What Movies To Watch (And Where To Watch Them) To Prepare For 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE

Nią DaCosta's post-apocalyptic horror starring Jack O'Connell and Ralph Fiennes hits theaters this Friday, January 16.
ByAmber T
Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson in 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE (Credit: Sony Pictures)
Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson in 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE (Credit: Sony Pictures)

Aside from the works of George A. Romero, of course, few movies have forever changed the zombie genre more than Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later.  The post-apocalyptic British horror was a box office smash upon release in 2002, revitalizing the subgenre by turning slow shambling monsters into frantic killing machines, as fast as they are furious. Almost three decades later, in 2025 Boyle would return to his greatest horror offering with a long-awaited follow-up, 28 Years Later, and starting 2026 off with a bang is the much-anticipated sequel to that sequel.

There's not a huge amount of homework to do before you watch Nia DaCosta's 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (and we're certainly not going to suggest you throw on an episode of Jim'll Fix It to fully understand why all your British friends were so shocked when Jimmy Crystal and his gang showed up in 28 Years Later), but before you catch it in theaters this Friday, January 16, make sure you're up to scratch on the legacy and lore of the 28 Days Later series with our handy streaming guide.

 

 

  • 28 Days Later

    Cillian Murphy in Danny Boyle's 28 DAYS LATER (Credit: Sony)
    Cillian Murphy in Danny Boyle's 28 DAYS LATER (Credit: Sony)

    While the Infected are technically not zombies, you'd be hard-pressed to find a zombie film released in the years after that wasn't influenced by Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later . The seminal 2002 post-apocalyptic pic not only started the 28 series, it also changed horror cinema forever, as well as launching the career of the now Oscar-winning Cillian Murphy.

    Murphy  stars as everyman Jim, a bicycle courier who awakens in hospital after a month-long accident-induced coma, only to find the Britain he knew has been completely annihilated by a highly-contagious “Rage Virus” that turns normal people into bloodthirsty, brainless maniacs. And this time, they're FAST.

    For a long time, due to rights issues, it was nearby impossible to watch 28 Days Later, legally at least. Physical media copies were out of print and being slung online for scalper prices, and the film was  nowhere to be found on Disney-owned streaming platforms. Thankfully, 28 Days Later is now streaming on Shudder, on Netflix (but hurry! It's leaving on February 1!), and is available to rent or buy from Amazon Prime.

  • 28 Weeks Later

    28 WEEKS LATER (Credit: 20th Century)
    28 WEEKS LATER (Credit: 20th Century)

    Generally considered to be the black sheep of the 28 series, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's 28 Weeks Later is most definitely still worth watching (or rewatching) before you enter The Bone Temple, even if it's just to relive that thrilling, terrifying opening sequence.

    Starring Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Harold Perrineau, and Idris Elba, 28 Weeks Later takes place, as the title suggests, six months after the initial infection ravaged Britain, and takes the action internationally as U.S.-led forces try to drive back the virus and rebuild society. As we've seen in 28 Years Later, it doesn't work.

    28 Weeks Later is currently streaming on Hulu, Shudder, and is available to rent or purchase on Amazon Prime.

     

  • 28 Years Later

    28 Years Later (2025) - Sony Pictures
    28 YEARS LATER (Credit: Sony Pictures)

    When news was announced that Danny Boyle and Alex Garland would be returning for not just one 28 Days Later sequel, but starting a whole new trilogy, excitement was high, and luckily 28 Years Later more than lived up to the hype.

    With Boyle directing and Garland on script duties, 28 Years Later took us back to rage-ravaged Britain almost three decades after infection, introducing us to a brand new set of survivors played by a stacked cast of Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alfie Williams, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes. New threats in the 28 Years Later world include gigantic Infected known as Alphas, and perhaps even more terrifyingly, a Jimmy Savile-dressed cult who appeared in a finale for the ages that left audience jaws on the floor.

    28 Years Later is now streaming on Netflix on certain plans, and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime and Fandango At Home.

  • 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

    Ralph Fiennes as Dr Kelson in Nia DaCosta's 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE (Credit: Sony)
    Ralph Fiennes as Dr Kelson in Nia DaCosta's 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE (Credit: Sony)

    The latest entry into the 28 series is easily the wildest yet, with Candyman director Nia DaCosta taking the reins to deliver what is guaranteed already to be one of the best horror movies of 2026, if not the best entirely. Picking up where 28 Years Later left off, Ralph Fiennes and Jack O'Connell take center stage for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, alongside Erin Kellyman and Chi Lewis-Parry as key players in the next chapter of Spike's journey.

    Early reactions to 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple were so positive that Sony went ahead and gave the green light for the third and final chapter in Boyle and Garland's legacy series, even before those box office numbers reveal themselves. and trust us when we say you're gonna want to see where this story goes next.

    At the time of writing, there is of course only one way to watch 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and that's by getting yourself to a theater this Friday, January 16. If you're reading from the UK, you can go and see it right now!

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Amber T is FANGORIA's Head News Writer, resident Brit, and Japanese horror expert. Her non-news writing can be found on physical media releases by ARROW, Second Sight Films, 88 Films, Umbrella Entertainment, Radiance Films and ERROR 4444, as well as frequently in FANGORIA's glossy paper pages.