Much like the rampant sample of life-threatening Skylab fungus featured in Cold Storage, Jonny Campbell’s film moves like a sticky sludge with an unpredictable element that’s scratches our morbid curiousity.

A substance that was once contained in the mid-2000s after an outbreak in Australia has seeped out of its enclosure and is infecting a business of self-storage units. The danger is gradually discovered by a patrolling night crew (Barbarian’s Georgina Campbell, Joe Keery of Netflix’s Stranger Things) who investigate a droning signal deep in the basement only to discover odd activity – zombified animals, for instance. Meanwhile, the original operatives who were assigned to the initial outbreak return to the fold (Liam Neeson, Lesley Manville) and locals who are acquainted with the storage lockers (including a widow played by legendary actress Vanessa Redgrave, of all people) become potential biohazard victims.

Cold Storage makes a great first impression, as it quickly establishes important characters and the severity of the parasitic fungus through intense special effects that clearly exhibit how easily and quickly the gunk can take over a host’s body. From there, other roles earn the audience’s interest through flavourful performances. Notably Keery, who continues to shows us that he’ll have a really interesting and eclectic career outside his cult reign as Steve Harrington on Netflix.

Cold Storage starts losing steam, however, when the script grows increasingly conversational when sidetracked by side relationships; suggesting that the only thing that spreads faster than Skylab fungus is the movie’s casual disinterest with its goopy antagonist. This is a peculiar aspect that cheapens the film. Considering screenwriter David Koepp (Secret Window, Black Bag) is adapting his own book of the same name, and he comes from a background of writing for franchsies, one would presume he would want to liven up his own pace for a feature.

Still, Cold Storage comes through with its guarantee to keep its audience gasping in shock and laughing in disbelief. While merely a standard-issue creature feature, Cold Storage relishes in its squelching glory.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie