Storage 24

“Storage 24” is a classic sci-fi nightmare scenario in that unsuspecting people soon find they are easy prey for a creature far more terrifying than the struggles of urban life. The film starts with a casual approach that allows only a small emotional window to become emotionally connected to these characters before the action kicks in. It is enough though to actually realize just the intense dynamic of the group of friends that are trapped in the facility after the crash shuts down the security system locking them in the storage units. The characters are slightly stereotypical and there is nothing new or experimental with how they are scripted but in this film there really doesn’t need to be and the actors portray the characters well enough to draw you into their plight. There is friction within them on personal levels which and to the intense drama of the story and the alien effects are above standard as well as the other effects used in this film. The action and atmosphere is standard Brit fashion in that the intensity brings casually then builds into a high speed thrill ride with only dark eerie moments to gather your breath before even bigger moments of intensity explode on screen. The film doesn’t add anything new to the creature feature equation that such films offer horror fans but it does show how well the system can be if executed properly. This is one of the better sci-fi/horror films that I have seen since “Alien Raiders”. It doesn’t try to explain the origin or over complicate the story by adding layers of subplots to the point the film becomes diluted with unnecessary dialogue. The film just exists as a really clean and thrilling story of survival from a truly vicious creature. I really enjoyed this film.

Quite well made with some nice creature effects, but I’m afraid it has little else in its favour. Yes, there are a few ‘jump out of your skin’ moments, but it really doesn’t do anything we haven’t seen before. For me, they revealed far too much of the creature far too soon; for horror to work well, it needs to be in the shadows. It’s what the audience doesn’t see that scares them; the imagination is a very powerful thing if manipulated correctly. The performances were all decent enough although nobody really stood out. On the plus side the running time was nice and short and the pace was kept pretty high throughout. Oh, and I have to admit, I love the ending!… Sadly not quite enough for it to get my recommendation though. SteelMonster’s verdict: NOT RECOMMENDED My score: 5.6/10