Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives.
Practical Effects
The bridge collapse sequence used practical effects and minimal CGI.
Direction
Matt Reeves maintains found footage rules religiously — no score, no cuts.
Production
Shot under fake titles to preserve secrecy; cast didn't know the monster.
Director
Matt Reeves
Lizzy Caplan
Marlena
Jessica Lucas
Lily
T.J. Miller
Hud
Michael Stahl-David
Rob Hawkins
Mike Vogel
Jason Hawkins
Odette Annable
Beth McIntyre
Anjul Nigam
Bodega Cashier
Margot Farley
Jenn
Theo Rossi
Antonio
Brian Klugman
Charlie
Kelvin Yu
Clark
Liza Lapira
Heather
Lili Mirojnick
Lei
Ben Feldman
Travis
Elena Nikitina Bick
Party Goer
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The monster was designed by Neville Page but deliberately kept obscured; Reeves has said even he doesn't know its full origin.
The film's release marketing used viral websites and a mysterious trailer attached to Transformers, pioneering modern ARG campaigns.
US
