What to watch before 28 Years Later

Ash Walker • 17 Jun 2025 Features

28 years? Where does the time go?

It’s been years and years - although not quite 28 - since we last visited the post-apocalyptic, zombie-ridden Britain of horror classic 28 Days Later. But this month director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland finally return with a much-anticipated sequel.

If you’re anything like us you can’t wait to see what they have in store, but worry not! We’ve put together a selection of films to watch before you head to the cinema - from essentials to movies that have a similar vibe.

Here are seven films to get you in the mood for 28 Years Later.

28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007) … obviously

Credit: 28 DAYS LATER – Official Trailer (Sony Pictures Entertainment, YouTube)

It should go without saying that these two are required viewing for the upcoming threequel. While the new movie might not share any returning characters (unless those Cillian Murphy rumours pan out), the original duology provides some much-needed context for what’s to come.

Not to be confused with Sandra Bullock rehab drama 28 Days, 28 Days Later follows comatose bike messenger Jim (Murphy), who awakens to a London deserted, destroyed and beset by rage-filled infected. The first movie looks pretty cheap these days, but it’s still as violent, visceral and terrifying as it ever was - plus it charts the origins of the rage virus that continues to cause trouble in the new movie.

And while director Danny Boyle may not consider it a zombie movie (it totally is), it’s also responsible for reinvigorating the genre, helping to pave the way for the zombie boom of the 2000s. A bonafide horror classic.

Its sequel, 28 Weeks Later, goes a bit more Hollywood - it has Jeremy Renner in it! - but is no less scary for that. It follows the virus’s spread beyond the confines of the UK and into mainland Europe, which nicely sets up the forsaken, post-apocalyptic world we’ll see in 28 Years Later…

Train to Busan (2016)

Credit: Train to Busan | UK Trailer | South Korean Zombie Horror (StudiocanalUK, YouTube)

If 28 Days Later pretty much invented the concept of the ‘fast zombie’ - also used to great effect in Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake - Train to Busan took it to the next level.

This South Korean action horror movie follows a group of passengers on an express train from Seoul to - you guessed it - Busan, the country’s second most populous city. Unfortunately for them, there’s an apocalyptic outbreak during the journey, and the train is soon overrun by terrifying zombies.

These creatures will stop at nothing to devour the survivors, running, climbing, leaping and contorting themselves into inhuman shapes in an effort to feed. The action is tense, sweaty and claustrophobic - and a ton of fun.

REC (2007)

Credit: [REC] - Official Trailer (Madman Films, YouTube)

Spanish found footage classic REC is the perfect accompaniment to the 28 Days Later series. It’s got grit, social commentary and, of course, some utterly horrifying zombie horror.

The film follows a documentary crew who become trapped in a high-rise apartment building as a mysterious infection spreads through the residents. As the survivors make their way up to the roof, the tension rises and the horror escalates, culminating in an iconic final shot that’ll stick with you for years afterwards.

The Crazies (1973)

Credit: The Crazies Original Trailer (George A. Romero, 1973) (Arrow Video, YouTube)

Ok, so maybe the zombies in 28 Days Later aren’t technically undead… but it still has all the hallmarks of a classic zombie horror. And so does this chiller from the father of the genre himself, George A Romero.

Shocks and social commentary abound as a small American town is accidentally exposed to an experimental biological weapon. The residents quickly lose their minds, becoming remorseless killing machines and causing general chaos.

The 2010 remake, starring Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell, is also worth a look, especially for an excruciating scene involving a pitchfork and people strapped to gurneys.

Threads (1984)

Credit: Threads (1984) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p] (HD Retro Trailers, YouTube)

Probably the scariest and most disturbing film on this list, this harrowing BBC drama shocked the nation when it was first broadcast, and has since become infamous amongst film fans.

It depicts the aftermath of a nuclear war in unflinching detail, following the tribulations of two ordinary Sheffield families as they try to survive in a world decimated by nuclear fire and radiation.

It’s not a cheery watch, but it has a similar sort of dark, apocalyptic Britishness to the 28 Days Later films. If you’re a glutton for punishment, this would be a great double-bill.

The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)

Credit: The Girl With All The Gifts – Official Trailer - Official Warner Bros. UK (Warner Bros. UK & Ireland)

Another British zombie classic, this time with a twist: our main character is a zombie, after a fashion.

After a Last of Us-style fungal infection turns most of humanity into mindless beasts, a small number of children have developed a symbiotic relationship with the fungus, able to retain their thoughts and suppress their hunger. These kids are kept in a lab while scientists use them to search for a cure, but pretty quickly all hell breaks loose.

This is a bit of an underseen gem, and would pair very nicely with 28 Days Later or its bigger budget sequel.

28 Years Later is in cinemas from 20th June. Feeling brave enough to check it out? Get two free cinema tickets every month with Sky Cinema.