It’s been 22 years since 28 Days Later released and 17 years since 28 Weeks Later released and we are finally getting a third installment to this strange but addictive zombie series.
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are back, and the trailer that was released for 28 Years Later is one for the books. Besides, after watching that short, we can expect another instant classic in the zombie horror niche. 28 Years Later is set to be released on June 20, 2025, which means we have some time to prepare, so let’s take a look at some movies you should watch before heading to the theaters for 28 Years Later.
Okay, obviously you should brush up on the first movie before the newest one comes out. The original story shows us how a group of animal rights activist let loose a chimp that has been infected by something called “Rage”. Of course, this goes terribly wrong and a lonely mail courier who wakes up from a month-long coma (played by Cillian Murphy) finds out that his whole town has been turned into zombies. As he’s running from these Rage infected humans, he finds other survivors and they band together to look for safety.
Naturally, the sequel is necessary in your quest to waiting for 28 Years Later, so make sure you revisit or check out 28 Weeks Later for the first time. 28 Weeks Later takes place 6 months after 28 Days Later ends and it has decimated the British Isles, so now it’s time that the US Army shows up and being reconstruction. However, Rage is not entirely gone and it’s about to get even worse for everyone.
Quite possibly one of the greatest zombie movies ever made, Train To Busan is a necessary watch in your quest for zombie fuel. A father and his daughter set out to leave Korea to get to his daughter’s mother, but they’re doing it right as Korea is going through a huge apocalypse. The apocalypse in question is a zombie outbreak. They choose train for their transportation, thinking it’ll be a safe haven, but it is anything but that. The cinematography and overall plot to Train To Busan is incredible. It moves fast, is unforgiving, and even a little claustrophobic for the viewer. 10/10 recommend.
Contagion may be a bit to on the nose from our past pandemic experiences, but it’s a great movie to watch. After a business woman (Gwyneth Paltrow) comes back from Hong Kong, she gets violently ill and eventually dies. Eventually, all the symptons that she experienced are spreading, and a global pandemic explodes and everyone is desperate to try and find a vaccine as everyone grows more and more paranoid.
Who doesn’t love a dystopian future film?! The Girl With All The Gifts is about a fungal infection that transforms almost all of humanity into cannibalistic creatures, but one girl is immune and holds the key to society’s salvation. The Girl With All The Gifts is fantastic because it explores what it means to be human and have humanity when things around you are crumbling. Horror and science fiction blend together perfectly to tell this intricate story.
Another film with a claustrophobic setting is Pontypool. This story follows a small-town radio DJ who is set up in his basement radio station. A regular night turns into something terrifying as he learns that there is a zombie outbreak and he must barricade himself inside his radio station. Unfortunately for a radio host, the virus transmutes through the spoken word and the host has to figure out how to warn everyone by getting them to unlearn the English language. It’s a very unique story that shows the power of communication and learning to understand one another.
