Cold Storage – Film Review

Director – Jonny Campbell
Writer – David Koepp
Stars – Rob Collins, Georgina Campbell, Liam Neeson

When an extremely dangerous fungus is found in Australia, Robert Quinn (Liam Neeson) and his team are sent to investigate. The fungus can take over the body and mind of any creature, turning them into zombies. The team manages to isolate the fungus, and it is moved to a secure facility, deep underground, where it can be stored and investigated. However, when this facility is decommissioned, the site is turned into a storage facility! The only problem is that they left the fungus in a vault, waiting to emerge…

This is a zombie film of sorts, with its own set of unique rules for these slow-moving and quite articulate zombies. While the fungus slowly takes over the individuals, they can still walk and talk, but are prone to exploding and spreading the green slime in all directions.

The film features both Lesley Manville (Trini Romano) and Liam Neeson for substantial sections of the plot, but the main roles fall to ex-Stranger Things alumni Joe Keery (Teacake) and Georgina Campbell (Naomi Williams). They work in the storage facility and are the first to discover the strange outbreak. Dublin’s own Aaron Heffernan has a substantial role as Naomi’s ex-boyfriend, Mike Snyder.

The film starts well, but then suffers a lull while we wait for the pieces to fall into place for the explosive outbreak. With the inclusion of Joe Keery, it’s clear the market it’s going for, with a similar style to the much-loved Stranger Things. The inclusion of Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson gives it an unexpected touch of gravitas. It is a relatively standard horror comedy film, but with a 15A rating, it offers scares but never overindulges in gore.