10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

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 HALLOWEEN REVIEWS 2025

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Writers: Josh Campbell & Matt Steucken and Damiwn Chazelle, story by Matt Steucken & Josh Campbell

Stars: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher, Jr., Douglas M. Griffin, Suzanne Cryer, Bradley Cooper, Sumalee Montano



A young woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is involved in a car accident and wakes up in a bunker with two men (John Goodman and John Gallagher Jr.) who claim that a catastrophe has made the outside atmosphere unsuitable for life. 



This well-made thriller rubs up against a prejudice of mine: I don’t care much for claustrophobic abduction dramas no matter how well they are done because they always seem to hit the same beats and the static location becomes dull. 



Nevertheless, I recognize the terrific performances, particularly Goodman, and the effective atmosphere of tension developed by director Dan Trachtenberg. 



Part of me admires the film’s resolution for its audacity in striking out in a completely different direction than the rest of the movie, but most of me feels that it doesn’t work. 



The connection with the previous Cloverfield film is puzzling: that was a giant monster movie, but this appears to be an alien invasion.







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