Dig Into the Hidden ’10 Cloverfield Lane’ Viral Campaign

A month ago, nobody knew that 10 Cloverfield Lane even existed. Then, the trailer dropped out of nowhere in January, boasting a release date just two months later in March. Now, fans are discovering more hidden marketing online each day, similar to the viral campaign used by the original Cloverfield in 2008. See if you can crack the codes behind the latest discovery.

Tagruato, the corporation that was likely behind the terror in the first film, has their own website, which is not new information. However, now the company has added an Employee of the Month page for February 2016. Take a look at who made the cut for Bold Futura, a subsidiary of Tagruato:

John Goodman 10 Cloverfield Lane


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That is Howard Stambler, the character played by John Goodman in the upcoming film. The company website provides a little more insight into Howard’s accomplishments:

Bold Futura
Howard Stambler
Telemetry Analyst

Howard will celebrate his seven-year anniversary with Bold Futura in the fall. This month, Howard’s drive, commitment and refusal to accept easy answers resulted in a significant breakthrough diagnosing transmission complications with two of our governmental clients’ orbiting satellites.

A Reddit user, dinosaurdracula, discovered that the logo on Howard’s shirt is actually a clue to yet another website: radioman70.com. And, when you click on that link, you will be redirected to FunAndPrettyThings.com:

10 Cloverfield Lane

There are a ton of little Easter Eggs on this homepage. Cloverfield Clues has picked out three so far:

1. The photo with the letters is missing the following letters; M E G A N
2. If you try to “cheat” by viewing the source code for the page, there is a warning message:

You do not belong here. Megan would never come here. I know who you are and will be tracking you.

3. One of the photos is the Eiffel Tower, and there were a lot of Eiffel towers in the 10 Cloverfield Lane trailer.

The only interactive photo is the one of the girl in front of a computer, an image from Pretty in Pink. When clicked, it prompts for a passphrase. Another Reddit user, BriarrRose, deduced that the passphrase is a line from the John Hughe’s flick: “Do you want to talk?”

Entering the passphrase leads you to a message that RADIOMAN70 has hidden for his daughter Megan. In the message, he expresses his frustration with her mother, who has blocked his other attempts at contact, and who “never listened to [him].” He also warns that “They may attack any day now, so there’s no time to waste.”

10 Cloverfield Lane

The message also reveals that Stambler has built not only one, but two bomb shelters.

When you attempt to chat back to Howard, the system asks if you are Megan. When you inevitably select “Yes,” it supplies yet another riddle:

What was the secret gift I gave you on your 13th birthday?

No one has figured out the answer (so far).

For the record, the young woman from the trailer played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead is listed as Michelle, not Megan.

What does this all mean? How will it play in the actual film? Speculate and ponder in the comments below!

10 Cloverfield Lane is scheduled for release on March 11, 2016.

Anthony Composto - EIC
Anthony Composto - EIC
Editor-in-Chief for Monkeys Fighting Robots. A lifelong fan of Spider-Man and the Mets, Anthony loves an underdog story. He earned his B.A. in English because of his love for words, and his MBA because of his need for cash. He considers comics to be The Great American Art Form, and loves horror movies, indie dramas, action/thrillers, and everything in between.