Title: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Director: Nia DaCosta
Writer: Alex Garland
Runtime: 1 hour 49 minutes
Rated: 18
Released: 20th April 2026

It started as an outbreak. Now the infected are no longer the greatest threat to survival. In a world from the imagination of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, Nia DaCosta’s direction of 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE takes the horror-defining franchise to unsettling new heights.

The film begins right where the previous film ended with Spike surrounded by a group of peroxide blonde assailants. He has to fight to save himself, killing one of the gang as an initiation, and the whole thing tightens into a relentless ordeal, trapping Spike into a nightmare he cannot escape.

Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), still covered in orange iodine from head to toe to protect himself agains the virus, tends to the wounds of Samson the huge Alpha zombie, sedates him and begins a strange friendship with him, all to a backdrop of 80s pop music. As he enters into an unexpected alliance with Samson he finds that the consequences extend far beyond a personal nature, as they threaten to disrupt the fragile order that has emerged.

As factions harden and loyalties fracture, it becomes clear that survival now depends less on outrunning the virus, and more on confronting what humanity has become in its wake.

I’ve enjoyed this particular franchise of movies since way back in 2002 when Cillian Murphy starred in 28 Days Later with Naomi Harris, Brendan Gleeson and Christopher Eccleston. A fantastic low budget zombie movie that really creeped me out and got under my skin. The sequel 28 Months Later didn’t quite land the same punch, it was watchable, and again had a strong cast, but it never really stuck. The third film 28 Years Later, was a step back in the right direction, and again pulled in a solid cast, it was engaging and I enjoyed it. The standout, the part that actually lingered, was the sequence with Ralph Fiennes in his eerie bone temple. That whole sequence had weight, atmosphere, a sense of something bigger and stranger. It stayed with me more than anything else in the film. So it’s no surprise they’ve spun that idea out into a full feature with The Bone Temple.

I went to London last year to watch Ralph Fiennes starring in Macbeth. I love Macbeth, I’ve seen it loads of times, but to see if with Fiennes… it could not be missed. But the guy next to me started snoring. His wife woke him, but he denied being asleep. He wasn’t just missing one of the most impressive actors of his generation he was spoiling the experience for me too. Anyway as Fiennes is in The Bone Temple it was a must see for me.

The film is very atmospheric it’s all about setting a creepy, ominous feel, rather than offering up jump scares. Dr Kelson is still building his bone temple as an offering and testament to those that died from the virus. It feels real, rather than being overly polished. And this gives it a similarity to the 2002 original movie. It’s a movie that focuses on tension, folklore and atmosphere and Fiennes produces a standout performance that walks a fine line between madness and genius. This isn’t the same kind of film that the original and sequels were about - people running from zombies - all about survival, this is a film that ruminates on the idea of what is left of humanity after decades of decay after the collapse of society.

It’s an intriguing film about how a relationship between the Alpha zombie and Dr Kelson is possible and what that means for humanity, rather than a full-on zombie horror movie. It’s the sort of film that works really well late at night with the lights off and full decent surround sound with HD picture or even better 4K. It does look and sound great.

It’s certainly different to the first and second film in the franchise, it follows on really well from the third movie and no doubt there is more to come from this franchise.

DVD, Blu-ray™. 4K UHD and Limited Edition SteelBook® Special Features:
• Commentary with Director Nia DaCosta
• Behind the Scenes 3 Featurettes: New Blood, The Doctor and the Devil, Beneath the Rage

ON BLU-RAY AND 4K UHD ONLY:
• Bloopers reel and deleted scene

28 Years Later: 2-Movie Collection featuring 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is also available to buy on DVD, Blu-ray™ and 4K Ultra HD and releases on 20th April.

28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE has a runtime of approximately 1 hour and 49 minutes and is rated 18.

28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE is available now to Buy or Rent on Digital and own on DVD, Blu-ray™, 4K Ultra HD and Limited Edition SteelBook® on 20th April 2026 courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Author : Kevin Stanley