Decipher 'Cloverfield'

A sensational precursor to "Transformers," the teaser trailer to the mysterious, ominous project with the code name of "Cloverfield" and "1-18-08" (Jan. 18, 2008), in which a creature terrorizes Manhattan as told from an anonymous unsteady hand's digital camcorder (a "Blair Witch Project," of sorts), is available in Quicktime via Apple.com. J.J. Abrams (TV's "Lost," "Mission: Impossible III") produces, and Matt Reeves (TV's "Felicity") directs. With major details sparse and elusive, the blogosphere is in a frenzy to decipher the viral ad campaign: 1-18-08.com contains important clues in random still photographs; EthanHaasWasWrong.blogspot.com includes a rant about Ethan Haas, a false prophet, or so the correspondence claims; and a third site, EthanHaasWasRight.com, unlocks a set of cryptic messages, via video, of Haas. One theory: "Cloverfield" resembles horror author H.P. Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulhu," in which a "green, sticky spawn of the stars" (The Cthulhu, above) engulfs a metropolis in apocalyptic destruction. Meanwhile, Trent Reznor swears the secret project is not an extension of the musician's "Year Zero" promotional offensive.