Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later comes back to haunt us 18 years after the release of the second instalment of the franchise. After 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, the new film will focus on a small group of survivors who live on a deserted island away from the horrors and secrets that lie waiting for them on the mainland. 28 years after the outbreak of the Rage virus, survivors around the world have accepted their new normal, but when a father-son duo leave their safe haven to go out to the city, things spiral out of control.
If you can’t wait for the release of the new entry, coming out in theatres on June 20, 2025, here are 5 movies like 28 Years Later to keep you company!
Movies Like 28 Years Later
1. Train to Busan (2016)
Much like 28 Days Later, the first instalment of the franchise, South Korea’s Train to Busan reinvented the zombie horror genre in such a way that it remains embedded in our hearts and minds. The film is set in a cramped and claustrophobic moving train where a zombie outbreak takes place, slowly killing the passengers one after another. As the protagonists try to make their way to safety while saving themselves from being bitten, it gives us tight action and harrowing losses that stay in our minds rent-free long after the film is over. Much like the Boyle’s franchise, this film is fast, aggressive and relentless, and its added emotional beats just make it all the more impactful.
2. The Road (2009)
In this psychological drama set in a post-apocalyptic world, we follow a father and son duo as they trek across America to get to the sea. Throughout their journey, they must battle against marauding cannibals while they scavenge for food in a desperate bid to stay alive. The movie is a grim and sombre reminder that sometimes human beings are far more scary than zombies, and the bleak visuals add to the tension of the narrative. Its emotional core is its biggest strength and gives hope in a lawless, unforgiving world.
3. World War Z (2013)
This big-budget, globe-trotting zombie thriller is an adventure and then some. Following Brad Pitt as a former United Nations employee who is sent on a mission around the world to get to the bottom of a mysterious infection that threatens to destroy humanity itself, this thriller is less intimate but no less effective in invoking fear. The action-packed sequences pull you from one direction to another, and the fall of nations around him feels very personal, especially in its showcase of quarantines and people clamouring to get answers to an unknown threat. There is no dearth of memorable scenes in this movie, and Pitt does a fantastic job of being an unwitting hero in desperate times.
4. I Am Legend (2007)
Francis Lawrence’s dystopian sci-fi film is a mix of a lot of things, but it’s mostly a showcase of human reactions and the consequences of a world-changing event. Will Smith portrays Robert Neville in this film, the only survivor of a zombie apocalypse that killed everyone in New York City. Lonely and desperate to find a cure, Neville’s journey throughout the film is not just valiant but also a desperate cry for help that will leave your heart heavy. It’s also one of Smith’s best performances, and it adds to the experience of watching this story unfold.
5. REC (2007)
Switching gears to a chaotic horror film that is nothing less than nerve-wracking, this Spanish found-footage film takes us up and down an apartment complex that is suddenly quarantined after the government finds a dangerous infection working its way through the residents. Shot in real time and with documentary-style realism, REC brings to light a claustrophobic fear that feels a bit too real sometimes. The small space makes for a very tight watch and the perfect place for the escalating panic to set in.
Although we are yet to see how good Boyle’s new film is going to be, it goes without saying that these movies like 28 Years Later will capture the panic, anxiety and the sweeping emotions that the protagonists are sure to feel in the upcoming release. Chaotic and thrilling, these are some of the most tense films out there, with a blend of emotions to keep the characters grounded.
Are you excited to watch 28 Years Later? Let us know in the comments below!