Storage 24' is a 2012 British scifi-horror thriller directed by Johannes Roberts and co-written and co-starring Noel Clarke.
Plot[]
A military aircraft crashes into central London, releasing its highly-classified contents. Following the crash, a malfunction at the Storage 24 facility causes the security shutters to lock, trapping several people inside: Charlie, his best friend Mark, Charlie's ex-girlfriend Shelley, her best friend Nikki, Nikki's boyfriend Chris, the building receptionist, Jake and a maintenance engineer, Bob. Charlie has arrived at the facility with Mark shortly after the incident, intent on confronting Shelley, who has recently dumped him and is sorting through their belongings with the help of Nikki and Chris. In a brief confrontation, he discovers she has been cheating on him with Mark. Meanwhile, Bob and Jake are attempting to unlock the shutters by checking the electrical distribution boards in the basement. Bob is attacked and mysteriously killed. Jake flees and hides in an open storage room. Chris chances on him and witnesses him being killed by an alien creature.
The facility’s power is intermittently failing and everyone else is forced back together when they realise they cannot leave the building. Looking around, they come across Chris huddled in the room, in shock, with blood dripping onto his face from above. From this, they locate Jake’s shredded remains above the ceiling panels. As Nikki runs from the room, a middle-aged man grabs her, threatening her with an electric toothbrush. They stun him and tie him up, believing he is the murderer. When he comes to, they learn he is merely an eccentric resident of a nearby storage unit, hiding from his wife. When Chris recovers they learn that a deadly creature of some kind is on the loose, and they are not safe.
Together, they hide in the unit rented by the man, David, because it is lockable from the inside. David helps them to piece together what must have happened, by showing them the news channels on a collection of televisions he has acquired. London is in chaos, with tanks on the streets and fighter jets overhead. David believes the creature must have been aboard the crashed aircraft. Their only hope is to escape from the facility, and to do that they will need the engineer’s equipment in the basement. Before they venture there, they decide to use the ventilation ducts in order to search other units for weapons. Terrified, Chris runs; the creature catches him and rips out his heart.
Mark and Charlie search several units, but find only a knife, a crowbar, and some fireworks. As they return, the creature breaks through the duct inches from Charlie and Mark abandons him. Mark returns to the group and distributes the weapons, telling them that Charlie is dead.
Charlie has somehow escaped the creature, and stumbles into the group; there is a slightly awkward reunion. Heading for the basement, they are confronted by the creature, and David sacrifices himself to give the others time to escape. They split into pairs to search the basement. Charlie and Nikki find the electronic keypad controlling the shutters near Bob's mutilated body. When they return, Mark is alone. He tells them Shelley has been taken by the creature and they must leave immediately. Charlie insists on a rescue attempt and doubles back with Nikki.
In a corridor nearby, Shelley is held captive by the creature. As it prepares to kill her, she stabs it with the knife and runs, but is cornered in a lift. Charlie and Nikki send a walking toy dog rigged with lit fireworks down the hallway. The fireworks explode, allowing Shelley to escape to Charlie.
Believing the creature dead, they run to Reception only to find Mark has barred its door with the crowbar. They plead with him; he stares distractedly, leaving them trapped. Charlie kicks the door open, and tries to open the shutters with the keypad. Just then the creature breaks through the wall behind Mark, and kills him. With Nikki’s aid, Charlie kills the creature by thrusting the crowbar through its abdomen.
Charlie finally releases the security shutters, and the trio emerge into the street. Shelley apologises and Charlie accepts the break-up. They go their separate ways. London is ablaze, under heavy attack from alien spaceships. The film ends abruptly.
Cast[]
- Noel Clarke as Charlie
- Colin O'Donoghue as Mark
- Antonia Campbell-Hughes as Shelley
- Laura Haddock as Nikki
- Jamie Thomas King as Chris
- Alex Price as Jake
- Ned Dennehy as David
- Geoff Bell as Bob
- Ruth Gemmell as Ruth
- Davie Fairbanks as Greg
- Amy Pemberton as Lucy
- Robert Freeman as the Alien
Reviews[]
Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 43% on the tomatometer, with a rating of 4.9/10 based on 21 reviews.[1] Jeremy Clarke from The Guardian said "Johannes Roberts' warehouse-set monster flick is unexpectedly entertaining", giving the film four stars out of five.[2] Kim Newman from Empire gave the film three stars out of five and called it "a superior British horror sci-fi."[3]
Box office gross[]
According to Box Office Mojo's statistics Storage24 grossed $646,175 worldwide. It entered the UK chart at number 13, making $372,153. In Turkey it entered at number 7 in the charts and in Hong Kong it entered at number 10. In the US it was released for one day, on one screen, making $72, before being released on DVD and VOD through Magnolia.