'28 Years Later' Review: Best Horror Sequel of All-time

By Seb Jenkins - June 19, 2025

Film

Danny Boyle and Alex Garland reunite 23 years after their hit, genre-defining cult classic 28 Days Later to deliver one of the greatest horror sequels of all time.

Eighteen years is a long time to wait between film two and film three, but when a horror opens with a shot of the Teletubbies, you know it’s going to be a classic. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland took a huge risk when they announced their intention to return to the 28 Days series. On the one hand, they had the chance to elevate the world they first created 23 years ago, using modern technology to tell stories in a brand-new way. On the other hand, they risked tarnishing the memory of one of the most beloved horror series. When standing on the shoulders of your own legacy, it’s a long fall back down to Earth. But like a zombie cat with 28 lives, Boyle and Garland have well and truly stuck the landing!

We re-join the infected isles of Great Britain 28 years after the Rage virus first transferred from monkey to man following an ill-fated break-in at a medical research facility. Despite the virus breaching mainland Europe at the end of 28 Weeks Later, our story remains very British. In fact, Danny Boyle himself was keen to point out ahead of the advanced media screening that, despite heavy investment from America, he was always determined to stay true to the roots of the 28 Days series – meaning an almost entirely British cast and a story set entirely in Britain.

What is '28 Years Later' about?

The survivors of the Rage virus have long-since given up hope of rescue and have instead learned to live alongside the infected. One such group has found safe haven on a small island just off the mainland, connected by one single causeway, passable only during low tide. When Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) takes his 12-year-old son, Spike (Alfie Williams), on his first mainland mission, we are thrust into the infected belly of the beast. Lovers of the original films will remember the unshackled fury of the Rage virus – now imagine the results of 28 years of festering and mutation. It turns out, pushy parents still exist even in the apocalypse, trading pageants and sports days for nocking arrows and breaking skulls. However, despite Jamie’s intention to harden his son into an island hero, Spike has far purer intentions in mind. With his bedbound mother Isla (Jodie Comer) succumbing to a mysterious illness, Spike defies the kaleidoscope of death around him in pursuit of life.

28 Years Later not only pays homage to the originals but tethers itself through them like a spine. In an age where it is all too easy to do too much, Danny Boyle elevates the undead world in all the right areas. It refuses to fall into the trap of CGI zombies and mindless explosions, instead doubling down on a human story told by some of the finest British actors on the planet. The undead themselves are treated to sickening new makeup, caked on over 28 years like grease at the bottom of a pan. With humour as sharp as arrowheads cutting through the tension of blood, guts, and rotten skin, the third instalment of the 28 Days series may just cement itself as one of the best horror sequels of all time. Forget 22 years of waiting, this was worth a full 28-year stint!

How Boyle and Garland Redefined the Zombie Genre

Boyle and Garland beautifully contrast the chaotic horror of the zombie-running genre they helped birth with a grounded, heart-warming storyline that is given time to breathe.

Although they stayed true to their disorientating jump cuts and cut-scene style death scenes, the beautiful cinematography from Anthony Dod Mantle juxtaposes that terror against sprawling shots of the rugged British countryside. A reminder that all hope is not lost.

Also, congrats to the 28 Years Later team for freeing the peen in the biggest way cinema has ever seen (keep an eye out for that one).

Alfie Williams shoulders the burden of leading man with heart and grace at just 14 years of age, and Boyle is clearly very purposeful with the talent packed around the teenager. Comer, Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes all give powerhouse performances in their respective roles, but they are sprinkled atop the story rather than stuffed down our throats like Hollywood gobstoppers. 28 Years Later stays true to the theme that made the original so gut-wrenchingly immersive – the main character is the human story.

'28 Years Later' is out now in cinemas

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