28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

Nia DaCosta directs from a script by Alex Garland. Shooting followed the previous instalment at once: principal photography opened on 19 August 2024, about 3 weeks after the earlier production wrapped. Sean Bobbitt also took over the camera from Anthony Dod Mantle. The clearest break is in the equipment. The previous film was captured on phone cameras; DaCosta shot this one on the Arri Alexa 35 and told MovieMaker she had no curiosity about shooting on cell phones. The change in texture is a stated decision, not an accident. Spike’s thread runs on the mainland, around the ossuary Dr Ian Kelson is raising from the bones of the dead. Chi Lewis-Parry, who plays the Alpha infected Samson, says the full prosthetic body suit took 7 people 6 to 8 hours to fit each time, that each suit was single use, and that it was repeated more than 25 times. The scene where Kelson and Samson dance to a Duran Duran song was not scripted; Ralph Fiennes improvised it. Fiennes won best actor in a horror movie at the Critics’ Choice Super Awards, where Jack O’Connell was also nominated. A good fit if you want a sequel that argues with its predecessor through images. Not for anyone arriving without the earlier film.