[MOVIE REVIEW] Cold Storage is good old fashioned B-movie fun

Cold Storage (2026) ended up being exactly the kind of movie I like to see from the indie and mid-budget horror space:  a tight horror-comedy built around a great B-movie concept.

The film follows Travis “Teacake” Meacham (Joe Keery) and Naomi Williams (Georgina Campbell) when a deadly parasitic fungus escapes containment beneath a self-storage facility and turns an ordinary night shift into a full-blown survival situation. Soon they’re working alongside Robert Quinn (Liam Neeson), a retired government operative who was involved with the original containment decades earlier and knows exactly how dangerous the organism really is.

The movie keeps the tension building without giving away too much, and it lets the situation escalate naturally without spoiling its hand too early. 

One of my favorite parts of the movie was Neeson’s character, who brings a kind of weary professionalism to the role that makes everything feel more believable. Quinn feels like a guy who has already fought this battle once and knows exactly how badly things can go if it gets out of control. Neeson plays it straight without winking at the audience, and that grounded performance gives the movie a solid backbone even when things get ridiculous. 

It was also nice seeing Keery in something that isn’t Stranger Things. He fits the role of Teacake perfectly as the regular guy caught in a nightmare way over his head. He carries a lot of the movie’s humor without undercutting the tension, which isn’t always easy to pull off. His reactions feel natural, and the character never comes across like a cartoon version of a horror protagonist. The cast works well together, and the movie moves along at a brisk pace without dragging. 

The special effects were another highlight for me. The infected creatures and fungal growths look great and feel appropriately slimy and dangerous. The movie leans into the creature-feature side of things in a way that feels intentional rather than cheap. It reminded me of the kind of practical-heavy horror movies that used to show up all the time in the late 80s and 90s, and that’s a vibe I always appreciate. 

I also thought the cinematography did a great job capturing the B-movie flavor. The storage facility setting is used well, with lots of dark corners, narrow hallways, and industrial lighting that make the place feel claustrophobic and unpredictable. The horror-comedy tone works throughout, balancing tension and humor without tipping too far in either direction. This isn’t trying to reinvent the genre, but it knows exactly what it is and executes it well. 

I’d definitely recommend catching Cold Storage if you enjoy creature features and horror-comedies that embrace their B-movie roots.

Cold Storage is rated R.