Like many of the geeks on the internet, I've been sucked into the mysterious vortex that is J.J. Abrams' newest project -- officially unnamed, going by the code name "Cloverfield," and referred to as simply 1.18.08 (for January 18, 2008, the movie's release date). The teaser trailer is attached to "Transformers," which of course I have not seen, but the buzz about this trailer is, in a word, ridiculous.

Now, I have not and will not take the time to frame-by-frame inspect the trailer (a crappy version recorded from someone's phone -- Paramount has apparently been right on top of all YouTube copies), but I've watched it thrice (that's probably a grossly smaller number than the actual number), and I become more and more intrigued with every viewing. And then the HD version of the teaser hit this afternoon, and it is awesome.

Here's the synopsis: Shot from a handheld camera, it begins with a surprise going-away party for a dude named Rob. All of a sudden, the lights go out and there are creepy sounds. The partygoers watch the news reporting a possible earthquake, and they go to the roof to see an enormous explosion in the city. A fireball hurtles itself at the group and they dissolve into panic. The group is now down in the street, trying to figure out what happened. Panic ensues. Someone yells something (something disputed on every message board) that sounds like, "I saw it! It's alive! It's huge!" All of a sudden, something large comes flying through the sky, hits a building, and skids through the streets -- it's the Statue of Liberty's head. And that's it.

The marketing for this movie is god damn ridiculous. The official site (1-18-08.com) currently contains two pictures, and that's all. Forums are bursting at their seems with people dissecting every part of these photos, from the timestamps (I'm convinced they mean something) to their tendency to rotate (which I think is just a Flash tic). They are even closely examining the source codes and WhoIs records on the websites that are registered with any possible connection to this movie. But then again, everything J.J. Abrams does is a puzzle -- everything is littered with clues, everything is done meticulously.

So what the hell is this movie about? There are theories from Godzilla to Cthulhu to parasitic bugs (apparently the "monster" or whatever is codenamed The Parasite) to connections with Ethan Haas Was Right - an ARG on ethanhaaswasright.com, which is a marketing gimmick for something but it's never once been confirmed that there is a connection. There's even apocalyptic theories.

This kind of marketing for movies is pretty new. Actually, the only time I've ever heard anything remotely like this being used is for the upcoming Batman movie, "The Dark Knight" (the only thing readily available is the official website, which links to a fake campaign poster for Harvey Dent). Everything shrouded in secrecy, everything is tiny little clues, and speculating fans spin the hype into an out-of-control marketing machine. It's brilliant, really. Without the Internet, this movie would be nothing, but overnight, this is already the most hyped movie of the year, with knowledge of the movie itself being just five days old. Seriously. The project was secretly given the green light back in February, the cast auditioned with scripts from "Alias," not given any information about the movie. And then the trailer debuted with "Transformers" on the fourth and, with no explanation for the destruction and panic in the city and no title for the movie, everyone is instantly curious, some obsessed, with finding the answers.

All this secrecy, all these possibilities, and all of a sudden, god, god god god, I want to see this movie so badly. Is it because the movie looks sheerly awesome (which, in fact, it does), or is it because I have no damn clue what is going on, and my insatiable appetite for knowing the unknown and my curiosity are overtaking me?

Well played, Abrams. Yes, I'm in. Yes, I will probably see "Transformers," not solely, but partially for this splendid two minutes of sheer awesomeness on the big screen. Yes, I've checked the site three times today, and yes, I noticed the glowing 2 in the photo of the party, you son of a bitch. I'm hooked.