Planning to watch 28 Years Later? Here are 5 things you must know first

Okay for all the horror nerds out there, brace yourselves, because the rage is back, and it is faster, scarier, and way more evolved. Yes, we are talking about 28 Years Later, the highly-anticipated third instalment of the cult zombie franchise that redefined the undead in the 2000s. With Danny Boyle and Alex Garland finally back in the director¡¯s chair and scriptwriter seat respectively, the infected are about to come hunting, and this time, they have learned how to survive.

28 Years Later

But before you sprint to theatres with your popcorn and trauma-ready hearts, here is your ultimate catch-up guide. Because if you do not know what happened 28 days, and then 28 weeks, after the rage virus broke loose, are you even ready?

It all started with a monkey and a mistake

Back in 2002, 28 Days Later introduced the "rage virus", a terrifying infection transmitted through blood and saliva. Animal rights activists unknowingly released the virus by freeing infected chimps (rookie mistake), and boom, the UK collapsed faster than you could say ¡°apocalypse now.¡± Cillian Murphy¡¯s Jim wakes up from a coma to an empty London, meets some gritty survivors, and navigates a world where both zombies and humans are equally horrifying.

28 Days Later | Credit: X

Not your grandpa¡¯s zombies

Forget slow, limping ghouls. These infected sprint like they are on steroids and rage. The film¡¯s signature handheld-camera aesthetic (shot on a camcorder, no less) made the chaos feel disturbingly real. Fast zombies? 28 Days Later did it before it was cool, and scarier than you would ever want it to be.

The sequel that everyone half-remembers

28 Weeks Later tried to up the stakes in 2007 with more money, a new director, and American troops attempting to rebuild post-outbreak Britain. It had its moments, infected kisses, genetic immunity, and Idris Elba ordering mass extermination, but neither Boyle nor Garland was fully onboard creatively. And guess what? 28 Years Later is pretending it barely happened. Savage.

Boyle and Garland are taking the wheel again

Now the original chaos duo is back, steering this undead ship with a vision so bold, they are kicking off an entire trilogy. The second film, The Bone Temple, drops in January 2026, directed by Nia DaCosta, while Cillian Murphy is set to return for a much bigger role in the third. It is giving rage renaissance.

Planning to watch 28 Years Later? Read these 5 things first | Credit: X

New virus, new rules

How is the virus still around after 28 years? According to Boyle, it evolved. It no longer burns out its hosts, it hunts strategically. The rage is smarter, leaner, and deadlier. And with a modest (but juicy) $75 million budget and iPhones being used to film the action, 28 Years Later is set to be both retro and revolutionary.

So, if you are planning to walk into the cinema without a history lesson, you are braver than the rage virus itself. Consider yourself warned, and educated.