The ending of 2008’s Cloverfield is one that’s still discussed today but some fans didn’t know about a message in the credits that could’ve set up an entire franchise. When the initial trailer for it arrived, it set up high anticipation for the film, and by the time the credits rolled, they wanted a sequel just as badly.

Ultimately, Cloverfield was a success at the box office, grossing over $170 million on a budget of around $30 million. That usually sets the stage for a sequel, especially since there was so much ground to cover and ways to expand the film’s universe. While we did get Cloverfield sequels, they weren’t what we expected.

Eight years after this first movie was released, 10 Cloverfield Lane arrived as a sequel, yet it has little to do with the original. It’s basically its own story that ties into the first at the end. Meanwhile, 2018’s The Cloverfield Paradox acts as a prequel, yet neither feels like the follow-ups we wanted nor like the credits’ message previewed.

There’s A Message After Cloverfield’s Credits

As Cloverfield is winding down, the main characters have closer interactions with the monster. That includes them seeing the monster have bombs dropped on it, only for the monster to leap up and take down their helicopter, before ripping Hud in half and killing him.

When the movie officially ends, Rob and Beth proclaim their love for each other as Manhattan is bombed and the camera cuts out. The final sH๏τ shows them back in Coney Island before this all started, as an object falls into the ocean in the background, unseen by them. However, that’s not where the story actually ends.

Once the credits of Cloverfield roll, a voice can be heard shouting, “Help us.” On its own, that’s not much, but if you play the message backward, “It’s still alive,” can actually be heard. That signals that all the bombing done to Manhattan still had no effect on the monster.

This seems particularly evident when you watch The Cloverfield Paradox. Although that acts as a prequel to the first movie, the ending shows the monster, yet it’s much bigger than in the 2008 film. It could be an alternate universe but if it’s the same one we’ve already seen, that means the monster has continued to grow rather than die.

This Message Sets Up The Cloverfield Sequel

More than just being a fun little easter egg of sorts, the post-credits message in Cloverfield set the stage for a sequel that we’ve yet to get. There are plenty of routes for a sequel to go, including showing the initial attack from another point of view. However, a follow-up to what happened would be the best route.

The idea that Manhattan was totaled, yet this monster still lives on, makes for an intriguing premise. Does the monster find its way to the rest of New York? Maybe it goes even further and the entire country or world struggles to deal with this problem.

Also, if bombing an entire island isn’t enough to kill the monster, could anything? These are questions that could be explored and answered by a proper Cloverfield sequel. We do know that a Cloverfield sequel is in development, and all that’s really known about it is that it directly follows the 2008 film.

Hopefully, it takes the post-credits message seriously and gives us the best and most interesting Cloverfield movie since the original.