Cloverfield director finally explains the mysterious monster's origins

Long before Matt Reeves directed The Batman, he brought us Cloverfield. It’s a film that’s ingrained in my brain, mainly because the first time I watched it, I knew I was too young to do so. That monster lives rent-free in my brain, and not by choice.

If you’re not familiar with Cloverfield, you really ought to change that. Produced by JJ Abrams, the film centres around six New York City residents who attempt to flee the city after a massive monster attacks. Many would argue that it's actually one of the best monster movies ever made, and I’d be inclined to agree. One thing that we’ve been in the dark about though is the monster’s origins but Reeves is finally lifting the lid on this unresolved mystery.

In need of another good monster film? Last year’s Prey is definitely worth a watch.

The reason why we don’t learn about the monster’s origins is because Cloverfield is shot in a found-footage style format. If you were filming yourself trying to outrun a terrifying creature, you also would not have time to carry out any extraterrestrial research. In an interview with Syfy though (via GamesRadar), Reeves was asked if they’d actually worked out a backstory.

“For sure we did,” Reeves said. “Because you have to figure out how to direct the monster, so to speak. So you have to understand what’s going on with them emotionally and for me, the big secret was that the monster was a baby and was experiencing separation anxiety. The reason the monster was freaking out is because they were having fits based on looking for their mother. And so, [the monster] was just as afraid as the main characters.”

"It's alien,” Reeves added. “In fact, at the end of the movie, you can see the moment when it comes to [Earth]. It's another one of those little easter egg moments, but when we revisit that footage where they're on the ferris wheel at the end, you can see the meteor flying down and hitting the ocean. That's actually the beginning of the baby being on Earth." There you have it. We finally have our backstory.