5 Surprising Zombie Movies to Watch After 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

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The world of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s 28 Days Later is back with a new installment. After a successful revival last year with 28 Years Later – which brought the original creators together and proved the Rage virus is still frightening – the story continues with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. This new film, directed by Nia DaCosta, follows Spike (Alfie Williams) after he meets Jimmy (Jack O’Connell). Critics are overwhelmingly positive about The Bone Temple, highlighting its impressive filmmaking and how it builds upon the existing story in a compelling and disturbing way.

Both 28 Days Later and 28 Years Later revitalized the zombie genre with fast-moving infected and the idea of zombie pregnancies, but The Bone Temple is perhaps the most unexpected film in the series. It stands out due to its unusual mix of intense horror and strangely funny, tragic moments. The story includes odd details, like the “Jimmys”—a group of survivors who wear velour suits and blonde wigs—and even features musical numbers to create a disturbing and unsettling atmosphere. This willingness to be bizarre while still delivering genuine scares makes The Bone Temple a unique film that pushes the limits of what post-apocalyptic movies can be. While original, it joins a history of zombie films that have broken the mold.

5) Day of the Dead

George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead, the third film in his groundbreaking zombie trilogy, is a chilling exploration of isolation and mental breakdown. Unlike the first two films which focused on widespread panic, Day of the Dead takes place mostly inside a bunker, highlighting the growing tension between scientists trying to understand the zombies and a hardened military group. What sets this movie apart is the introduction of Bub, a zombie who shows signs of memory and even emotion – the first of its kind. By making the monsters seem almost human, Romero challenges viewers to question the actions of the survivors, suggesting that the real terror comes from a loss of connection and understanding. Day of the Dead paved the way for many modern zombie stories, particularly those that show the infected evolving, and remains a key film for fans of works like 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

4) The Girl with All the Gifts

Colm McCarthy’s The Girl with All the Gifts, adapted from M.R. Carey’s novel, offers a unique take on the zombie apocalypse by focusing on the biology behind it. The story follows Melanie, a young girl who is infected but still thinks and feels like a human. The film presents the virus not just as a disaster, but as a potential new stage in the planet’s evolution. Instead of searching for a cure, it asks whether humanity should accept a world where it’s no longer in charge. With its beautiful, overgrown landscapes of London and its exploration of the infected’s growing intelligence, the film shares a similar scope and ambition to the recent installments of 28 Years Later.

3) Pontypool

Pontypool is a tense and unsettling thriller that does something completely different with the zombie genre. The film, directed by Bruce McDonald, is set mostly inside a radio station during a snowstorm. A radio host named Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) starts getting reports about a strange outbreak. What makes this movie unique is that the infection isn’t spread by bites, but by specific words and phrases – a ‘language virus.’ Because the horror happens through what people say and how they react, the audience has to piece together what’s happening based on the radio host’s increasingly panicked descriptions, which really lets your imagination run wild. By showing how language can be dangerous and drive people mad, Pontypool explores how easily society can fall apart and how important communication is. It’s a smart, thought-provoking take on zombie movies, focusing on atmosphere and sound rather than just action.

2) Anna and the Apocalypse

I was completely blown away by Anna and the Apocalypse! It’s such a unique film – imagine if High School Musical suddenly got invaded by a Christmas horror movie! It shouldn’t work, but it totally does. The movie follows Anna, played by Ella Hunt, as she battles zombies during the holidays in a small Scottish town, and everything is expressed through full-blown musical numbers. It’s jarring to see characters bursting into song one minute and then fighting off the undead with candy canes the next, but that contrast is what makes it so brilliant. It really captures that feeling of growing up and losing your innocence in a way that feels genuinely heartfelt. It reminded me a bit of the quirky creativity of The Bone Temple, proving that even a genre like zombies can be incredibly versatile and still keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s just… unexpectedly amazing.

1) One Cut of the Dead

Shin’ichirō Ueda’s One Cut of the Dead is a unique Japanese film that’s a treat for anyone who loves movies. It starts like a rough, 37-minute zombie film, shot in one continuous take, showing a director named Higurashi (Takayuki Hamatsu) trying to film a movie in a supposedly haunted place. But after the initial segment, the film cleverly changes into a funny and self-aware comedy about the struggles of making an independent film. The rest of the movie reveals what really happened during that first, seemingly seamless take – showing how the crew overcame technical problems and personal issues to keep filming. This clever structure takes a typical horror story and turns it into a heartwarming and hilarious celebration of creativity and teamwork. By the end, the film completely changes how you view the beginning, transforming it into a feel-good story about underdogs succeeding, and making it one of the most original films in recent years.

If you enjoyed 28 Years Later, what other zombie film would you suggest? We’re curious about The Bone Temple! Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-01-20 01:16