Cold Storage (2026) Review — The Fungus Among Us

It’s 2:47 a.m., and the fluorescent lights above Aisle 7 are doing that thing — that flicker-buzz, flicker-buzz — that every horror movie ever made has taught you means it’s time to leave. You don’t leave. Of course you don’t. You’re on the night shift at a sealed government storage facility, which is a polite way of saying you’re babysitting America’s junk drawer: crates sealed since before you were born, labels redacted, contents classified. And then, from somewhere deep in the dark between the shelves, you hear it. A wet sound. A growing sound.

The manifest says Unit 12-B contains “biological samples.” The manifest is lying, or optimistic, or both. Because what’s behind that sealed door isn’t a sample anymore — it’s a tenant. A highly contagious, mutating parasitic fungus with ambitions far beyond its container, and tonight it has decided the lid is merely a suggestion. You’ve got a flashlight, a coworker who will absolutely crack a joke at the worst possible moment, and roughly zero qualifications for saving humanity. Sweet dreams, night-shift crew.

That’s Cold Storage (2026) — David Koepp’s fungal horror-comedy, directed by Jonny Campbell — and reader, it is the most fun you can have watching something deeply disgusting. Let me crack the seal on this one.

The setup is lean and mean: two young night-shift employees at a sealed storage facility cross paths with a grizzled bioterror operative (Liam Neeson, looking like he was carved out of a government warning label) when a mutating parasitic fungus escapes containment. Their mission is simple and impossible in equal measure: survive the wildest night shift ever and keep the thing from reaching the outside world. It’s 99 minutes, rated R, and it moves like it knows you’ve got somewhere to be — which, in this case, is a compliment.

What works here starts with Koepp’s script. The man wrote Jurassic Park, so he knows exactly how to make science scary and scientists funny — and because he’s adapting his own 2019 novel, the whole thing has a confident, lived-in snap that most book-to-screen jobs never manage. The dialogue crackles because Koepp isn’t translating someone else’s story; he’s directing traffic on streets he built himself. Neeson, meanwhile, is having an absolute blast as the weary professional surrounded by amateurs, and his deadpan against Joe Keery’s panicked night-shift energy is the film’s engine. The odd-couple chemistry works because Neeson never winks at the audience, which makes the absurdity swirling around him even funnier. Georgina Campbell (Barbarian) brings genuine horror credibility and steals scenes by playing the terror completely straight — the comedy lands harder when at least one person on screen treats the fungus like the apocalypse it is. And the fungus itself? Gloriously gross: tendrils, blooms, body horror that makes you laugh and gag in the same breath. The effects work because they’re tactile and wet and in-your-face rather than weightless digital soup; you believe this thing could genuinely be growing behind the drywall.

What doesn’t: the third act shifts into full blockbuster overdrive, and the careful character comedy starts getting stepped on by set pieces. The climax is fun but formulaic — the kind of “bigger means better” escalation the first hour was too smart for. A couple of supporting characters exist mainly to be imperiled, and you’ll spot their fates coming from a mile away. And the $4.1 million box office tells its own story: this is a movie that deserved a much bigger audience than its marketing managed to find.

But here’s the thing: Cold Storage knows exactly what it is — a gross, funny, propulsive night at the movies — and it plays that movie like a virtuoso. At 99 minutes it never overstays, the laughs are real, the scares are slimy, and Liam Neeson growling his way through a fungal apocalypse is worth the price of a rental all by itself. I had a blast. You will too. Just maybe skip the leftovers.

Trivia & Facts

• Director: Jonny Campbell
• Screenplay: David Koepp, adapting his own 2019 novel — a genuinely rare double act. Koepp also wrote Jurassic Park (1993), Mission: Impossible, and Spider-Man, which makes Cold Storage his return to big, scary science after three decades of Hollywood heavy-lifting.
• Cast: Liam Neeson, Joe Keery, Georgina Campbell, Sosie Bacon, Lesley Manville, and Vanessa Redgrave.
• Released: February 13, 2026 in the US via Samuel Goldwyn Films. Paramount+ holds the US streaming distribution rights.
• Runtime: 99 minutes. Rated: R. Box office: $4.1 million.
• Real-world roots: the film’s parasitic fungus riffs on Ophiocordyceps — the actual “zombie-ant fungus” that hijacks insects and sprouts from their bodies. Nature did it first, and honestly, nature did it scarier. If you want to fall further down the rabbit hole of fungal horror and the science behind it, the Think Horror Wiki has you covered.

Harper’s Extras

• Double feature: Pair it with Tremors (1990) for a full “nature fights back” double bill — underground monsters, blue-collar heroes, zero pretension.
• Hydration game: Take a sip of water every time someone says “containment.” You will be extremely hydrated. They will not be contained.
• Party fact: Koepp’s novel hit shelves in 2019 — then he turned around and wrote the movie version himself. Somewhere out there, every screenwriter currently adapting someone else’s novel just felt a cold draft.
• More 2026 horror: Craving another fresh scare from this year? Check out my Whistle (2026) review — a chiller that weaponizes sound instead of spores.

Where to Watch

Cold Storage (2026) opened in US theaters on February 13, 2026 via Samuel Goldwyn Films. It’s now available for digital rental and purchase, and Paramount+ holds the US streaming distribution rights. Check your local listings — and maybe keep the lights on in Aisle 7.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cold Storage (2026) based on a book?

Yes — Cold Storage (2026) is based on David Koepp’s 2019 novel of the same name, and Koepp adapted it for the screen himself, which is a rarer trick than you’d think.

Where can I watch Cold Storage (2026)?

Cold Storage (2026) is available for digital rental and purchase, and Paramount+ holds the US streaming distribution rights. It opened in US theaters on February 13, 2026 via Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Who directed Cold Storage (2026)?

Jonny Campbell directed Cold Storage (2026), from a screenplay by David Koepp.

What is Cold Storage (2026) about?

A highly contagious, mutating parasitic fungus escapes from a sealed storage facility, and two young night-shift employees — joined by a grizzled bioterror operative — must survive the wildest night shift ever to keep it from reaching humanity. It’s a sci-fi horror comedy, and this review stays spoiler-light.