When Cloverfield came out in 2008, it was an unexpected hit that reintroduced a new generation to the found footage genre. It also unexpectedly spawned its own cinematic universe, starting with 10 Cloverfield Lane as the first installment to connect to the original film.

Cloverfield tells the story of a group of New Yorkers throwing a going away party for their friend Rob, as he embarks on a new job opportunity in Japan. Using the handheld camera meant to capture video goodbyes for their friends, they document the terrifying night a deadly and mysterious creature wreaks havoc on the city. Almost a decade later, the team behind Cloverfield announced what was to be a "spiritual sequel" to the original — 10 Cloverfield Lane.

Related: The Cloverfield Monster Was Just A Baby: Species & Mother Explained

Cloverfield ended on a pretty concrete and indisputable note. 10 Cloverfield Lane tells the story of a woman taken hostage in a bunker and being told by her captor that the outside world has become unlivable, which only prompts her to learn what is happening behind that concrete door. These two films could not seem anymore different from one another, which undoubtedly led to fans wondering how 10 Cloverfield Lane could possibly be a sequel to Cloverfield.

10 Cloverfield Lane's Connection To The Original Movie

Cloverfield Movie Poster Skyline

Just with its predecessor and The Cloverfield Paradox, the most recent film added to the franchise, the release of 10 Cloverfield Lane was shrouded in mystery. The film itself was littered with clues pointing toward a bigger mystery. Both movies made use of an unusual stunt marketing campaign — fake websites. An original website created in anticipation of Cloverfield's release informed eagle-eyed fans that a Japanese company named Tagruato was drilling deep in the ocean to retrieve an ingredient used in the drinks released by its slushie manufacturing subsidiary, Slusho! That company happened to be the one Rob is leaving New York for in the first film. The Tagruato website saw some more action around the time of 10 Cloverfield Lane's release. The site listed Howard Stambler, antagonist of 10 Cloverfield Lane, as the Employee of the Month for another one of its subsidiary companies.

Aside from this, the two films do not have much of a solid connection, aside from each of them having the world "Cloverfield" in their titles. The movies have separate characters, locations and monsters. It's possible, but unclear, if they even take place in the same universe. But as the Cloverfield franchise is built on small connections, the Tagruato link is huge. This implies that company, in some way, was responsible for the release of the monsters in each of the films.

The Tagruato website is still active, with its most recent update being in 2018, to tease the release of The Cloverfield Paradox, which is the third installment in the franchise. But rumors have been circulating for a while now that fans can expect a true sequel to Cloverfield. As Tagruato has proven to be the strongest connection at least between Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane, it looks like it'd be wise to keep an eye on this website.

More: Cloverfield: What's Really Going On With The Franchise