Rating: Trash
When screenwriters John Campbell and Matt Stuecken had their 2012 spec script "The Cellar" picked up by TV and film producer/director J. J. Abrams and Bad Robot Productions, it must have seemed like a dream come true. Four years, 15 million dollars, and a rewrite (by Whiplash's Damien Chazelle) later, the film hits screens with a new title, tying it to the 2008 Abrams-produced giant-monster movie Cloverfield, as well as the typical Abrams abrupt drop/limited detail release.
The resulting film, equal parts Hitchcock and Twilight Zone, feels like a bit like a classic car being outfitted with exhaust tips and rims. The fancy, new parts don't ruin it, but they sure as hell are a distraction.