Cold Storage: When The Zombie Apocalypse Starts in a Basement

It is Friday the 13th, February 2026, and the movie gods have gifted us a creature feature that feels like a throwback to the glory days of 90s sci-fi horror, but with a modern, satirical edge. Cold Storage, adapted from the best-selling novel by legendary screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Spider-Man), has finally arrived.

Starring the unlikeliest of duos—action titan Liam Neeson and Stranger Things heartthrob Joe Keery—this film promises a wild ride. It blends the claustrophobic tension of The Thing with the workplace comedy of Clerks, all wrapped in a bio-hazard suit. For the audience on fmovies.tr who are tired of serious, brooding post-apocalyptic dramas (looking at you, The Last of Us), Cold Storage offers something different: a fast-paced, gory, and surprisingly funny race against extinction. It asks the question: Can a retired bioterror operative and two minimum-wage employees save the world before their shift ends?

The Plot: A Night Shift from Hell

The story begins decades ago, establishing the threat. A highly mutable, aggressive fungus—Cordyceps novus—was discovered and contained by a military unit led by Robert Quinn (Liam Neeson) and his partner (played by Sosie Bacon in flashbacks). The organism doesn’t just kill; it consumes, adapts, and spreads with terrifying intelligence. Thinking the threat was neutralized, the government buried it deep underground in a government facility.

Cut to present day. The facility has been sold and repurposed as a mundane self-storage warehouse. The temperature controls, vital for keeping the fungus dormant, are failing. Enter our unsuspecting heroes: Teacake (Joe Keery) and Naomi (Georgina Campbell). They are young, bored employees just trying to get through the night shift. Teacake is a slacker with a good heart, while Naomi is a sharp-witted single mom who is arguably overqualified for the job.

The Containment Breach

When a system failure causes the temperature to rise, the fungus wakes up. And it is hungry. It begins to spread through the ventilation, seeking biomass to grow. Realizing the catastrophic potential, the now-retired and slightly unhinged Robert Quinn is called back into action.

The film then becomes a “siege” movie. Quinn arrives at the facility, armed to the teeth and lacking in patience, to find Teacake and Naomi already fighting for their lives. The trio must navigate the labyrinthine corridors of the storage unit, battling infected organic matter (which ranges from mutated raccoons to… worse things) and trying to seal the building before the fungus escapes into the general population. It is a classic “ticking clock” scenario, made all the more stressful by the fact that the fungus learns from its mistakes.

Director’s Vision: Jonny Campbell’s Balancing Act

Jonny Campbell, known for his work on Westworld and Dracula, steps into the director’s chair with a clear vision. Adapting David Koepp’s book is tricky because the tone fluctuates wildly between scientific terror and dark humor. Campbell handles this balance masterfully.

Visual Style: The film makes excellent use of its primary location. The storage facility is shot like a haunted house—endless rows of metal doors, flickering fluorescent lights, and dark corners where anything could be hiding. Campbell uses practical effects for the gore, which adds a visceral, tactile quality to the horror. When the fungus attacks, it looks gross, wet, and real, avoiding the sterile look of bad CGI.

Pacing: With a runtime of 1 hour and 38 minutes, the film wastes no time. Campbell understands that a thriller needs momentum. Once the fungus escapes, the movie operates in real-time tension. He creates a sense of claustrophobia that slowly tightens around the characters, mirroring the spreading infection.

The Cast: An Unexpected Chemistry

The success of Cold Storage hinges on the dynamic between its three leads, who represent three different generations and worldviews.

• Liam Neeson as Robert Quinn: Neeson is having fun here. After years of playing the grim avenger in movies like Taken, he plays Quinn as a man who is competent but exhausted. He is “grizzled,” yes, but there’s a manic energy to him. He knows the world is ending, and he’s annoyed that he has to be the one to stop it. His deadpan delivery of scientific exposition amidst chaos is hilarious.
• Joe Keery as Teacake: Keery is the audience surrogate. He channels the charm he perfected as Steve Harrington, playing a guy who is completely out of his depth but steps up when it counts. His physical comedy—slipping on slime, fumbling with weapons—provides levity in the darker scenes.
• Georgina Campbell as Naomi: Fresh off her success in Barbarian and Bird Box Barcelona, Campbell proves she is a horror icon in the making. Naomi is the brains of the operation. While Quinn has the guns and Teacake has the luck, Naomi has the logic. Campbell brings a grounded intensity to the role, making her fear feels palpable.
• Lesley Manville: The Academy Award nominee (Phantom Thread) appears in a supporting role, likely as a bureaucratic figure or scientist, adding a touch of class and gravity to the proceedings.

Critical Review: A B-Movie with an A-List Brain

Cold Storage is aware of what it is. It doesn’t aspire to be high art; it aspires to be a high-quality B-movie, and it succeeds brilliantly.

The Script: David Koepp’s Sharp Writing

Having the author adapt his own book pays off. The dialogue is snappy and sharp. Koepp is a master of structure (he wrote Jurassic Park, after all), and he knows how to set up a scare. The scientific explanations for the fungus are terrifyingly plausible, rooted in real biology but exaggerated for cinematic effect. The script also effectively satirizes corporate negligence—the idea that the end of the world could be caused by a budget cut or a missed maintenance appointment feels all too real in 2026.

Horror vs. Comedy

The film’s “Dark Comedy” tag is accurate. The humor comes from the absurdity of the situation. Watching Liam Neeson try to explain complex biology to a stoned storage employee while a mutant organism bangs on the door is comedy gold. However, when the horror hits, it hits hard. The R-rating is earned. There are moments of body horror that will make you cringe, particularly involving how the fungus infects human hosts. It’s gross, sticky, and effective.

The Generational Divide

A subtle theme running through the movie is the clash between generations. Quinn represents the old guard—military precision, shoot first, ask questions later. Teacake and Naomi represent the younger generation—skeptical of authority, resourceful, and adaptable. To survive, they have to stop rolling their eyes at each other and work together. It adds a layer of human drama to the monster madness.

Cold Storage is the perfect Friday night movie. It is tense, thrilling, and surprisingly funny.

While it may not redefine the sci-fi genre, it revitalizes the “creature feature” with a fresh script and a cast that has incredible chemistry. Liam Neeson proves he can still command the screen, and Joe Keery cements his status as a leading man. If you liked Evolution, The Crazies, or Slither, this movie was made for you. Just maybe check the expiration date on your leftovers before you watch it.