find something that is compelling enough and that is different enough for us to do, then it will probably be worth doing. Obviously it also depends on how ''Cloverfield'' does worldwide and all of those things too, but really, for us creatively, we just want to find something that would be another challenge.<ref>{{cite web |first= Orlando |last= Parfitt |title=Matt Reeves Clarifies ''Cloverfield'' Sequel Status |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |date=February 1, 2008 |url= http://uk.beta.rottentomatoes.com/m/cloverfield/news/1706543/ |access-date=February 1, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416144348/http://uk.beta.rottentomatoes.com/m/cloverfield/news/1706543/ |archive-date=April 16, 2008 }}</ref>}}

In September 2008, when asked by [[CraveOnline]] what the status was on ''Cloverfield 2'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/tv/article/jj-abrams-is-on-the-fringe-70775 |title=J. J. Abrams is on the Fringe |website= CraveOnline.com |date=September 11, 2008 |access-date=December 13, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110225142147/http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/tv/article/jj-abrams-is-on-the-fringe-70775 |archive-date=February 25, 2011}}</ref> Abrams stated that at that point they were still discussing it; however, he still felt reluctant to work on a sequel. In the same interview, Abrams said that they were working on something that "could be kind of cool." When asked if it would take place in a different location, Abrams replied by saying that "it would be a totally different kind of thing but it's too early to talk about."<ref>{{cite web |last=Moody |first= Mike |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a196792/jj-abrams-talks-cloverfield-sequel.html |title=J. J. Abrams talks 'Cloverfield' sequel | website= digitalSpy.com |date=January 15, 2010 |access-date=January 18, 2010}}</ref> In a 2010 interview with ''[[Attack of the Show!]]'', Abrams stated that they might abandon the filming style, stating that he and the rest of the crew would like to try something new.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/35377/jj-abrams-talks-cloverfield-sequel |title=J. J. Abrams Talks Cloverfield Sequel | website= Dreadcentral.com |date=January 19, 2010 |access-date=August 21, 2010}}</ref>

The film ''[[Super 8 (2011 film)|Super 8]]'' was initially speculated to be either a sequel or prequel to ''Cloverfield'',<ref>{{cite web |title=We've Got Details on J. J. Abrams's Secret Movie Trailer for Super 8 |work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |date=May 4, 2010 |url=https://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/05/vulture_exclusive_details_of_j.html}}</ref> but this was quickly denied by Abrams.<ref>{{cite web |title=J. J. Abrams's Cloverfield-esque Super 8 Has 'Nothing Whatsoever to Do With Cloverfield' |url=https://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/05/jj_abrams_super_8_has_absolute.html |work=Vulture |publisher=New York Media LLC |access-date=August 26, 2012 |first= Jada |last= Yuan |date=May 5, 2010}}</ref>

In January 2011, horror film fan site BloodyDisgusting.com stated that a ''Cloverfield'' sequel may never happen. They talked to director Reeves and he said that if he can ever get the time to sit down and talk with Drew Goddard and J. J. Abrams about sequel possibilities they will certainly make a sequel, but due to all three's busy schedules Reeves did not see this happening any time soon.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/23210 |title=Matt Reeves 'Cloverfield 2' Update: It May Never Happen | first= Chris |last= Eggertsen |website= Bloody-Disgusting.com |date=January 27, 2011 |access-date=March 9, 2011}}</ref> In a 2011 interview, Matt Reeves gave an update on the status of ''Cloverfield 2'', saying:

{{blockquote|Getting the right idea together has been taking a long time. &nbsp;... You are going to see it – we just don't know when [laughs]&nbsp;... At the moment we are talking about the story quite a lot. Drew Goddard, who wrote the original, is going to pen the sequel and J. J. Abrams is very much involved.&nbsp;... However, the three of us have been so busy that getting the right idea together has been taking a long time.}}

When asked if the sequel would be shot in real time, Reeves stated, "You see, that's a difficult part: we want it to be shot like the first but how can you continue that idea successfully for a second time?&nbsp;... We have a lot of affection for the original and the sequel can't just be the same thing. But that is tricky when you need to have a monster destroying stuff once again."<ref name=TFMRInt>{{cite web |title=Matt Reeves talks Cloverfield 2 |url= http://www.totalfilm.com/news/matt-reeves-talks-cloverfield-2 |website= TotalFilm.com |access-date=August 11, 2011 |date=March 15, 2011}}</ref>

In a 2012 interview, screenwriter Goddard gave an update saying, "I'm in, I'm ready to do it...someone call J. J. and tell him to get moving, but because Matt and J. J. and I have been fortunate enough to be busy, it's hard syncing our schedules up. We're all very passionate about returning to that world." When asked if an idea was on paper, he responded, "If you asked each of us what we wanted to do, you'll get three different answers, which is how the first film was. The aesthetic of ''Cloverfield'' benefits from that. Three voices pulling it. Look, nothing would make me happier than to get the three of us in the room to get started."<ref>{{cite web |title=A Cloverfield 2 Update From Drew Goddard |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=87769 |work=Comingsoon.net |access-date=August 26, 2012 |author=ShockTillYouDrop.com |date=March 7, 2012 |archive-date=June 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623151921/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=87769 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In a later interview in April of that same year, Goddard said:

{{blockquote|We didn't set out to make a franchise, we set out to make a good movie. But I love that world and that universe, so if there was an idea that excited us enough, and we felt like there was a reason to do it, we would do it. The nice thing about when you work with a guy like J. J., and the power he gets, the studio's not going to force him to do anything. And he has been able to say, we'll do it when we're ready. We're not going to just do it because it will help your bottom line, we're going to do it because there's an idea that excites us. And so that's informed our discussions. We don't feel like we have to, so it's like 'Can we come up with something that excites us enough to do it?'<ref>{{cite web |title=Sequel Bits: James Cameron Wants More T-800 in ''Terminator 5'', Plus: ''Mission: Impossible 5'', ''Cloverfield 2'', ''Grown-Ups 2'', ''Star Trek'' Video Game |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/sequel-bits-james-cameron-t800-terminator-5-mission-impossible-5-cloverfield-2-grownups-2-star-trek-video-game/ |work=/ Film |publisher=/FILM |access-date=26 August 2012 |first= Angie |last= Han |date=April 17, 2012}}</ref>}}

On January 14, 2016, ''[[10 Cloverfield Lane]]'' was revealed by Bad Robot, with Abrams as a producer and Reeves and Goddard credited as [[executive producer]]s.<ref name="empire">{{cite web |url= https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/jj-abrams-talks-10-cloverfield-lane-secrets/ |title=Exclusive: J. J. Abrams talks 10 Cloverfield Lane |first=Emma |last=Thrower |work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |date=March 16, 2016 |access-date=January 11, 2018}}</ref> The film was described as "a blood relative" but not "a literal sequel" to ''Cloverfield'' by Abrams, who produced the film.<ref name="fandango">{{cite web |url=http://www.fandango.com/movie-news/exclusive-jj-abrams-talks-10-cloverfield-lane-and-its-connection-to-the-larger-cloverfield-universe-750536 |title=Exclusive: J. J. Abrams Talks '10 Cloverfield Lane' and Its Connection to the Larger 'Cloverfield' Universe |first=Erik |last=Davis |work=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] |date=February 24, 2016 |access-date=January 11, 2018}}</ref> The film was released on March 11, 2016, marking the theatrical feature film directorial debut of [[Dan Trachtenberg]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://collider.com/cloverfield-2-secret-movie-10-cloverfield-lane/ |title=10 Cloverfield Lane Is J. J. Abrams' Secret Bad Robot Movie |first=Adam |last=Chitwood |work=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |date=January 14, 2016 |access-date=January 11, 2018}}</ref>

During an interview with Abrams to promote ''10 Cloverfield Lane'', he said the creative team behind the original had some ideas on developing ''Cloverfield 2'', but the release of movies such as ''[[Godzilla (2014 film)|Godzilla]]'' and ''[[Pacific Rim (film)|Pacific Rim]]'' led them to abandon them as they found the concept of [[kaiju]] movies had played out. However, Abrams also suggested that he had thought of something that if they are lucky enough to get it made "could be really cool that [it] connects some stories" in a future film, teasing a larger ''Cloverfield'' universe.<ref name="fandango"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/25/cloverfield-jj-abrams-third-movie |title=Cloverfield: J. J. Abrams already knows what the third movie would be |first=Kevin P. |last=Sullivan |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=February 25, 2016 |access-date=January 11, 2018}}</ref> Interviews with Dan Trachtenberg and [[Mary Elizabeth Winstead]], director and actress of ''10 Cloverfield Lane'', respectively, confirmed that the movie is and always was intended to be an expansion of the first film, with Trachtenberg calling it the "Cloververse".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/trailers/664779-mary-elizabeth-winstead-and-director-dan-trachtenberg-on-10-cloverfield-lane#/slide/1 |title=Mary Elizabeth Winstead and the 10 Cloverfield Lane Director |first=Max |last=Evry |work=[[CraveOnline#Owned or associated websites|comingsoon.net]] |date=March 10, 2016 |access-date=January 11, 2018}}</ref>

In October 2016, it was reported that an Abrams-produced project, tentatively titled ''God Particle'', would be the next film set in the ''Cloverfield'' universe.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/jj-abrams-god-particle-next-film-cloverfield-series-exclusive/ |title=J. J. Abrams' 'God Particle' Is Next Film in Cloverfield Series (Exclusive) |first=Matt |last=Donnelly |work=[[TheWrap]] |date=October 26, 2016 |access-date=January 11, 2018}}</ref> The sequel was originally announced as a February 2017 release but the release date was pushed back to the following year, with the ''God Particle'' title having been dropped and the film now being referred to as ''Untitled Cloverfield Sequel''. It has also been suggested that the original plot device of a [[Higgs boson#Nickname|god particle]] may have been completely removed from the script.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://ca.ign.com/articles/2018/01/03/cloverfield-3-delayed-again-may-have-new-title |title=Cloverfield 3 Delayed Again, May Have New Title |first=Matt |last=Davidson |work=[[IGN]] |date=January 3, 2018 |access-date=January 11, 2018}}</ref> On February 4, 2018, during [[Super Bowl LII]], a TV commercial aired announcing the film would be entitled ''[[The Cloverfield Paradox]]'' and would have a surprise release on [[Netflix]] after the game.

In an April 2018 conference at CinemaCon, Abrams stated that "we're actually developing a true, dedicated ''Cloverfield'' sequel."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2018/04/jj-abrams-says-another-cloverfield-movie-is-happening|title=J. J. Abrams Says Another 'Cloverfield' Movie Is Happening|website=Complex|language=en|access-date=April 26, 2018}}</ref> He also said that the sequel would be released theatrically, a departure from the previous installment, ''The Cloverfield Paradox'', which was only released on Netflix.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://uproxx.com/hitfix/jj-abrams-cloverfield-sequel-overlord/|title=J. J. Abrams Promises A Sequel To 'Cloverfield' Is Coming To Theaters|date=April 26, 2018|work=UPROXX|access-date=April 26, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> Abrams went on to say that the ''Cloverfield'' sequel is coming "very soon."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://screenrant.com/cloverfield-sequel-confirmed/|title=Paramount Confirms True Cloverfield Sequel In The Works|date=April 25, 2018|work=Screen Rant|access-date=April 26, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>

In January 2021, it was announced that [[Joe Barton (screenwriter)|Joe Barton]] was selected to write the script for a new ''Cloverfield'' film, a direct sequel to the 2008 film, produced by Abrams.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last1=Kit |first1=Borys |title='Cloverfield' Sequel in the Works With Batman TV Spinoff Showrunner (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/cloverfield-sequel-in-the-works-with-batman-tv-spinoff-showrunner-exclusive |access-date=29 January 2021 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=January 29, 2021}}</ref> In September 2022, [[Babak Anvari]] was attached to direct the film.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vlessing |first=Etan |date=2022-09-23 |title='Cloverfield' Sequel in the Works, Babak Anvari to Direct |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/cloverfield-movie-sequel-babak-anvari-director-1235226212/ |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> In March 2025, Anvari revealed that the sequel is still in development.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tinoco |first=Armando |date=2025-03-16 |title=Director Babak Anvari Teases New 'Cloverfield' Sequel: "You're Going To Get Something Amazing" |url=https://deadline.com/2025/03/director-babak-anvari-new-cloverfield-sequel-1236327832/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* 
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* {{Mojo title}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|2=Cloverfield}}


{{Cloverfield}}
{{Matt Reeves}}
{{J. J. Abrams}}
{{Drew Goddard}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film 1991–2010}}


[[Category:Cloverfield (franchise)]]
[[Category:2008 horror films]]
[[Category:2008 films]]
[[Category:2000s disaster films]]
[[Category:2000s monster movies]]
[[Category:2008 science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:Monster movies about extraterrestrial life]]
[[Category:American disaster films]]
[[Category:American films about extraterrestrial life]]
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[[Category:American science fiction action films]]
[[Category:American science fiction horror films]]
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[[Category:Films about alien invasions]]
[[Category:Bad Robot Productions films]]
[[Category:Camcorder films]]
[[Category:2008 English-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Matt Reeves]]
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[[Category:Films produced by J. J. Abrams]]
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[[Category:Found footage horror films]]
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[[Category:2008 American films]]
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{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Cloverfield|access_date=2026-03-01}}