Perspective
Spoilers ahead
One thing makes parasitic or “zombie” fungi terrifying in the horror genre, and that is fungi like this exist in real life. The fungus called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis has kept its preference for infecting insects, and not humans. The horror tales that make up the “sporror” subgenre of popular media continue to thrive with releases such as the HBO videogame adaptation series “The Last of Us.”
Director Jonny Campbell delivers a new entry to the horror subgenre, and though it may not be a cinematic horror masterpiece, “Cold Storage” thrives on a chaotic mix of comedy, sci-fi and body horror.
As an adaptation of the 2019 book written by David Koepp, “Cold Storage” explores a gnarly parasitic fungus being held in what its title suggests, a cold storage. After debris from the Skylab space station landed on earth in 1979, NASA assumes that they recovered everything. One piece, however, landed in Western Australia containing the highly contagious fungus that makes up the film’s horrors.
The opening sequence is a highlight. Years after Skylab, after receiving a call from a concerned civilian who witnesses what is inside the NASA tank, biochemist Hero Martins (Sosie Bacon) is joined by U.S. bioterror operatives Robert Quinn (Liam Neeson) and Trini Romano (Lesley Manville) to explore and identify the unknown threat.
As Martins attempts to get a closer look at the leaking goo, some of it spurts from the tank and lands on the sand. Martins accidentally steps on the goo and without her realizing it, the hazardous material seeps through her shoe, and starts to spread throughout her body. This cinematic shot of the infection spread is a notable moment that offers an immersive look into how the fungus behaves, with impressive effects that amplify the disgusting appearance of the infection’s takeover.
Though the fungus appears to be threatening, the unserious nature of the film does little to amplify the stakes of the situation. Nonetheless, the way the film shows body mutilation offers strikingly grotesque visuals that help aid the situation’s intensity. Even with the inclusion of poorly done CGI infected animals later in the film, the bad CGI adds to the silliness of the comedy-horror.
After another timeskip, the site where the fungus was transported to gets sold and becomes a regular storage facility. The story reaches its main plot, as the film now explores two employees of the facility, Travis “Teacake” Meacham (Joe Keery) and Naomi Williams (Georgina Campbell) and what may just be the wildest workshift of their lives.
The charismatic leads of Keery and Campbell add to the entertainment value of the film. Their
dynamic interactions create a sense of lightheartedness to the otherwise horrific situation. The easy, lively exchanges between Teacake and Naomi make the duo enjoyable, even as they explore the ridiculous situation at hand.
With “Cold Storage,” Campbell doesn’t aim to add anything special to the “sporror” subgenre. The compact setting of a storage facility could lean toward a more interesting plot for a terrifying situation. “Cold Storage” does lean more into being an enjoyable film to watch for when you need a laugh, rather than being an “on the edge of your seat” horror film. But don’t underestimate its body horror visuals. The film is fun, and who doesn’t enjoy an exploding body here and there (though the infected throwing up countless times did not help my emetophobia).
