The next film starring one of our favorite Hawkins heroes, Joe Keery, is hitting theaters just in time for Valentine’s Day. Cold Storage releases on February 13th, 2026, and it promises to be a wild, gory, and hilarious ride that mixes sci-fi horror with a comedy twist. Keery stars alongside action legend Liam Neeson and Barbarian breakout Georgina Campbell.
The Plot
The premise behind the movie is the spread of an unknown parasitic fungus that originated back in the 70s and 80s, with the Skylab falling out of orbit and one of its science projects falling into a Western Outback town. The fungus kills most of the residents in the town, with a science team from the United States responding to scene. Dr. Hero Martins (Sosie Bacon) collects a sample of the glowing green mold and returns it to a military storage facility in the U.S.
Fast forward to 2026, and the military facility has since closed and has now been converted into a self-storage facility. Keery plays Travis Meacham, aka Teacake, an ex-con who is now a nightshift worker at the self-storage company. When he and his new co-worker Naomi (Georgina Campbell) head to the basement to investigate a temperature alarm, they realize the fungus has escaped. Robert Quinn (Liam Neeson), a NASA Bioterrorism expert shows up to the facility after being alerted by a temperature alarm. Keery and Campbell’s characters must slow the spread until Neeson is able to fully destroy it.
Overall, Keery’s role sounds quite similar to that of his as Steve Harrington in Stranger Things, which should definitely excite fans of the character.
Other Things to Know
The movie has gotten decent reviews thus far, with most falling between 6/10 to 7/10. Critics are divided on the suspense; some praise the ‘Zombieland-style’ humor and practical body horror, while others feel the stakes are a bit too low for a global extinction threat and not enough to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. However, the one thing everyone agrees on? Joe Keery is a ‘superstar’ who carries the film with his natural charisma. The film was written by David Koepp, based on his book by the same title. Koepp has a history of commercial success, with some of his well known works including Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, and Spider-Man.
Liam Neeson was on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this week, where he promoted the upcoming movie and praised his co-star, Keery. Neeson called Keery the “modern day Cary Grant,” stating he was impressed with Keery’s ability to combine drama with comedy. Interestingly, though, the Hollywood legend admitted to having never watched Stranger Things.
