Clover Eggs: A complete cheat's guide to the Cloverfield DVD Easter Eggs

After my Cloverfield 2-disc DVD review was posted yesterday, Dennis Acevedo of CloverfieldClues.com e-mailed to ask whether there were any Easter Eggs on the DVD, since I hadn't mentioned any. Quite frankly, my heart sank - I hadn't mentioned any Easter Eggs because I hadn't found any. I've never found any Easter Eggs on any DVD without being armed with explicit instructions on how to find them, and I generally find the concept of extra hidden features that can only be accessed by arsing around with the DVD menu vastly irritating. But more Cloverfield content equals yay, so I duly sat down with the Cloverfield DVD again to try to find these elusive extras.

And then Den of Geek's Simon had a brainwave. The BBFC, you see, is required to rate everything that goes on a DVD, even if it's secret, and so, the theory went, the BBFC's website would list all the Easter Eggs. Genius! Check it out:

On Disc 1:

00:02:42:10 (CLOVERFIELD - DISC ONE - SPECIAL FEATURES - EASTER EGGS (VIRAL CAMPAIGN: AKA #USGX-8810-B467 SUPPLEMENTAL FILES) - ALPHA ENCOUNTER - UNCONFIRMED - TAG VD #18 - #21 (FKA DISASTER FOOTAGE) - # 18 ENGLISH)

00:02:37:12 (CLOVERFIELD - DISC ONE - SPECIAL FEATURES - EASTER EGGS (VIRAL CAMPAIGN: AKA #USGX-8810-B467 SUPPLEMENTAL FILES) - ALPHA ENCOUNTER - UNCONFIRMED - TAG VD #18 - #21 (FKA DISASTER FOOTAGE) - # 19 SPANISH)

00:02:25:18 (CLOVERFIELD - DISC ONE - SPECIAL FEATURES - EASTER EGGS (VIRAL CAMPAIGN: AKA #USGX-8810-B467 SUPPLEMENTAL FILES) - ALPHA ENCOUNTER - UNCONFIRMED - TAG VD #18 - #21 (FKA DISASTER FOOTAGE) - # 20 FRENCH)

00:02:58:16 (CLOVERFIELD - DISC ONE - SPECIAL FEATURES - EASTER EGGS (VIRAL CAMPAIGN: AKA #USGX-8810-B467 SUPPLEMENTAL FILES) - ALPHA ENCOUNTER - UNCONFIRMED - TAG VD #18 - #21 (FKA DISASTER FOOTAGE) - # 21 JAPANESE)

00:00:59:08 SLUSHO! - YOU CAN'T DRINK JUST SIX. (EASTER EGG)

00:01:19:19 (CLOVERFIELD - DISC ONE - SPECIAL FEATURES - EASTER EGGS (VIRAL CAMPAIGN: AKA #USGX-8810-B467 SUPPLEMENTAL FILES) - PERSON OF INTEREST - JLVD (FKA JAMIE & TEDDY) - VIDEO 2)

00:03:08:13 (CLOVERFIELD - DISC ONE - SPECIAL FEATURES - EASTER EGGS (VIRAL CAMPAIGN: AKA #USGX-8810-B467 SUPPLEMENTAL FILES) - PERSON OF INTEREST - JLVD (FKA JAMIE & TEDDY) - VIDEO 5)

00:01:18:04 (CLOVERFIELD - DISC ONE - SPECIAL FEATURES - EASTER EGGS (VIRAL CAMPAIGN: AKA #USGX-8810-B467 SUPPLEMENTAL FILES) - PERSON OF INTEREST - JLVD (FKA JAMIE & TEDDY) - VIDEO 9)

00:00:27:23 (CLOVERFIELD - DISC ONE - SPECIAL FEATURES - EASTER EGGS (VIRAL CAMPAIGN: AKA #USGX-8810-B467 SUPPLEMENTAL FILES) - PERSON OF INTEREST - JLVD (FKA JAMIE & TEDDY) - VIDEO 11)

On Disc 2:

00:01:47:00 (NON-VIRAL EASTER EGGS - RACK'EM & PACK'EM)

00:01:17:20 (NON-VIRAL EASTER EGGS - FIGHTING THE X)

00:01:41:04 (NON-VIRAL EASTER EGGS - NOT WITHOUT MY BABY (PART 1)

00:00:13:02 (NON-VIRAL EASTER EGGS - NOT WITHOUT MY BABY (PART 3)

00:00:40:23 (NON-VIRAL EASTER EGGS - NOT WITHOUT MY BABY (PART 5)

Sadly, the BBFC didn't give me the information I needed on how to find these Easter Eggs, but knowing is half the battle. I found the nine Easter Eggs on Disc 1 relatively easily... by cribbing from Dennis. If you enter the scene selection menu, click through to scenes 13-16, and then just wait, eventually an extra scene appears.

When you click to open scene 17, you get through to another screen which has 9 options listed on it. All of them start with the code USGX-8810-B467, but then have a different last few digits. I couldn't get all of them to play, or open, or do anything at all, but looking at the list the BBFC provided, I think I managed to access everything that's actually got content.

13VD contains TAG VD #18 - #21, which turned out to be four local news reports of a disaster at the Chuai oil drilling station (in English, Spanish, French and Japanese). There's all sorts of fun stuff in there, including a press release from the Tagruato Corp.

34VD contained TAG VD #12, an advert for Slusho! I got this to play by clicking on all eight of the bean-shapes in order, though you might be able to get to it without doing that. The ad... you just have to see it for yourself, it's beyond bizarre.

Lastly, 144VD contained JL VD #2 - #12, the viral marketing webcam videos by a girl named Jamie to her boyfriend, who's somehow all mixed up in the Tagruato conspiracy; for anyone who didn't follow the viral marketing at the time, this is all new and slightly baffling, but incredibly cool nonetheless. (N.B. Only videos 2, 5, 9 and 11 would play; like the rest of the USGX-8810-B467 files, I don't know if there's just nothing there or if there's a way to unlock them, but the BBFC hasn't rated them so I suspect they're just there to make you feel accomplished when you find the ones that do play.)

I'm not sure if these count as Easter Eggs, but Disc 1 also has a special feature you can turn on or off where, throughout the movie, the battery life icon appears onscreen, and if you click it, you get to watch an extra mini behind-the-scenes features. These extra features, each about two or three minutes long, are, in order: The One'R, Amateur Naturalism, Casting Beth, Casting Jason, Wall of Dust, Destruction, Casting Rob, Casting Lily, The Subway, RatACloverfield, The World of the Parasite, Casting Marlena, Marlena's Death, Casting Hud, Sideways Apartment, The Military, and Shooting Style. After each featurette is over, the DVD returns you to the film.

The Easter Eggs on Disc 2 are trickier. I initially found them all using Windows Media Player and just hovering the mouse cursor over the screen until I found the hidden icons, but I've since worked out how to find them all using a DVD remote control, too (and because I'm just so generous, I'll explain where they all are so you can find them quickly and easily!).

Rack 'Em and Pack 'Em is accessed via a helicopter-shaped icon to the left of the subtitle options. However, to get to it via your DVD player, you'll need to select Svenska, and hit the Right button on your remote control. Counter-intutive, but there you go. This is probably the cutest of all the special features on either disc. Yay!

Fighting The X is accessible through the Alternate Endings menu; the icon is hidden behind the Statue of Liberty's eyes, and to get it you'll need to hit Left from Alternate Ending 1.

Not Without My Baby Parts 1, 3, and 5 aren't labelled or titled on the disc itself, but I found three clips that fitted the description and the BBFC's listed runtimes, so let's assume I'm right. Load up the Deleted Scenes menu. Part 1 is an icon hidden on the horse's bridle; you'll need to hit the Right button from Congrats Rob. Part 3 is behind the horse's saddle; go left from I Call That A Date. Part 5 took me an eternity to find, but it's attached to the stop light above the horse's hindquarters, and you get to it by hitting the Down button from the Special Features icon at the bottom of the screen.

I feel so goddamned accomplished right now.

Yesterday, though, I was discussing DVD extras with fellow Den of Geek editor Martin, and I declared that the Shaun of the Dead DVD had the most exhaustive set of extras I've ever seen. I've since been proved wrong: the Cloverfield DVD has an insane amount of extra stuff. Hats well and truly off to everyone involved with making this DVD: it's awe-inspiring.

More Cloverfield goodies:

The original cinema review (virtually spoiler-free!)
The R2 2-disc special edition DVD review
Movie recipes: how to make Cloverfield
Cloverfield: Matt Reeves press conference report