How “28 Days Later” still bites and “The Bone Temple” breaks the franchise open.
With the release of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, here are all of the films of the franchise ranked! While all are great, some surpass others in drama, gore, and acting! This ranking looks at how each entry hits as a full experience, from the gut-punch opening moments to the lingering ideas that stick after the credits roll.
Some films emphasize raw survival horror, while others explore what people become when the world loses meaning. Tone is crucial; the series balances dread and humanity, with the best chapters walking the fine line between terror and tragedy.
So, whether you’re here for infected chaos, moral collapse, or the cold logic of whatever society rebuilds into, this list is about which films land the hardest and why.
1. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple — Civilization After Morality
The Bone Temple is the most fully evolved expression of what this franchise has been building toward since 2002. Unlike earlier entries, this film does not ask whether society can be saved. That question is considered naïve here. Instead, it examines what kind of society survives once conscience is no longer useful.
The infection is background radiation, and this story is more focused on the aftermath of a buildup of what happens when society falls. Power structures, ritualized violence, and inherited obedience take center stage. Survival has become cultural, not ethical. Ralph Fiennes’ role, of course, also shines with brilliance and humor.
Director: Nia DaCosta
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman, Chi Lewis-Parry
2. 28 Days Later (2002) — The Shock of Collapse
The original remains the emotional and philosophical foundation of the entire series. It focuses on the infection rather than the aftermath, as in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and shows the infection unraveling before society collapses.
Its power lies in immediacy: empty streets, fragile alliances, and the realization that survival does not improve character — it exposes it. Hope still flickers here, but it is constantly undermined by fear and the temptation to dominate. And Cillian Murphy’s performance is one that made history in the horror franchise.
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns, Brendan Gleeson
3. 28 Years Later
This film bridges the moral chaos of 28 Days Later with the hardened systems of The Bone Temple. Society has endured long enough to rebuild structure, but not long enough to mythologize it. The result is a world governed by fatigue, not ideology.
Unlike its sequel, this film still remembers the old world — but without sentimentality. It understands that memory is a liability, not a virtue. It is a necessary, sobering step in the franchise’s evolution. And Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams have a father-son relationship, grounded in survival, that is both riveting and heartbreaking to watch.
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Ralph Fiennes
4. 28 Weeks Later (2007)
Its opening is devastating, and its portrayal of institutional incompetence is sharp. However, the film prioritizes momentum over introspection. Characters often exist to trigger events rather than confront moral consequences.
It shows collapse efficiently, but it does not sit with it. Compared to the long-view cruelty of The Bone Temple or the moral tension of 28 Days Later, it feels emotionally thinner.
Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Cast: Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Harold Perrineau, Imogen Poots, Idris Elba
The 28 Years Later franchise stays strong because it never treats the infected as the only monster in the room. Each film uses the outbreak as the spark, then turns the camera toward people, power, and the choices made when rules stop working.
Even when some entries lean more on momentum than reflection, the series keeps leveling up in scope, intensity, and emotional bite. Ultimately, this ranking is less about what movie is “better” and more about which one hits you the hardest, whether that is through shock, heartbreak, brutal suspense, or the chilling idea that civilization can keep going long after morality checks out.
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