28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)
Directed by: Nia DaCosta
Premise: Picking up where the 2025 film left off, twelve year old Spike (Alfie Williams) has become part of a murderous gang. Meanwhile, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) establishes contact with an alpha leader of the infected (Chi Lewis-Parry).
What Works: The 28 Days Later series is about what happens after the apocalypse and the way human beings treat each other when the expectations and restrictions of civilization have fallen away. The Bone Temple is the middle chapter of the 28 Years Later sequel trilogy and it does what middle chapters should; the stakes are raised and the characters are transformed as is our understanding of the conflict. Spike, the young character introduced in the previous movie, falls in with a psychotic gang whose leader insists that he is the son of Satan and that the rage virus is of supernatural origin. The gang is a mini-cult and the story smartly acts out the way cult leaders control their followers and adapt their logic to suit their needs. The gang contrasts with Dr. Kelson, who attempts to treat the infected and find the humanity that is buried by the virus. The film presents dueling ideas about how to make sense of death and the chaos of the world. In that respect, The Bone Temple builds on what we’ve seen in previous 28 Days Later films and gives the audience a new take on the material. The difference between the two subplots is visualized in the filmmaking style. The Bone Temple is quite brutal in places but there is also an elegance and beauty about it especially as Dr. Kelson contemplates the world. This film has some very good performances particularly by Jack O’Connell as the gang leader and Ralph Fiennes as Kelson.
What Doesn’t: The Bone Temple is not frightening in the way we typically expect of a horror film. It’s a more soulful and thoughtful picture. As a result, it’s also a bit slow. The pacing is deliberate and appropriate to the story but it’s not as viscerally thrilling as the other 28 Days Later films. In delivering a different kind of film, The Bone Temple also pivots away from the infected. This isn’t a zombie film the way the other pictures were and The Bone Temple doesn’t offer the storytelling conventions that audiences usually enjoy in those kinds of movies. These aren’t flaws of The Bone Temple but audiences ought to be prepared for a sequel that isn’t more of the same.
Bottom Line: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is an outstanding horror sequel. It builds on what we’ve seen before while offering a fresh story with provocative ideas and a soulful style.
Episode: #1086 (February 8, 2026)