As a zombie movie lover, it was inconceivable that I had never seen Danny Boyle’s influential 28 Days Later. I mean, could I really call myself a fan of the undead if I never got to experience this horror trailblazer that revived the zombie genre? Well, that has finally changed, and I’m glad I held out.
Since last year, I’ve been waiting for 28 Days Later to become available on any of the best streaming services so I could watch the iconic sci-fi flick ahead of its upcoming sequel 28 Years Later. But as they say, “all good things come to those who wait” and they were certainly right in this case, as I got to experience 28 Days Later in an even better way – on the big screen.
As if I wasn’t already excited enough, I also got to see a special sneak peek of the new 28 Years Later, which proves to be just as gloriously gory as its chilling predecessor.
An empty London fills you with emotions
When I heard that 28 Days Later was being re-released in select theaters for one night only, I jumped at the chance to buy a ticket. The original 28 Days Later returned to the big screen on May 21 in the US and May 20 in the UK to celebrate the upcoming release of the third movie 28 Years Later, which will be heading to movie theaters on June 20.
28 Days Later follows Jim (Cillian Murphy), a bicycle courier who wakes from a coma and finds that society has transformed into aggressive zombie-like beings after contracting the ‘Rage’ virus. As he flees from a horde of Infected, Jim finds a group of survivors and they embark on a dangerous journey to safety.
While I’ve had the joy of re-watching my favorite zombie movie World War Z on Netflix and streaming Prime Video’s intense zombie thriller Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End, I’m glad I got to have the intense fell-quality viewing experience of 28 Days Later rather than streaming it.
Re-releasing 28 Days Later on the big screen for both new and old fans of the movie was the perfect way to showcase Boyle’s unusual and tight budget filming techniques. The violent, jumpy action and guttural shrieks of the Infected are even more harrowing to witness, but perhaps the showstopper of it all was seeing the iconic shot of Jim walking through an abandoned London.
The use of no CGI, gritty camera texture and eerie silence of the desolate capital enhance the real-world feel of 28 Days Later despite its surreal premise.
This early moment is why 28 Days Later is widely regarded as one of the best British horror films of all time, and it was a pleasure to watch this cinematic piece of history for the first time on the big screen.
The 28 Years Later sneak peek
The screening also showed an exclusive clip from 28 Years Later, which sees Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland reunite for the third instalment to the 28 Days Later movie world (they both skipped 28 Weeks Later).
28 Years Later takes place nearly three decades after the Rage virus outbreak and centers on a community living on a small island. When one of the group leaves for the mainland, he discovers “secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors.”
The scene opens with Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his young son Spike (Alfie Williams) watching deer racing through the countryside. With their bow and arrows drawn, they enter an abandoned house in search of supplies.
After getting a fright from a small animal running through the door, they rummage through rubbish piles and Spike grabs a handful of cutlery. He has no idea what they’re used for and has an amusing bewilderment when Jamie shows him a frisbee for the first time. However, they soon find that this house is home to far more heinous horrors than frisbee golf.
They soon come across a mutilated body of an Infected hanging upside down with a bag over its head and mysterious symbols carved into its body in what appears to be part of a sacrificial ritual.
Jamie explains he has an important lesson for Spike and must kill this Infected as it will become easier to kill them the more he does it. As the Infected starts violently jerking and gets loose from its bonds, Jamie shouts at Spike to kill it, but the boy hesitates. Just as the Infected stands up and is about to attack, they both fire at the same time and it drops dead.
28 Days Later is no longer dead and buried on digital
28 Days Later hasn’t just been revived on the big screen, it’s also come back to life on digital. After years of not being able to watch the horror juggernaut online due to rights issues, 28 Days Later is now available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the US, UK and Australia. So if you weren’t able to attend the re-release screening, you can watch it from the comfort of your own home.
While this is certainly a positive, it’s a shame that 28 Days Later still isn’t available to stream on the likes of Netflix or Disney Plus – especially since the sequel 28 Weeks Later is available on Disney Plus in the UK and Australia. Unfortunately for those in the US, you can only rent or buy 28 Weeks Later on Prime Video.
With the world of streaming now at our fingertips, it’s frustrating to see that 28 Days Later still can’t be one of the best horror movies included in any of our streaming subscriptions. For me though, I’m glad I seized the opportunity to watch 28 Days Later on the big screen for the first time and skip the streaming stage – and I can’t wait to see the sequel the same way.
