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‘10 Cloverfield Lane’ is More Hitchcockian Thriller than SciFi
by Sandra Olmsted
Director Dan Trachtenberg’s 10 Cloverfield Lane, a sequel in name only and perhaps it being the same alien invasion, provides entirely different thrills and chills than the original Cloverfield. Huge fans of the original Cloverfield’s handheld realism will be disappointed, but if handheld camera work causes queasiness, 10 Cloverfield Lane will delight — in a spine-chilling sort of way.
As the film opens, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) leaves her boyfriend and hits the road as night falls. As she drives alone through the southern countryside, Trachtenberg makes every moment tingle with her suspicions at the gas station, as cars pass, etc. Then, there’s a car accident, but is it? Trachtenberg builds suspense at every turn and twist of the plot.
Then Michelle awakens in a cell like room with an IV in her arm and a knee brace on her leg that’s chained to the wall. When she meets Howard (John Goodman), is he her captor or her savior? Did he cause her accident? Is he telling the truth that armageddon began, and his bunker is one of the last safe places on Earth? His other bunker-mate, Emmett (John Gallagher, Jr.), seems to believe Howard.
But, is Howard crazy or sane, and does that matter in deciding if he’s right about the outside air being poison and their only hope being to stay in the bunker for a year or two and wait out the invasion? In their feature film debut, Trachtenberg and screenwriters Josh Campbell and Matthew Stuecken create a fascinating conundrum for the audience to ponder as the situation in the bunker continues to fluctuate between peaceful co-existence and secret schemes and intentions.
Once Michelle, a would-be clothing designer, accepts the situation, the three of them settle in for a long and, at times, uncomfortable stay, but they also have some fun and develop a family-like atmosphere — at times. Meanwhile, repeated sounds above the bunker make Michelle continue to question Howard’s version of reality, yet she accepts whatever Emmett, who helped build the bunker, says as truth.
Told from Michelle’s perspective, 10 Cloverfield Lane evokes the work of Hitchcock in creating suspense and in revealing the fears of the main character through careful use of the camera and editing, thanks to cinematographer Jeff Cutter and editor Stefan Grube. The tiny cast who Goodman, Winstead, and Gallagher play add to the effect with spot-on performances, especially Goodman.
In possibly his best performance in a lead role in years, Goodman is easily an early entry in the next Oscar race. Goodman makes Howard never clearly a villain or a hero, just an average guy who might be a little, or a lot, off his bubble. Or maybe Howard is completely crazy and just likes holding people hostage. When disturbing evidence turns up, Michelle and Emmett have to re-evaluate their options, but they already know that one wrong move, even a gesture or a nod, can get them in real trouble with the volatile Howard.
As the situation and Michelle and Emmett’s beliefs regarding Howard seesaw between pleasant and terrifying, the noises above them sound like rescue to Michelle rather than the danger that Howard perceives. He thinks it is the aliens hunting for survivors or people trying to get into the bunker even though they’re already contaminated by the poison outside. Trachtenberg adds the right amount of jump-out-and-get-yous to the tension of confinement and the suspense of whether the real monster is inside or outside the bunker, all of which bring to mind many of Hitchcock’s greatest films, such as Rear Window, Psycho, Rope, and North By Northwest. The music by Bear McCreary perfectly highlights the wavering emotions and tensions between the characters in the bunker.
Because of the terrific performance, the exceptional look, and McCreary’s tingling sound track, Trachtenberg’s character-driven thriller will have the audience squirming their seats! Seeing 10 Cloverfield Lane is witnessing the beginnings and promise of greatness to come from a talented bunch of filmmakers. 10 Cloverfield Lane is rated PG-13 for thematic material, including frightening sequences of threat with some violence, and brief language. A Paramount Pictures release, 10 Cloverfield Lane runs a scrumptious 103 minutes and is in theaters now. Don’t forget the stress-relieving popcorn and chewy candy!
