10 Cloverfield Lane Ending & Timeline Explained (In Detail)

10 Cloverfield Lane's ending sees Michelle escape the bunker, only to find that the world isn't at all safe - but what does the divisive ending mean? The ending of10 Cloverfield Lanehas often been cited as one of the film's weakest aspects, but despite the confusion it inspires, it cleverly plays off of the film's

10 Cloverfield Lane's ending sees Michelle escape the bunker, only to find that the world isn't at all safe - but what does the divisive ending mean?

The ending of 10 Cloverfield Lane has often been cited as one of the film's weakest aspects, but despite the confusion it inspires, it cleverly plays off of the film's deeper themes in an unexpected way. The second film in the Cloverfield franchise, 10 Cloverfield Lane's story is a deeply unsettling and claustrophobic experience. Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, and John Gallagher Jr., the film's small cast is rounded out by a handful of small roles, including an easy-to-miss cameo from Bradley Cooper.

10 Cloverfield Lane begins with Michelle (Winstead) hurriedly packing and leaving her home, screening calls from her boyfriend after an argument. After being run off the road, Michelle wakes up chained to a wall having clearly received some form of medical treatment. After Howard (Goodman) explains that he saved her life after finding her at the side of the road, he tells her that she can't leave the bunker as the air is toxic. Putting her doubt aside, Michelle settles into life in the bunker alongside Howard and Emmett (Gallgher Jr.).

Combining elements of sci-fi, psychological thrillers, and horror movies all into one film, 10 Cloverfield Lane tells a tense and gripping story. It's one of Mary Elizabeth Winstead's best horror movies, and John Goodman's terrifying performance elevates the film into a character-driven horror drama. As such, there are much deeper themes at play throughout 10 Cloverfield Lane, many of which factor into its slightly confusing ending.

What Happens In 10 Cloverfield Lane's Ending

After Howard grows increasingly dangerous and unhinged, Michelle decides to risk freedom, escaping from the bunker after setting it alight. Dressed in her makeshift protective equipment, Michelle manages to escape the bunker just before it explodes, and she realizes that Howard's insistence that the air was toxic was untrue. Seeing birds fly overhead, Michelle sees that the air is breathable, and removes her mask.

While this might seem like a logical ending for 10 Cloverfield Lane, the film continues with the sudden emergence of a giant alien in the sky. The creature attacks Michelle, and she's forced to fight for her life, eventually killing the huge being using a makeshift Molotov cocktail. Finally making her way off of Howard's farm, Michelle finds herself at a literal crossroads, choosing between heading to a safe zone in Baton Rouge, or going to Houston to help fight the creatures. 10 Cloverfield Lane ends with Michelle opting to go to Houston.

Why Howard Took Michelle Into The Bunker

One of the most suspicious and significant elements of 10 Cloverfield Lane's story is Howard's bunker, and the only explanation the audience is offered of Michelle's place there comes from Howard himself. As Howard explains, he brought Michelle there to treat her injuries from the crash, and their subsequent quarantine in the bunker at 10 Cloverfield Lane (which happens to be Howard's address) came as a result of the attack from unknown forces. However, there's far more to Howard's story than he offers Michelle, and this is part of the reason for her distrust of her savior/captor.

As Michelle and Emmett later find out, Howard's regular mentions of Megan (and the picture of her he shows Michelle) aren't all about his daughter - the picture, and "Megan"'s clothes offered to Michelle, actually belonged to a local girl named Brittany who went missing several years prior. When Howard's behavior becomes more delusional, it becomes clear that he's obsessed with the idea of having a family, and that he wants Michelle to fill the role of his daughter. This is where 10 Cloverfield Lane's horror movie elements come into play, as Michelle and Emmett must fight against Howard while unsure if it's safe to leave the bunker - even though they know that Howard is a threat to their lives.

Howard's Backstory Explained

Howard acts in many capacities throughout 10 Cloverfield Lane. He's the film's primary antagonist as well as Michelle and Emmett's savior; he's a murderer, he's delusional, and he's a dangerous conspiracy theorist (even if the conspiracies prove to be somewhat true). However, understanding Howard's backstory is an important part of understanding his motivations throughout the film.

Howard's past is only relayed in part by Howard himself (and later clarified by Emmett) in 10 Cloverfield Lane, making much of what the film reveals about him relatively unreliable. However, his job working on satellites would potentially serve as a reason that Howard had some prior knowledge of the danger of an attack, and his comments about his daughter and ex-wife being gone take on a sinister tone after the later revelation regarding Brittany. It's clear that Howard is a dangerous man, and that he has a fixation on filling the role of his missing daughter, with the implication being that Michelle is only the latest in a string of captives. It seems most likely that Howard saw his opportunity to take Michelle when the attack started, and then used it as a means of keeping her in the bunker with him.

10 Cloverfield Lane's Place In The Cloverfield Franchise Timeline

Making connections between Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane is more difficult than it might seem, particularly as the sci-fi premise of the latter is kept back until the very end of the film. This makes it difficult to pin down 10 Cloverfield Lane's exact place in the loose narrative of the Cloverfield franchise. However, a few small Easter eggs do point to a specific placement in the wider Cloverfield timeline.

It's reasonable to assume that the events of 10 Cloverfield Lane happen at least a short while after the events of Cloverfield, as the former chronicles the initial appearance of the monsters in New York, and at the end of 10 Cloverfield Lane, the monster issues appear to be worldwide. However, each of the current films in the Cloverfield franchise is designed to be entirely independent of each other - although Cloverfield 2 should clarify the franchise's timeline somewhat. There's also a small Easter egg within 10 Cloverfield Lane's promotional material that confirms Howard was working for Tagruato, the same company that hired Rob at the start of Cloverfield, and a conspiracy theorist in The Cloverfield Paradox who shares the name "Stambler" with Howard.

10 Cloverfield Lane Is About Fear & Regret

While 10 Cloverfield Lane is a particularly claustrophobic thriller, it's ultimately not about the bunker, nor is it about the alien attack that made the bunker necessary. The film's true meaning is actually revealed in a touching scene between Emmett and Michelle as they discuss their lives before the attack. Emmett explains that he never left his hometown due to his fear of not being successful, and that it was perhaps his biggest regret. Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Michelle then goes on to share her own regret, which links back to the very beginning of the film.

Michelle begins the film by running from her fiancé after an argument, and she reveals it to be her usual coping mechanism due to an abusive childhood. This abuse draws parallels to the psychotically paternal relationship Howard attempts to force upon her, and her ultimate resistance shows her attempting to break the cycle of fear and regret. By giving Emmett a backstory with a similar motivation, it builds a bond between the two characters, and Emmett's death provides the push that Michelle needs to finally break free of her own fear and escape the bunker.

The Real Meaning Of 10 Cloverfield Lane's Ending

The film sees Michelle escape one of 10 Cloverfield Lane's predators and stumble into the path of another in the form of a large alien threat. While this may seem as though it comes out of left field, it actually provides an interesting continuation of the film's established themes. By presenting Michelle with yet another monster to face, it allows her an opportunity to fight back, and as she's only just narrowly escaped one form of captivity, she's finally inclined to do so.

The film's final moments see Michelle at a critical juncture, choosing between running for safety or fighting the problem head-on. Just like the reveal of Cloverfield's monster in the film's final shot, this scene ties everything together: everything that Mary Elizabeth Winstead's character has faced throughout the film has led her to that crossroads, and she's finally willing to fight back. Though 10 Cloverfield Lane's final scenes are often cited as the film's weakest moments, they actually provide an interesting continuation of its deeper themes, as well as tying it all into the Cloverfield franchise.

Next: Why Cloverfield 2 Is Finally Happening After 13 Years

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