How “10 Cloverfield Lane” will scare the s#!t out of you

In his latest horror/slash/supernatural flick, producer J.J. Abrams has found his cinematic niche, hovering somewhere between Saw and War Of The Worlds.

A young woman, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), is frightened out of her wits as her world is shaken – both literally and metaphorically. Following a brief quake and blackout, she exits her apartment, leaving behind the keys and an engagement ring. Little does she realise the hell she’s just exited is relatively tame compared to the nightmare she’s about to enter into next.

Her car smacked in the back by a utility truck, she swerves off the road, dives over a cliff and lands in a ditch, only to wake up with a drip bandaged to her arm, and her leg chained to a wall in a dingy underground bunker.

This is where the real spooky part of the story starts.

Her abductor is hefty codger, Howard (John Goodman), who insists that her being locked up in a bunker with him is best for her safety since outside lurks an army of terrorists – or possibly worse, aliens – who have contaminated the air and are killing off the world’s population.

Also in their company is a cute hick named Emmett (John Gallagher, Jr) who’s also been forced to believe Howard’s epic theory.

The trio’s dynamics start off shaky but eventually morph into a home-sweet-home vibe: coping with the idea that something horrific does indeed lurk outside, and playing boardgames to relieve the anxiety and boredom.

Due to the fact this film is shot predominantly in an underground setting, it was easy, if not necessary, for the producers and director to make audiences feel claustrophobic; less of a tight fit of a feeling than, say, Buried (in which Ryan Reynolds is stuck in a grave for most of the film), and more on par with the squeezed-in feeling audiences sensed watching any given Saw movie.

When Michelle finally escapes (spoiler alert – but as if you didn’t know that would ultimately happen) and looks up at the clear blue sky, you as a viewer sense a massive sigh of relief, too.

But… actually… this is where the real spooky part of the story starts.

I won’t ruin the ending for you suffice to say that if you liked the sci-fi elements that leaked into J.J. Abrams’ Lost series, you’re going to be blown away by the scary shit that indeed does lurk “out there”.

This flick got me so scared that driving home in my li’l bomb of a car, I got shivers down my spine whenever the wind rattled the half-open window. And that’s when you know a horror movie has done its job.  Antonino Tati

’10 Cloverfield Lane’ currently screens nationally.