Horror movies as of late, have been on a roll. Honestly, I’d say that horror movies have been on a sort of a renaissance in their own right.
The most recently critically-acclaimed horror film of 2026, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” certainly does not sleep on the great success the genre has been receiving. “The Bone Temple” is the most recent entry of the “28 Days Later” zombie horror film franchise and is the sequel of 2025’s “28 Years Later”. I have been a big fan of this series since I first saw “28 Days Later” one day in quarantine and boy, what a time to watch a zombie horror film during that time of our lives.
“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” does not shy away from the franchise’s philosophical dissection of humanity and its savage origins. If anything, this film takes a deeper dive into the systems that mankind has developed to answer the questions they have when it comes to fear and life itself. This film picks up a bit after “28 Years Later” ends and right away from the first scene, this film reveals to you all of the gritty and dark edges of humanity and how faith can be manipulated by fear.
This film explores themes of fear, faith and spectacle and there are several moments in which those elements can juxtapose themselves and this is shown between the two characters, Dr. Ian Kelson and Jimmy Crystal. Kelson is portrayed by Ralph Fiennes, who is most known for his role as Lord Voldemort from the “Harry Potter” franchise. Crystal is portrayed by Jack O’Connell, who horror fans probably know best as Remmick from “Sinners”. Fiennes and O’Connell put on excellent performances that not only embody the most authentic and raw versions of their characters but display the juxtaposition of spectacle and humanity.
O’Connell’s character is a cult-leader who manipulates his followers into believing that their actions are acts of “charity” to please a higher deity meanwhile Fiennes’s character is a doctor which through his expertise, is able to cause a miracle in the most hopeless of times.
There are two scenes in particular that left me in disbelief in the best way possible. There is a scene in a train with an infected man portrayed by Chi Lewis-Parry that was so experimental and shocking, I have never seen a scene like that in a zombie film before. The other scene is during the moment in which the cult meets Kelson for the first time, it’s truly something to behold. The cinematography and editing are out of this world.
If you’re a fan of horror or of the “28 Days Later” franchise, I highly recommend watching this film. It’s really something special. If you haven’t seen any film from the franchise yet and are interested in seeing this, my personal guide to this series is to watch “28 Days Later” first and then hop onto the new trilogy. There is “28 Weeks Later” in the franchise as well, but I’d say that entry doesn’t impact the franchise that much. It’s truly a shame that this movie isn’t doing so great at the box office despite the critical acclaim because it’s so far, one of the best movies to come out the year and it’s only just the beginning of the year.
