This article contains mentions of both sexual assault and violence.
The sequel, 28 Years Later will feature Cillian Murphy, who starred in the original, and has the same creative team, 28 Years Later will probably not be able to shock audiences as the original movie did. 28 Days Later redefined the zombie genre though it is not technically a zombie movie. 28 Days Later's zombies are not dead, but infected, and still terrifying today, even for someone as desensitized to zombies as I am. However, the uninfected humans in the film series are more frightening.
The Infected are living humans in 28 Days Later and are controlled by a virus that causes rage. viewers see a loving father becoming an irate monster in less than a minute. Still, once the character became one of the Infected, his death was predictable, as the Infected were dangerous to the living, and the characters were near a military encampment. However, when 28 Days Later introduces the soldiers that killed him, the movie gives viewers a scene that is still one of the most disturbing twists ever seen in a zombie movie, and I don't think 28 Years Later will manage to top it.
The Military Scene Is Still More Disturbing Than 28 Days Later's Infected
The Scene Is So Terrifying For Its Realism And Detail
The Infected's fast-loping run, distorted voices, and spurting blood (which can the infection on with just a drop,) are more disturbing than many obviously-dead zombies because there is still the tiny hope of a cure. However, when this hope is exploited, 28 Days Later gives audiences a scene more disturbing than any involving the Infected. Major West, played by Christopher Eccleston, reveals that his broadcast promising "the answer to infection" is a ploy to lure desperate women to his military refuge, to become sexual slaves for his men. This scene is incredibly disturbing for its realism.
If 28 Years Later wants to shock modern viewers, it must find a new path to forge.
Major West and his men are more of a threat than the Infected. However, the slow buildup introduces comedy over a terrible dinner of rotten eggs, giving the viewer a false sense of security while showing the characters' understandable lack of food. The reveal scene discusses the concept of PTSD, and Major West is a more plausible villain than those in other zombie movies. The scene is terrifying for its desperation and bleakness, but sets up 28 Days Later's surprisingly optimistic ending.
Christopher Eccleston's 28 Days Later Twist Is More Of A Shock Than The Ending
28 Days Later Could Have Gone In Any Direction After Major West's Reveal
Two endings were filmed for 28 Days Later, but either ending would have been relatively predictable, as the only unknown factor was whether Jim would live or die after being shot. On the other hand, when Major West says "I moved us from the blockade, I set up the radio broadcast, and I promised them women," Christopher Eccleston's calm delivery of the line makes the reveal more of a shock and, like Jim, I had to take a second to understand that he said what I thought he had said. 28 Days Later could have gone in any direction after that reveal, as it changed the game.
How 28 Days Later Completely Changed Zombie Movies
28 Days Later added a contemporary look and feel to the classic zombie movie based on some out of the box ideas from Alex Garland and Danny Boyle.
Before 28 Days Later, most older zombie movies relied on the zombies for the horror factor. After revealing that Major West and his men had also lost their humanity, 28 Days Later could have taken the movie in a completely different direction, even reducing the threat of the Infected to a backdrop for the real antagonists, as other zombie movies have done since. 28 Days Later brought a new level of creativity to the zombie movie genre, which other movies have built on, so it may be difficult for 28 Years Later to give an original twist.
28 Years Later Will Probably Never Top The Military Twist In 28 Days Later
Major West's Horrifying Reveal Would Have Less Of An Impact On Audiences Today
The original scene was so well-acted and realistic that it is likely unbeatable, especially as 28 Years Later has some catching up to do. Having a human antagonist rather than leaving the horror up to the zombies is now a regular zombie trope, and no longer shocking. 28 Years Later may have a human villain, but the military has also been an antagonist in 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. Keeping the military as villains in 28 Years Later would make it impossible to beat the original movie's disturbing scene, as their betrayal would be expected.
28 Years Later Wishlist: 10 Things We Want To See In The New Trilogy
From Cillian Murphy's return as Jim to an explanation of how the Infected have continued to survive, 28 Years Later must include these vital moments.
28 Days Later, and viewers have now seen many betrayals and horrifying actions in zombie stories. The Walking Dead's Terminus "sanctuary" was a human meat processing plant, and in The Last of Us, community leader David promises safety before trying to rape Abby. The initial impact of Major West's betrayal was another groundbreaking element to a genre-changing movie, but, audiences have now seen similar twists to 28 Days Later's military scene. If 28 Years Later wants to shock modern viewers, it must find a new path to forge.
28 Years Later
- Release Date
- June 20, 2025
- Runtime
- 126 minutes
- Director
- Danny Boyle
- Writers
- Danny Boyle, Alex Garland
- Producers
- Alex Garland, Andrew Macdonald, Bernard Bellew
Cast
Isla
Jamie
Jack O'ConnellJimmy Crystal
Alfie WilliamsSpike
28 Years Later: Set nearly three decades after the rage virus outbreak, a quarantined group survives on an isolated island connected to the mainland by a fortified causeway. When a member ventures into the mainland, they encounter mutated threats and unsettling truths about both the infected and fellow survivors.
28 Days Later
- Created by
- Alex Garland
- First Film
- 28 Days Later
- Latest Film
- 28 Weeks Later
- Films
- 28 Years Later
- Cast
- Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Christopher Eccleston, Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Imogen Poots, Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell
- Movie(s)
- 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, 28 Years Later
The 28 Days Later franchise is a British post-apocalyptic horror series that began with the 2002 film 28 Days Later, followed by the 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later. It explores a world ravaged by the Rage Virus, focusing on survivors navigating an outbreak of violent, infected humans. The franchise is set to continue with a new trilogy, beginning with 28 Years Later in 2025.
