“Don’t leave me. You don’t know what’s out there!”
As we near the end of this year’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror, I wanted to open tonight’s post with a big “Thank You” to everyone that has read any of my posts this year. I really appreciate all of you visiting my page, clicking on posts, and checking out my social media links on Facebook and Instagram. It really does mean a lot to me.
Now, with that out of the way, let’s hop into Day #30 of Thirty-One Days O’Horror!
Two of my favorite actors star in 2016’s 10 Cloverfield Lane, a sequel to Cloverfield (2008) and a standalone film that takes place within the same universe as that film. Those actors, John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, along with John Gallagher, Jr., compose the film’s primary cast, a trio of people living in a bunker somewhere roughly forty miles outside of Lake Charles, LA, after what is believed to be an attack on the United States or, possibly the whole world by another country or another world. The film was directed by Dan Trachtenberg, produced by J.J. Abrams, and written by Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken.
Winstead plays Michelle, a young woman who gets into a car accident somewhere in southwest Louisiana. When she awakens, she finds herself handcuffed to a bed with an IV in her arm and an injured leg. She is then greeted by Goodman’s Howard, an ex-Navy man-turned-survivalist who has constructed a bunker for himself and his daughter, who has unfortunately passed away. Also in the bunker is Emmett (Gallagher, Jr.), who assisted Howard in building the bunker and managed to slip in before the air outside became toxic. Howard didn’t want Emmett in the bunker at first, but ultimately allowed him to stay. As the days go by and the trio adjust to their new life, Michelle struggles to determine whether Howard and/or Emmett are legitimately helping her or if they have other, more nefarious reasons for keeping her in the bunker with them. She questions whether or not the air outside is safe and even begins to wonder if there was a cataclysmic event at all. She ultimately befriends Emmett and Howard’s behavior becomes erratic and driven by paranoia. Michelle and Emmett devise a plan to escape the bunker, but will they be successful? You’ll have to watch 10 Cloverfield Lane to see who the real villain is in the film.
With such a small cast and an even smaller area to work in, this film desperately needed strong performances from its three main characters. It got that in spades. Goodman is both humorous and sinister as the twisted Howard. Gallagher, Jr. keeps audiences on their toes early on, wondering if he’s a good guy or just another pawn in Howard’s plans. Winstead plays Michelle with a frantic intelligence that makes her character very believable. The set itself is also a character, as it is such a confined space that it actually increases the tension growing within the trio of survivors. I won’t get into too many more details about the film because I don’t want to spoil it, but it’s definitely worth checking out for yourself.
Whether you’ve seen Cloverfield or not, you need to watch 10 Cloverfield Lane. Seeing the first film doesn’t add or take away from the brilliance of this Winstead-driven sequel. It isn’t perfect, especially when it comes to the idea that someone would be crazy enough to build a bunker in southwest Louisiana (I’ve lived my entire life here, so I know just how insane building a bunker down here would be), and no matter which direction you go forty miles from Lake Charles, the soil just doesn’t work for bunker building unless you’ve got a lot of money and water pumps. As strong as the story is, though, I’m willing to overlook this and a few other Louisiana-based misfires in the film. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that Winstead is absolutely gorgeous. Call me a chauvinist. I don’t care. She’s beautiful and I’d watch her in pretty much any film. Yes, she’s also an amazing actress, and that’s just one more reason to check out her work. Okay, enough of that. Check out this film. You won’t regret it!
Thanks for checking out my post!
