In a world where it seems that a major movie can’t be released without first having had its entire plot liberally spread over the internet.
From the beginning, JJ Abrams’ monster movie Cloverfield – which isn’t called Cloverfield and is actually directed by Matt Reeves – has been different, with Abrams and Paramount keen to control the flow of information about their movie, with a host of oblique clues and fake websites for products that can be seen in the movie, such as the soft drink, Slusho.
Which has led to furious speculation about the nature of the monster in the movie, with some speculating that it’s a creature that rises from the depths of the sea and lays waste to New York (which gives credence to the rumours that it may be based on, or even be, H.P. Lovecraft’s infernal Cthulu).
And today’s addition of new content to the official Cloverfield site – www.1-18-08.com (a reference to the movie’s release date in the States, and also possibly the day on which the movie’s events take place) – would seem to hold a new clue that points to that reading.
Go to the site and you’ll see a picture of a Japanese chef holding a pizza. Rub on the picture with your mouse (while clicking it) and, like some other pictures on the site, it turns over to reveal a message.
This message, though, is in Japanese – but a quick look at Babelfish indicates that it’s a recipe for a pizza. Nothing unusual, there, save for one ingredient marked as ‘Deep Sea Nectar’… Hmm, given that Slusho is also reported to contain ingredients culled from the sea floor, is this deep sea nectar connected in some way to the awakening of Cloverfield’s monster?
Meanwhile, another website which may be connected to the movie has surfaced – Tagruato.jp, which is about a Japanese company that specialises in… well, go and see for yourself.
And all will be revealed when Abrams and Reeves want it to be – on the 18th January, 2008.