Cloverfield is an American feature film of the science fiction and horror genres with an emphasis on the giant monster and found footage subgenres. It was directed by Matt Reeves with a screenplay written by Drew Goddard. It was produced by J.J. Abrams and his company, Bad Robot Productions, and distributed through Paramount Pictures. It was released theatrically in the United States on January 18th, 2008. The premise of the film involves a group of young twenty-something New Yorkers, who are celebrating Rob Hawkins' acceptance into a high profile business firm in Japan. As the party gets rolling however, a grotesque mysterious monster begins rampaging through New York. Rob's friend, Hudson "Hud" Platt documents their efforts to escape via a video recorder.