The horror genre is one that like comedy unfortunately doesn’t get the appreciation and respect that it deserves. A lot of people consider films in the horror genre to be one-trick ponies or write them off simply because they don’t want to be confronted by fear. However for those in the know many horror films are layered, complex, nuanced, and entertaining. Our subject today is one of those horror films. A movie that is scary, intense, eerie, and a social commentary all wrapped up in one.
So if you’re like me and you enjoy film and the emotion and impact they convey then grab a glass of your preferred liquid and join me for the next little while. For me that’s a mug of hot apple cider. So sit back, relax, and let’s talk about the love of film. Welcome to Glazed Cinema.
Our film begins with violent imagery from around the globe taken from various news stations. The footage is playing on several television sets to an audience of one, a chimpanzee strapped down with connected health monitors. Shortly thereafter three ski mask wearing activists break in aghast at the chimps enclosed in glass cages. When they are interrupted by a scientist returning from his break they demand he open the cages. The scientist tries to explain that it’s not safe to do so as the chimps are infected with a contagion carried in their blood and saliva and one bite will spread the disease. When they press him as to what they are infected with the scientist simply says…rage. Disregarding what he says they open one of the cages. After a bit of action the screen fades to black and after three words appear on the screen, the title of today’s subject we find ourselves looking down on a naked man in a hospital bed. As he stirs confusion and fear set in as he realizes he is alone in the hospital. Getting dressed in scrubs he exits the hospital and into the empty streets of London where not a soul stirs.
28 Days Later is a horror film that follows a man named Jim after he awakens alone 28 days after an outbreak of a highly contagious and very dangerous disease ravages the world. Trying to make sense of the world he has been reintroduced to since going into a coma after a car wreck he meets a woman named. Together they must fend for themselves to survive with deranged infected lurking around every corner as they seem to be the only alive and uninfected in the whole of London.
Written by Alex Garland, it’s a film that takes its roots from the zombie arena of horror with a few twists to make something entirely new and even more terrifying to separate itself from the herd. Taking inspiration from the idea of a global pandemic and his love for zombie movies Garland created an idea of a virus that would spread the same way, through the saliva, causing infected humans to become violent. Instead of copying the zombie tropes however, Garland made his infected nimble, aggressive, and most frightening of all, fast. Garland also used this to hammer home his message simply by naming his disease, which is only done in the opening sequences, called Rage. At the time this movie was made, rage, anger, dissension were feelings and sentiments that were growing in Great Britain and other parts of the world. The infection was his way to show that rage, hate, anger are in their own way infectious. How we speak, act, behave rubs off on people in subtle and apparent ways and it’s something we should be wary of just like an infectious disease.
When Danny Boyle got a hold of the script he connected with the story immediately. He explained this in an interview once where he stated:
“The thing that attracted me about it originally was literally like the first page…because it was…it was this idea that there’s a psychological virus causes this apocalypse. You know we’ve all seen movies about these biological viruses being released and causing mayhem and stuff like this…but there was this premise in it, this slightly projected premise this sci-fi idea that it’s a psychological virus…and that it was linked to rage or this social intolerance that is everywhere, appears to be everywhere now, certainly in this country, certainly in Britain. That this might somehow run rampant across the country and create these monsters that just kill people, and the monsters are us really, in a way that it’s not something we can blame on something else like aliens or some terrible mutation of biology, this is something that comes out of something we’re like One of the reasons the film works I think is that people do connect with it to a kind of malaise they feel about life at the moment and a kind of threat amongst ourselves and what we’re doing to each other. That’s something people clearly connect with.”
When casting the film, Boyle wanted to have the leads be relatively inexperienced actors so as to not break the illusion. He felt that putting big name actors in the film would right away put an immersive boundary in the movie. With relatively unfamiliar people though it would allow the audience to sink into the film and let them be immersed more easily. Despite the presence of supporting characters there two primary characters of the film. One of which is Jim, the man we meet in an empty ICU having woke up from a coma after a car accident. Jim is greeted with his new reality, trying to make sense of where the world has gone and how he’ll survive within it. With the sympathy and empathy from the old world that has been decimated he’s overwhelmed with emotions as we all would be in that same scenario. Selena is the other primary character who has lived through the 28 days that we’ve bypassed and has been hardened by them. She is strong, confident, independent, and resourceful. In casting these two lead roles Boyle chose Cillian Murphy for Jim, an Irish actor who had done some movies beforehand, but nothing major and Naomie Harris for Selena, a British actress who had primarily been in television series to that point. The two play very well off of each other and have great onscreen chemistry. They also grow with their characters, we see Jim and Selena evolve over time and with the course of events that unfold. Jim becomes more goofy, confident, assertive, where Selena becomes more open, less guarded, and The two play their characters incredibly well and in doing so give the audience a reason to be immersed, feel engaged, and care for these people, which might sound easy, but is incredibly hard to do let alone do well, which is in full display here.
In terms of making the film there are a lot of sequences in the film that are brilliant and incredible, but probably the one that stands out to almost everyone are the scenes of desolate London. The fact they were able to get the shots they did with no effects is pretty amazing. Boyle explained how they did this in an interview where he stated:
“We did it very simply. We turned up very early in the morning and we have a lot of cameras, digital cameras, because we were able to use a lot of them so that we could capture enough material in two minutes of the traffic being held back to create a sequence so that you’d feel that the camera is moving around town with him. So there were three or four shots and the editor could spin them out to feel like a protracted space he was walking over. Cuz even at that time in the morning and even with a lot of traffic marshals who were usually very pretty girls who we sent out to ask motorists to wait please…even then you only get two minutes of tolerance from people before they have to move.”
Looking at the London sequences it’s hard to imagine that footage got done so quickly, but it certainly shows the level of planning, organization, and execution were all at high levels. Watching these sequences post-COVID is also a little eerie since many of us, including myself saw empty streets on what otherwise were busy. Philadelphia during the shutdown certainly echoed that feeling of unnerving quiet and stillness.
For some 28 Days is among the great films dealing with the undead. It’s a film that incorrectly gets labeled as a zombie film, but it’s really not a film about the undead. Instead it’s a film about people infected with a virus that causes them to be extremely violent. One thing that immediately separates them from zombies as we knew them prior to this film is their speed. Zombies, popularized by George A Romero are slow moving, shuffling around and very stiff. The infected of this film though are extremely quick and agile, running at full speed when agitated or triggered, making them all the more terrifying. Each sequence that involves running infected is heart-pounding intensity.
Another thing that really helps drive the film’s momentum, atmosphere, and emotions is the score. Some of the music in the film are songs from bands like the previously mentioned Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Granddaddy, and Brian Eno. The majority of the music found in the film though was orchestrated by John Murphy. The music in the film is intense, layered, and beautifully dark, while becoming soft, bright, and hopeful at just the right times. Among the bright spots of the score certainly is “In the House - In a Heartbeat”. Starting with a haunting piano it’s joined by a slow steady bass line, then acoustic guitar, adding layer after layer, building speed, volume, and intensity. It’s one of my favorite songs from a film score, right up there with his Adagio in D Minor from another Boyle film we previously covered on Glazed Cinema, Sunshine.
I can remember vividly the very first time I heard about this film. I was about thirteen at the time and after our parents dropped us off at the theater we got some popcorn and went into the dark theater. When we were in our seats the previews began to play as we got more and more excited to enjoy a superhero movie. One of those trailers that played though was for 28 Days Later and I remember thinking “that looks scary” and one of the things I remember the most were a pair of red eyes before the trailer ended. We all looked at each other and we all knew without having to say a word that we needed to see that.
The first time I watched this film I was part excited and part hesitant to press play and experience what was behind that trailer that originally peaked my interest. From the start I was dialed in and as the action, emotions, ebbs and flows unfurled I became more and more engrossed. By the time the film was stunned to silence. This film packs a punch that is incredibly well-rounded in that it offers action, scares, intensity, suspense, and hope.
For me this movie was incredibly influential and inspiring because it helped further my film fandom. I mentioned this in an earlier epsiode on Suspiria, but the horror genre was my gateway to cinema. Suspiria was THE film that got me interested in directors, watching their movies, and appreciating their artistry and vision. 28 Days Later was the second movie that further emphasized that interest. It led me to watching more Danny Boyle movies, which are far more variying in terms of genre bending. I love this movie and appreciate its place in my history of building my love for cinema.
When 28 Days Later was released it was a big hit, with moviegoers flocking to the theaters to witness it. By the time it left the theater circuit it earned a solid $84,000,000 worldwide on just an $8,000,000 budget.
28 Days Later brought a new vision of terror and wonr that would inspire several others in the future. It not only led to a sequel 28 Weeks Later and an upcoming sequel directed by Boyle himself, 28 Years Later. It also helped inspire one of the best zombie novels and movies ever created, Max Brooks’ World War Z, published in 2006.
28 Days Later is one of my favorite horror movies and one that was incredibly important in building my passion for cinema. If you’re looking for a horror movie to watch and you haven’t seen our subject today, I encourage you to press play on this film. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
If you’d like to watch 28 Days Later for yourself I am sad and a bit surprised to say that you can find it on limited streaming services. As of this recording the only place I was able to find it was on Apple TV plus.
Unfortunately this film, like others before it and those after it, fell victim to distributor shifts and has been pulled from almost every service. As great as streaming services are to provide us with content, we do fall victim to their curation, meaning films appear and disappear without warning. Due to this we’re seeing a resurgence in the return of physical media, which is so great to see. I myself am and always have been a big fan and proponent of physical media. Whether it’s a DVD, Blu-ray, Vinyl Record, or CD I much prefer the physical copy if I can get it. I just like the tangible product and comfort in knowing I can watch something I live whenever I want to. I do totally understand maybe not having the ability to do that though be it budget, space, or maybe even lack of hardware, which is why streaming has been so popular. For those without the ability to own physical copy for whatever reason hopefully this returns to streaming in the future so everyone can enjoy this fantastic film.
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