This article contains mentions of both sexual assault and violence.
The upcoming sequel,28 Years Later, has a difficult task ahead of it to surpass the groundbreaking28 Days Later.Although28 Years Laterwill feature Cillian Murphy, who starred in the original, and has the same creative team,28 Years Laterwill probably not be able to shock audiences as the original movie did.28 Days Laterredefined 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 in28 Days Laterand 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, when28 Days Laterintroduces 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 think28 Years Laterwill 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 pass 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 Latergives 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.
If28 Years Laterwants 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 up28 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 for28 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 Westsays “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 shockand, like Jim, I had to take a second to understand that he said what I thought he had said.28 Days Latercould 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.
Before28 Days Later, mostolder zombie moviesrelied on the zombies for the horror factor. After revealing that Major West and his men had also lost their humanity,28 Days Latercould 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 Laterbrought a new level of creativityto the zombie movie genre, which other movies have built on, so it may be difficult for28 Years Laterto 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 as28 Years Laterhas 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 Latermay have a human villain, butthe military has also been an antagonist in28 Days Laterand28 Weeks Later.Keeping the military as villains in28 Years Laterwould 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.
The world has changed since28 Days Later,and viewers have now seen many betrayals and horrifying actions in zombie stories.The Walking Dead’sTerminus “sanctuary” was a human meat processing plant, and inThe 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 twiststo 28 Days Later’smilitary scene. If28 Years Laterwants to shock modern viewers, it must find a new path to forge.
28 Days Later
The28 Days Laterfranchise is a British post-apocalyptic horror series that began with the 2002 film28 Days Later, followed by the 2007 sequel28 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 with28 Years Laterin 2025.
