Self-storage units have long played a role in horror movies, acting as the perfect setting for monsters both real and supernatural to stalk their prey. What makes self-storage units so effortlessly spooky?—Flickering lights, eerily quiet ambience, the horror of finding unexpected items and much more. Our new campaign showcases the horrors of self-storage units. And while they continue to creep us out IRL here are our top 10 creepy self-storage units on-screen.
In Season 5, the protagonist Dexter Morgan (a vigilante who targets murderers who have evaded the justice system) is suspicious that a serial killer is storing his victim’s teeth in a self-storage unit (eek!). Trust a self-storage unit to be a great location to guard a serial killer’s secret!
2. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
In this sitcom’s third season, we see the wealthy amoral character Nathaniel drive to his romantic interest, Rebecca’s apartment. There, he finds that all her things are being taken to a storage unit in Westchester. Every time the tension rises in a suspicious scene, self storage is the perfect, scary back-drop!
3. Killing Eve
SOURCE: Parisa Taghizadeh/BBCAmerica
At the close of “Wide Awake,” (S2E7) Niko (Owen McDonnell) and Gemma (Emma Pierson) are storing the former’s belongings in his storage unit. Villanelle (as her name suggests, the dark character) pops in for a surprise visit and pulls a knife on Niko and demands he hand over his recipe for Shepherd’s pie (priorities!). Villanelle wants to impress Eve with the latter’s favorite dish. Then, Villanelle holds Niko and Gemma hostage. And of course her choice of location is none other than the spooky self-storage unit!
4. The Hoarder
This 2015 horror flick features a suspicious girlfriend trying to figure out if her boyfriend is cheating on her. While trying to find evidence, she and her friend are led to a self-storage facility (obviously!). They get trapped in the unit and find themselves being pursued by a bloodthirsty creature?. You’ll be glad to find a storage facility that doesn’t have 24 hour access (more on that later).
5. Self Storage
The premise of this movie is equal parts ridiculous and dark. The dull-witted son of a storage facility manager throws an after dark party on the property. Little does he know, his father is using the facility as a front for his illegal human organ harvesting business. Gross, spooky and fun—all rolled into one.
6. Blood Shed
Director and writer Patrick Hasson knows A LOT about how creepy storage units can be because he used to live in one(!!). This 2014 self-storage horror movie stands out because it was literally written inside of a storage unit! The resulting film about a homeless man at a storage unit being haunted by a shadowy figure feels even eerier given the source material.
7. The Silence of the Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs is the OG of self-storage facilities that terrify us.
It is dusk and Clarice Starling (a soon-to-be FBI agent) finds herself crawling under the partially opened door to the storage unit. She is there because Dr Hannibal Lecter (a former psychiatrist and incarcerated cannibalistic serial killer) has given her a tip-off in her investigation. Then, she finds typical serial killer stuff there—headless mannequins and a severed human head in a jar of formaldehyde. (UGH!) This scene is short, but it’s a classic moment in movie history set in a self-storage facility.
8. Storage 24
After a military cargo plane crash in London, a group of people end up locked inside an underground storage facility. While they attempt to free themselves, they realize that they’ve got company. An alien life-form has escaped from the crashed plane (as alien lifeforms tend to do) and now they must kill or be killed. Classic!
9. “The Killing”
This crime series is even more chilling and compelling than its name suggests. In Season 3, Detectives Linden and Holder find some very damning evidence in a self-storage facility while on the trail of a serial killer, then discover something even more spooky—a character has been murdered in the unit (!).
10. YOU
Last but not the least. This thriller uses a storage unit as a set for an entire season! Complete with a lot of creepy, spooky and straight-up “will make you cringe” scenes in the popular ‘Lock of Fame’ self-storage unit.
SOURCE: PEXELS
We could go on, but as you can tell self-storage facilities have long been the perfect setting for creepy, spooky stories! Thankfully, with MakeSpace you’ll never visit a storage unit again. We’ll come pick up, store and deliver your stuff back whenever you need it. And we’ll never ever spook you. Promise!?
Need non-spooky storage? Call 855-758-3293 and use code ‘scary’ to get $100 off your first month of storage!
