10 Horror Movies Where The Monster Isn’t The Scariest Part
4. 10 Cloverfield Lane
10 Cloverfield Lane opens with an engaged woman, Michelle, being badly injured in a car accident. She awakens in an underground bunker with survivalist Howard, who insists that an unknown enemy has left the area uninhabitable. Growing suspicious of Howard, Michelle must decide whether she'll be safer on the outside.
Due to the lack of exposition and Howard's unknown intentions, the tension is through the roof. The cat-and-mouse dynamic between Michelle and Howard is riveting, to the point where it overshadows the outside threat. By the time Howard kills his subordinate and assaults Michelle, she's dead-set on escaping.
When Michelle leaves the bunker during the climax, she's shocked to see that an alien invasion is underway. Even though the space invaders pose a far greater threat, they don't instil the same level of fear as Howard. Despite depicting himself as a protector, Michelle never knows what Howard is planning or when his next mood swing is coming, so she's constantly on edge. The fact that she can't escape the bunker at first makes her feel like she's caged up with a wild animal.
Although Michelle's survival is unlikely against the aliens, she was facing certain doom if she remained with Howard.