Cloverfield Sequel: The Franchise's Slusho Website Is Back Online
Two things never cease to terrify moviegoers: giant other-worldly monsters and the found footage format. Combining these two is pretty much a surefire way to succeed in the horror game, as evidenced by 2008's "Cloverfield" from director Matt Reeves and producer J.J. Abrams. The film effectively blends all the strongest horror tropes with some of those found in the science fiction realm to create something truly unforgettable. Its ARG (alternate reality game) marketing proved equally memorable, hence why it seems the minds behind its upcoming sequel plan to run it back.
After spending over a decade dormant, the official Slusho website used to advertise the first "Cloverfield" movie is back up and running in all of its cartoonish glory. Bearing in mind how long the website has sat without any updates to speak of, it's natural to wonder if this is a sign that the long-awaited "Cloverfield" direct sequel is indeed coming along. The ball properly got rolling on the film back in January 2021 with the news that Joe Barton had signed on to write the script and that Abrams, as well as Hannah Minghella, plan to produce. Otherwise, though, the team working on it has remained quiet.
If what we're seeing here is the start of a new "Cloverfield" ARG, it'll be interesting to see how it stacks up to the previous ones from the franchise's past.
The Cloverfield franchise is all about ARGs
Following the monumentally successful ARG created to promote "Cloverfield," future franchise entries would employ similar marketing tactics. Eight years after the release of "Cloverfield," "10 Cloverfield Lane" from first-time director Dan Trachtenberg made its way to the silver screen with a guerilla marketing campaign in tow. It encompassed a website for the Tagruato deep sea mining company and FunAndPrettyThings.com, providing context for who Howard Stambler (John Goodman) is while fleshing out his relationship with his daughter, Megan.
Additionally, there's the Netflix feature titled "The Cloverfield Paradox," which premiered on the streamer in February 2018 courtesy of director Julius Onah. Much like those of its predecessors, the film's ARG did a great job of shedding light on the events of the story, the characters, and the entities responsible for the timeline-colliding destruction the movie depicts. These advertising ploys were pulled off incredibly well, and even though there's an element of mystery gone from them in the modern day, they're still as entertaining as ever.
With a new "Cloverfield" movie seemingly still on the way, it would be wise to keep an eye on the newly-reactivated Slusho website. Time will tell what information it will provide and what kinds of rabbit holes it will present — if any — regarding the upcoming feature.