Ep. 94: Danny Boyle's "28 Years Later" (2025)

Screams & Streams

Danny Boyle's return to the rage-infected universe delivers a mesmerizing evolution of horror that feels both familiar and startlingly fresh. Set almost three decades after the original outbreak, "28 Years Later" transports viewers to a Britain permanently transformed—where small pockets of humanity cling to existence alongside the changed infected.
The film's emotional core centers on Spike, a 12-year-old boy who has never known a world beyond his island community. His coming-of-age journey becomes entangled with his mother's terminal illness, forcing a dangerous expedition to the mainland that reveals how both the infected and survivors have adapted to this broken world. When Spike and his mother encounter an eccentric doctor living among the infected and a mysterious group led by the enigmatic Jimmy, the true horror of what humanity has become emerges.
Where "28 Years Later" truly shines is in its seamless blend of intimate character moments with breathtaking horror sequences. The causeway chase through bioluminescent waters, the bone temple's eerie geometry, and the relentless pursuit of the Alpha infected create unforgettable visual moments. Alfie Williams delivers a standout performance as Spike, conveying both childlike vulnerability and burgeoning resilience. Meanwhile, the Swedish survivor provides unexpected moments of dark humor that punctuate the tension without undermining it.
Boyle's decision to shoot primarily on iPhone creates an immediacy that places viewers directly into this nightmarish landscape. The freeze-frame moments during violent encounters, the red-tinted night vision sequences, and the haunting musical callbacks to the original film demonstrate a filmmaker operating with absolute confidence. With its powerful exploration of survival, adaptation, and what remains of humanity when civilization falls away, "28 Years Later" stands as not just a worthy sequel but a remarkable horror film in its own right. This is just the beginning of a new journey into the infected world—one that promises to be as thought-provoking as it is terrifying.

Head to www.screamsandstreams.com for more information related to our episode.

Chapters

1. Episode Introduction (00:00:00)

2. Film Intro & Plot Summary (00:00:53)

3. Sinister Sip (00:02:11)

4. First Impressions (00:03:19)

5. Tropes Hall of Shame (00:08:57)

6. Don't Go Back In the House (00:12:04)

7. One-Liners (00:16:46)

8. What Doesn't Hold Up? (00:23:42)

9. Most Gratuitous Scene (00:35:25)

10. Terrifying or Titillating (00:37:30)

11. Stood the Test of Time (00:41:47)

12. LOL Moments (00:46:45)

13. Eerie to Ear Splitting (00:49:25)

14. WTF? Moment (00:51:32)

15. Back It Up Moments (00:57:44)

16. Hiding in the Shadows (00:59:13)

17. Fright Done Right (01:07:52)

18. Bonus Features (01:10:59)

19. Watchability Scale (01:18:25)

20. Outro (01:20:11)