Later this month,28 Years Laterwill hit cinemas worldwide, with everything fans know so far suggesting it will be a thrilling return tothe universe of the Rage Virus, packed with disturbing imagery. However, nothing in the trailers so far has equaled the darkest moment of the28 Days Laterfranchise.
Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes and Jodie Comer,28 Years Laterwill plunge fans back into the world of the feral, bloodthirsty infected. The trailers have shown towers of bone, blood-soaked masks, and emaciated, gibbering ‘zombies.’
However, the28 Days Laterfranchise’s real horrors have always been human, with the depraved actions of humanity topping anything the infected are capable of. Indeed,the franchise’s most terrifying moment - known as ‘the Mannequinn’- exemplifies how Rage Zombies become 1000x scarier when directed by the creative malice of humanity.
28 Days Later’s Darkest Moment Was ‘The Mannequin’
The Rage Virus Is Nothing Compared to Human Depravity
In 2009, BOOM! Studios followed up the original28 Days Laterwith a comic sequel of the same name,following Naomie Harris' Selena as she journeys back into the infected UK as the guide for a group of journalists. In28 Days Later #15(by Michael Alan Nelson, Alejandro Aragon, Bill Farmer and Ed Dukeshire), Selina and one of the journalists are captured by a group of survivors who have devolved into a territorial gang. Their leader, King Dixon, decides to make an example of Selina by sentencing her to"the Mannequin."
In the most horrifying moment of the franchise, Selina is shown to a small cage with a red circle drawn on the floor. It’s explained thatshe’ll be forced to spend the night in the cage, safe from the undead so long as she doesn’t move even an inch out of the circle. As darkness falls, the infected find Selina, reaching in from every direction. If she moves an inch, she’ll be dragged against the bars and slaughtered in grotesque fashion.
The name of the horrific treatment comes from the fact that victims need to stay as still as a mannequin to stand any chance of survival, with Selina being severely traumatized by the experience, despite everything she’s already been through. One of the things thatmakes28 Days Later’s infected so uniqueis their speed and rage - not shambling zombies, but red-eyed killers who seem to sincerely loathe their prey. The comic series was therefore particularlyunique in finding a way to draw horror out of stillness, rather than frenetic action.
Humans Have Always Been the Scariest Part of the 28 Days Later Franchise
And That’s Not Going to Change Anytime Soon
It’s no surprise that28 Days Later’s darkest moment sees humans unleashing the infected, rather than the vicious ‘zombies’ acting by themselves.28 Days Laterand28 Weeks Laterboth focus on humans as their main antagonists, using the military to explore how emergency situations can inspire factionalism and authoritarianism.Fear and desperation causing corruption is the main focus of this universe, whether it’s the despotism of Major Henry West (Christopher Eccleston) or the self-centered need for forgiveness of28 Weeks Later’s Donald Harris (Robert Carlyle.)
This theme is key to the franchise partly because of Britain’s status as an island nation- one where the virus could theoretically be contained. The franchise offers up many different forms of ‘islands’ as people from different walks of life grab for whatever power is left and turn on anyone outside their authority. With the masks and bone towers of28 Years Later, it certainly seems this theme of brutal factionalism will continue in the film.
Coming to screens August 16, 2025,28 Years Laterlooks set to be a powerhouse action horror - but it will have to getreallycreative to match the terror of28 Days Later’s Mannequin.
28 Days Later
The28 Days Laterfranchise is a British post-apocalyptic horror series that began with the 2002 film28 Days Later, followed by the 2007 sequel28 Weeks Later. It explores a world ravaged by the Rage Virus, focusing on survivors navigating an outbreak of violent, infected humans. The franchise is set to continue with a new trilogy, beginning with28 Years Laterin 2025.
