Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple offers some incredible world-building and explanations about the Rage virus that the franchise has never previously examined before. The last film, 28 Years Later, introduced new variants of the Infected, humans suffering from the Rage Virus that was first depicted in 28 Days Later, including the Alphas, who are bigger, stronger, faster, and more intelligent than the average Infected. The Bone Temple also expands on Dr. Ian Kelson’s (Ralph Fiennes) relationship with the Alpha Infected variant named Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), and their unlikely bond totally recontextualizes everything about the Rage virus, raising many new questions. Even more interesting, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple finally depicts the perspective of the Infected, showcasing how they perceive the world! It’s time to dive into the revelations about the Rage virus and Infected in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Finally Reveals How the Infected Perceive the World
The Bone Temple, for the first time in the franchise’s history, reveals how the Infected humans view the world. It’s important to note that the Infected of the 28 Days Later franchise are not traditional “undead” zombies. They are not humans who have died, with an affliction driving them to consume living human flesh. The Infected are still alive, and the Rage virus causes its victims to become feral, mindless, relentlessly violent, and aggressive, losing all sense of their human minds, reason, awareness, and memories. They are basically feral, raging monsters driven to fight and kill whatever is around them. The Bone Temple finally explains why the Infected act this way.
Samson’s perspective reveals that the Infected perceive non-Infected humans as Infected. Dr. Kelson deduces that the Rage virus induces a type of psychosis that causes the Infected to hallucinate threats that do not exist. Thus, from the Infected’s perspective, regular humans appear as a hostile threat to their well-being, provoking them to attack normal humans. It’s still unclear why the Infected do not attack or pursue each other as immediate threats. Additionally, Dr. Kelson also reveals that the Infected’s minds are inundated with noise, experiencing a cacophony of sounds and a permanent buzzing noise swirling around in their heads. As Dr. Kelson interacts, studies, and observes Samson, he eventually devises an astonishing breakthrough treatment for the Rage virus.
Dr. Kelson Helps Samson Regain His Humanity
Kelson, a former National Health Service practitioner, had already figured out some deterrents for dealing with the virus. Using a blow dart, he’s able to tranquilize and calm raging Alpha variants like Samson. However, Dr. Kelson also recognizes a glimmer of human awareness in Samson, so he forms a strange sort of affinity and bond with the Alpha variant. After being tranquilized by Dr. Kelson’s morphine dart, Samson looks almost like he’s awakening from a dream-like sleep, and he eventually says the word “Moon.” This major revelation indicates the Infected are nothing like zombies, as Dr. Kelson theorizes that the morphine in the tranquilizer darts mutes the noise that the Rage Virus causes and that the virus clouds over its victims’ minds rather than “replacing” them. After Kelson realizes the Rage Virus causes a deep psychosis, he realizes that it can be treated medicinally!
Reviewing his past notes regarding the virus, Dr. Kelson devises a treatment that he hopes will allow Samson to regain his regular human consciousness. After starting to exhibit calmer, more human behavior, Samson gradually flashes back to his childhood, recalling the time he took a train with his parents and studied the moon phases in a book before the outbreak of the Rage virus. However, he is soon overwhelmed and attacked by a group of Infected, who now perceive Samson as an immediate threat. For years, the Rage Virus basically looked like a horrific, incurable death sentence, so Samson’s regaining his human awareness proves to be one of the franchise’s most jaw-dropping moments.
What Does Dr. Kelson’s Breakthrough Mean for the Franchise?
Unfortunately, Dr. Kelson’s breakthrough with Samson might be short-lived. He’s mortally wounded in a confrontation with Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) and his cult in an attempt to help Spike (Alfie Allen). Samson arrives at the scene in the aftermath, having survived the Infected attack, and thanks Dr. Kelson, referring to him by name, which proves that Dr. Kelson’s words were getting through to him. Dr. Kelson dies peacefully, knowing that his treatment of Samson was a success and that he was able to help bring him peace. Unfortunately, no one else knows about Samson or Dr. Kelson’s discoveries or notes, so it appears that Dr. Kelson’s knowledge of the treatment of the Infected die with him.
It’s important to note that Samson’s treatment does not actually cure the virus. The medicine he was given by Dr. Kelson does not alter the extreme cellular regrowth caused by the Rage virus, but it does treat the psychosis by quieting the noise and removing the hallucinations driving the Infected to feral insanity, allowing them to regain their human identities. Does Samson represent an evolutionary stage in the Infected? Will he be the first of a new wave of Infected who retain extreme strength and violent aggression, but with a modicum of human intelligence? It remains to be seen, and that angle could be explored in the next planned 28 Years Later installment. Sadly, with Dr. Kelson dead before he could share his discoveries, it’s doubtful the Rage plague will end anytime soon. Nevertheless, the revelations regarding the Infected and Samson’s existence offer a glimmer of hope for a future in which the Rage plague can be quelled. Hopefully, it’s an angle that the next film will explore further.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now playing in theaters.
- Release Date
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January 16, 2026
- Runtime
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109 Minutes
- Director
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Nia DaCosta
- Writers
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Alex Garland
- Producers
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Andrew Macdonald, Bernard Bellew, Danny Boyle, Alex Garland, Peter Rice
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Jack O’Connell
Jimmy Crystal
