It all began last summer. The trailer for a mysterious new film took audiences by surprise when it played before screenings of Transformers. A party scene, shot in camcorder style, gives way to complete chaos when a massive explosion is witnessed by partygoers from the rooftop of their building in Manhattan. Crowds flood the streets as debris, including the disembodied head of the Statue of Liberty, rains down on them. "It's alive! It's huge," someone screams, and soon the screen goes black. There's no hint of a title. Just a release date of 1-18-08. And Cloverfield mania was born.

The preview was an instant sensation with moviegoers taking to the Internet to find out more about the mystery trailer. J.J. Abrams was listed as producer -- we knew that much. But Paramount Pictures would not initially acknowledge that the project even existed, in spite of their logo appearing on the preview. Abrams, who had previously launched a hugely successful viral marketing campaign for Lost, capitalized on the hysteria by creating an alternate reality game designed to suck fans deep into the Cloverfield rabbit hole. Just how deep does it go? We've put together this guide to help you explore the mysteries of Cloverfield.

The movie's nondescript teaser site at www.1-18-08.com was the first to be discovered by fans. Initially, the site displayed a single still image of two young women staring up in shock at something unknown... the monster, or its path of destruction, perhaps. The image was timestamped "01/18/2008 12:36A." New photos have been added to the site over time with more captured moments from the party and post-attack events in the city. The most recent pics, however, appear to depict an air-sea battle of some kind and its fiery aftermath. How does this relate to the Cloverfield monster? Did the military know about its existence before the attack? Answer unknown.

The next viral website to emerge from the ether was www.slusho.jp, the off-the-wall "official" site for a fictional Japanese drink that has a strange link to the events of the film. The first hint: Mike Vogel's character can be seen wearing a Slusho t-shirt in the movie's trailer. So, what's the connection? It seems that Rob, the guy who's going away party is featured in the trailer, has been hired by Slusho for a marketing job -- more on how we know this later. Rob presumably scored the t-shirt and gave it to his brother, Hawk, played by Mike Vogel.

In the history section of the Slusho website, you can read the outlandish story of renown beverage-maker Noriko "Smallest Whale" Yoshida, who perished on a deep-sea search for a secret drink ingredient. Noriko's beverage-making enterprise was later revived by her son, Ganu, a scientist who was inspired to return to the family business after discovering an incredible "deep sea ingredient" that is the key to Slusho's flavor and lauded health benefits. Might this secret ingredient, as silly as it sounds, have some connection to the origins of the Cloverfield monster? After all, we learn that it was "discovered on the deep ocean floor, under amazing pressure and in the most extreme cold." Hmmm.

When Ganu Yoshida isn't coming up with new and exciting Slusho flavors, he keeps busy as CEO of the beverage-maker's parent corporation, Tagruato -- a Japanese company involved in deep sea drilling operations. Visitors to Tagruato's website can view an interactive map of their global drilling operations, which highlight all of the company's rigs. The newest operation, Chuai Station, is located off the East Coast of the United States. Could it be that events at the station bring about the monster's attack on New York City? There's more...

In a Tagruato press release, we learn that the Chuai Station has recently been attacked by an alleged eco-terrorist organization called T.I.D.O. Wave -- you can even watch "news reports" about the supposed attack online. However, those wanting to dig even deeper can visit the T.I.D.O. Wave website, where they'll learn that things may not be as they seem. The group, who paint themselves as peaceful defenders of Mother Earth who would never kill for their cause, denies any involvement in the Chuai Station attack. They even go so far as to hint that Tagruato destroyed the station themselves.

Incidentally, a newly posted press release reveals that Tagruato's Yoshida arrived in New York on the 15th for a four-day business trip to discuss the distribution of Slusho in America. That would place him in the city at the time of the monster's attack on the morning of the 18th. Will Yoshida be killed by the monster that he may have helped release, or even create? Or is he there on a more sinister mission, to watch the horrific events first hand?

We don't expect the movie to answer any of these "expanded universe" questions about vast corporate conspiracies, eco-terror plots, or yummy frozen beverages. You'll have to look online for those answers. Cloverfield, instead, will tell the more human story of a small group of people caught up in the monster's attack. Want to get to know more about the movie's main characters? The film's intricate viral website also includes "official" MySpace pages for Rob and his crew.

A recent blog entry on Rob Hawkins' page reveals that he's just been offered a job with Slusho. You'll also find links to pages for Rob's brother Jason "Hawk" Hawkins, and his possible love interest Beth McIntyre. Then there's the rest of the gang: Hud, Lily, Marlena, and Jamie. The pages don't contain any juicy secrets, but it's an interesting way to see how the movie's characters are connected. One of the characters does have a secret, however. And it's one that may link her to the story's deeper mysteries.

Jamie Lascano, the partygirl of the group, has been posting videos online for her boyfriend, Teddy. Lucky for the rest of us, the password has been leaked -- it's jllovesth. Things start out innocently enough as Jamie posts vids to keep her new beau interested. However, we soon learn that Teddy has suddenly stopped calling. We watch as she opens a gift that he left for her -- it's a Slusho hat and a mysterious substance labeled "Primary Evidence -- Jamie, don't eat this." Furthermore, there's a recording of Teddy telling Jamie that if she's listening to this then he's been captured by Tagruato Corp. (Zoinks!) Teddy has been looking into the company's drilling operations and obtained some of what we suppose is Slusho's secret ingredient. Jamie, who thinks the whole thing is a crazy story he's cooked up to ditch her, proceeds to eat the stuff and chronicles the bizarre after-effects on video.

What does it all mean? What role, if any, did Tagruato Corp. play in the creation or release of the Cloverfield monster? And what is it that makes Slusho taste so damn good!? There are still more questions than answers, but we've got a feeling that all will be revealed in time. Learn the fate of Rob and his friends when Cloverfield opens in theaters on Friday, and keep your eyes on these websites for answers to the story's deeper mysteries. We'll be watching, too!

Here's a quick reference with all of the Cloverfield viral links: