This October we here at Dark of the Matinee are counting down our 31 favorite horror films. Join us daily as we countdown from #31 starting on October 1, 2012 leading up to #1 on Halloween!
#20 – 28 DAYS LATER (2002)
Dir. Danny Boyle
Coming in at number 20 is Danny Boyle's breathtaking 28 Days Later. This film often stirs up a great debate to which a definite answer will never be agreed upon.
Is this a zombie film? Or is it an infection film? You'll find people out there that will fight to the death that it's one and not the other.
Comedian Jonah Ray, who I'm a big fan of and who happens to be somewhat of a zombie expert himself, claims that this is an infection movie all the way. This film doesn't follow the traditional guidelines of zombies. These creatures didn't rise from the dead.
He makes good points. I, however, think 28 Days Later is both a zombie and an infection film.
Yes, it is an infection that gets out that turns people. But what all does this infection do? It kills them. It turns them into the living dead. They walk the earth and need to eat people to survive. Boom, zombies.
The plot here is that society breaks down and falls apart after a highly contagious “rage” virus is accidentally set free by a group of activists trying to free some chimpanzees that are locked up for scientific testing. 28 days after this happens Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes from a coma to discover the devastation. London has become a ghost town.
As Jim wanders the now eerily empty streets of London looking for anyone, he comes across a church. Jim enters the church and finds a priest. As he tries to approach the priest, the priest chases after him. Jim narrowly escapes the zombie infected priest thanks to the help of Selena (Naomie Harris).
Selena quickly gets Jim caught up to speed on what has gone down since he went into his coma. From there on it’s a march for survival and safety.
28 Days Later is not only a zombie film, it is the rebirth of the zombie film. Boyle, along with writer Alex Garland made zombies relevant again while revolutionizing them. They made zombies smarter. They made zombies run!
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| A zombie on fire running? Unfair! |
Sure, zombie purists out there may complain, but this little touch is part of what makes this movie great. Our biggest advantage over zombies is that we can run while they walk. Not anymore! Zombies running? That is terrifying!
Remove the zombies from the equation and you still have a film with so many layers. What would you do in a post-apocalyptic society? Every decision you make is one for survival. What if someone you love turns into something, some creature? What would you do?
Boyle’s masterpiece manages to be at times uplifting and devastating. There’s a scene in the film where Jim goes to his parents’ house to find that they committed suicide together to avoid being turned. This is one of the most heartbreaking moments in any movie of any genre.
Bleak and full of despair, while still being beautiful and hopeful, 28 Days Later is a modern classic.
written by Christopher Coffel
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