“Cloverfield” was a vertigo-inducing thriller that rethought the possibilities of the kaiju film genre. The most recent remake of “Godzilla” took several cues from it, and other films followed suit. As a found-footage film, it never quite revealed the monster plaguing New York, and it ends with more questions than answers.

Michelle, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, is kidnapped by Howard (John Goodman) in “10 Cloverfield Lane,” a new thriller from producer J.J. Abrams. (photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures)

So if you expect “10 Cloverfield Lane” to finally provide the exposition missing in the first installment, keep waiting. This is a sequel that challenges the entire premise of a sequel. The film’s association with “Cloverfield” is spoiler enough, but everything after that is entirely new. Welcome to “10 Cloverfield Lane,” a cinematic locale meant to agitate and remind us all that films – sequels, remakes or anything else – are not slaves to expectation.

Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) leaves her husband. Why? Who cares. It happens and that’s all we need to know. You should probably care more about the rumbling that occurs in the midst of her exodus. But in the process of skipping town, she’s run off the road. She awakens not to the abrasive fluorescent lights of a hospital but a dimly lit room, handcuffed to a mattress on the floor.

Her kidnapper Howard (John Goodman) tells her the world is over, and the only safe place left is in his bunker. He’s a doomsday conspiracy theorist, and his underground facility is stocked for the long haul.

Michelle, of course, refuses to believe Howard is anything more than a creep. Things change, though, when fellow bunker mate Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) confirms that some type of explosion did engulf a nearby city. Details are sparse.

Michelle’s doubts remain until a neighbor attempts to get in the compound. Face visually infected, she’s dying from something in the air. Maybe Howard is right. But answers don’t come easily for anyone living underground under the control of a paranoid ex-military depressant.

“10 Cloverfield Lane” teases and undermines the events of “Cloverfield.” It’s all a fascinating mystery that unravels like a “Twilight Zone” episode. If only Rod Serling was still around to provide the appropriate narration. So I’ll do my best. (Light cigarette, lean towards mic) Sometimes we don’t need the story we expect. This is the age of satisfaction, so we expect, nay demand, films to fall in line. Thankfully, some filmmakers are OK giving audiences the bird, and require them to be patient. (End narration).

Goodman’s performance is on par with Kathy Bates in “Misery.” Seriously, John Goodman has never been this good. He’s normally funny and delightful. He’s rarely terrifying and intriguing. This is awards-season good, but films like this never get love, so let’s bid farewell to that pipe dream.

A film like this is only as good as its climax, and “10 Cloverfield Lane” might have one of the most satisfying finales in some time. Without spoiling anything, what transpires might feel like the introduction of a completely different film, but that’s the point. A sequel never needs to be just one thing. Remember when “Psycho” killed off the lead, replacing her with a new one? It’s about time more films took chances like that. (Don’t take that comparison literally.)

Director Dan Trachtenberg and screenwriters Josh Campbell and Matthew Stuecken are relatively new to the scene. Oddly enough though, the writer and director of “Whiplash” served as a third co-writer, which likely explains how complex Goodman’s Howard is as a likable, unlikable guy.

But they all have the support of the original writer Drew Goddard and director Matt Reeves, both back as executive producers. And behind them all, producer and Jedi Master J.J. Abrams, who once again kept this project under wraps. The man does not like spoilers, so he controls the flow of information. For “Cloverfield,” nobody knew anything about it until opening weekend. In the case of “10 Cloverfield Lane,” nobody even knew the project existed until a Super Bowl teaser.

In that way, this is the best kind of gift: the one you never knew you needed. Unexpected films normally become sleeper hits, hardly a goal for major studios. That’s fine. “10 Cloverfield Lane” already doubled its $13 million production budget in the opening weekend. Hardly blockbusting numbers, but enough to help films like this survive.

Let’s just hope “Cloverfield 3” doesn’t take us another seven years. Knowing J.J. though, we won’t have a clue until a month before it premieres. Such a tease.