Cold Storage (2026)
🎬 Cold Storage (2026) – Movie Review, Cast, Plot & Everything You Need to Know
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| Official Poster |
🕣 Quick Information
- Movie Name: Cold Storage
- Release Year: 2026 (TBA exact date)
- Director: Jonny Campbell (Doctor Who, Westworld)
- Writer: David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, Mission: Impossible)
- Producers: Gavin Polone, David Koepp
- Studio: StudioCanal / Samuel Goldwyn Films (U.S. Distributor)
- Language: English
- Runtime: 1h 38m
- Genre: Horror-Comedy, Sci-Fi, Splatter
- Rating: R (Violence, Gore, Language)
- Based On: Cold Storage (2019 novel by David Koepp)
📅 Release Date
As of August 2025, the official release date of Cold Storage has not been fixed. It is confirmed for 2026 worldwide, with Samuel Goldwyn Films handling U.S. distribution. Given the buzz and trailer launch in mid-2025, it is expected to release in the first half of 2026, but no studio announcement has narrowed it down yet.
⭐ Genre
Cold Storage proudly stands in a rare mix of genres:
- Sci-Fi – dealing with a mutating fungus and doomsday bioterror themes.
- Horror – packed with gore, exploding heads, and grotesque body horror.
- Comedy/Parody – with absurd moments, dark jokes, and slapstick-style survival comedy.
It has been described as The Last of Us meets Shaun of the Dead, with some Resident Evil and Alien vibes but filtered through a comedic, splatter lens.
🎭 Cast
The cast of Cold Storage blends veteran powerhouses with fresh young stars:
- Liam Neeson as Robert Quinn – A retired bioterror operative reluctantly pulled back into action.
- Joe Keery (Stranger Things) as Travis "Teacake" Meacham – A hapless night-shift worker suddenly thrust into survival.
- Georgina Campbell (Barbarian) as Naomi Williams – Another worker forced to confront the outbreak.
- Vanessa Redgrave – Appears in a supporting role as Ma Rooney (notably, Neeson’s first on-screen collaboration with his late wife Natasha Richardson’s mother).
- Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread).
- Sosie Bacon (Smile) as Dr. Hero Martins.
- Darrell D’Silva, Daniel Rigby, Ellora Torchia, Aaron Heffernan, and more.
🎬 Casting Trivia: Liam Neeson praised Vanessa Redgrave’s work, saying she could “steal the movie.” Despite being family, they reportedly don’t share direct scenes.
🔍 Plot
Based on David Koepp’s novel, the story unfolds like this:
Deep within a military bunker, decades ago, a deadly parasitic fungus was sealed away after threatening humanity. Hidden from the world, it sat dormant—until it found its way into a self-storage facility.
When the containment fails, the organism begins to mutate and spread uncontrollably. Humanity faces a catastrophic outbreak capable of “melting brains.”
Caught in the chaos:
- Travis (Joe Keery) and Naomi (Georgina Campbell), two underpaid storage workers just trying to survive a night shift.
- Robert Quinn (Liam Neeson), a retired operative with experience battling bioterror threats.
The three unlikely heroes must confront the outbreak, facing exploding heads, zombified creatures, and fungus-infected monstrosities—all while trying to save the world.
👉 The plot balances high-stakes horror with absurdist comedy, delivering grotesque visuals alongside laugh-out-loud moments.
🔥 Fan Buzz
The first trailer, released in July 2025, sparked massive online reaction:
- Viewers called it “The Last of Us, but funny.”
- Horror fans loved the grotesque body-horror shots: splattered brains, fungal transformations, a deer riding an elevator (!).
- Media described it as “visceral yet hilarious” (GamesRadar), “a dark zombie comedy” (CinemaBlend), and “gory popcorn fun” (Polygon).
- Liam Neeson’s presence drew in older audiences, while Joe Keery’s fanbase from Stranger Things boosted buzz among younger crowds.
The tone of excitement shows that fans are ready for a wild, unfiltered horror-comedy after years of serious post-apocalyptic dramas.
🎬 Facts
- Book to Film: The novel Cold Storage was released in 2019 and optioned almost immediately.
- Director Choice: Jonny Campbell was selected for his ability to balance genre tones (sci-fi, comedy, horror).
- Filming Locations: Shot across Italy and Morocco in 2023.
- Unique Mix: This is one of the few films blending splatter horror with parody comedy—often compared to cult hits like Slither.
- Runtime: At 98 minutes, it keeps a fast pace, favoring thrills and laughs over drawn-out drama.
🔊 Marketing Strategy
The campaign so far includes:
- Trailer release in July 2025 – which set the tone as both disgusting and hilarious.
- Targeted comparisons: Marketing leaned into calling it “The Last of Us, but funnier,” to ride on the popularity of zombie/survival titles.
- Casting promotions: Neeson + Keery = cross-generational marketing.
- StudioCanal + Samuel Goldwyn Films: Distributors plan a wide U.S. and European release.
Expect further:
- Horror festival screenings early 2026.
- Viral social campaigns (fungus memes already circulating).
- Behind-the-scenes featurettes focusing on gore effects.
🎬 Behind-the-Scenes
While not much has been revealed publicly, here’s what’s known:
- Practical Effects: The trailer shows a heavy reliance on practical gore (exploding heads, fungal prosthetics), blended with CGI.
- Collaboration: David Koepp wrote both the book and script—rare for an author. His screenwriting experience ensures a cinematic, not just literary, story.
- Liam Neeson’s Praise: Neeson has spoken about how the mix of humor and horror attracted him after decades of mostly action/drama roles.
✂️ Deleted Scenes
⚠️ As of now, no information on deleted or alternate scenes has been made public. This will likely surface in:
- Director’s cut editions.
- DVD/Blu-ray extras post-release.
Given the R-rating, it’s highly possible that even gorier sequences or extended comedy bits will be trimmed before theatrical release.
🎯 Final Verdict
Cold Storage (2026) has all the makings of a cult classic:
- A killer cast blending Neeson, Keery, and Campbell.
- A story that mixes real scientific dread (mutating fungus) with outrageous gore.
- A tone that doesn’t take itself too seriously, unlike most pandemic/bioterror movies.
If executed well, it could stand alongside modern horror-comedies like Shaun of the Dead, while carving out its own identity as a fungus-fueled gore-fest with brains (literally).
✨ Extra Deep Dive
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David Koepp’s Legacy: Known for shaping blockbuster cinema (Jurassic Park, Spider-Man), Koepp’s move into directing an adaptation of his own novel signals personal passion. This dual role gives the film authenticity.
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Liam Neeson’s Career Angle: After years of action thrillers (Taken, The Grey), Neeson steps into horror-comedy. For fans, this is refreshing—seeing him parody his tough-guy image in a splatter setting.
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Joe Keery’s Transition: From Stranger Things to indie films (Spree, Molly’s Game), Keery’s role in Cold Storage cements him as a rising horror-comedy lead.
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The Fungus Trend: Following the success of The Last of Us, fungi as an apocalypse threat has entered pop culture. But unlike grim adaptations, Cold Storage flips it into satire.
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Cinematic Comparisons:
- The Last of Us – serious fungal apocalypse.
- Slither – grotesque gore + dark comedy.
- Shaun of the Dead – survivors fumbling through chaos.
- Alien – parasitic organism threatening humanity.
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Audience Expectations: Horror fans crave both gore and originality; comedy fans want absurd laughs. Cold Storage markets itself to both.
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Cultural Impact Potential: With climate change and pandemics still in global discussion, the movie’s fungus theme taps into real anxieties—but filters them through satire, making it timely yet entertaining.
✅ Conclusion
Cold Storage (2026) is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable and outrageous horror-comedies of the decade. With a veteran cast, a legendary writer, and a perfect blend of gore and laughs, it’s not just another post-apocalyptic movie—it’s a potential genre-bender that could become a cult hit.
If you’re into exploding heads, brain-melting fungus, and Liam Neeson cracking dark jokes while saving the world—mark your 2026 calendar.
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