28 Days Later poster

28 Days Later (2002)

Film · 1h 53m · Rated R

Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

A relentless, chilling struggle for survival unfolds as a killer virus creates homicidal maniacs.

Suspenseful and bleak. A full-attention watch at full speed. Emotionally it is heavy.

Streaming on Apple TV+ and Tubi (free).

28 Days Later parents guide

No surprises for an R: real scares and several jump scares.

Scare
Properly scary
Frightening, not just tense.
Jump scares
Several
More than a couple of sudden jolts.
Gore
Graphic gore
Blood and wounds shown clearly.
Violence
Brutal violence
Our top level for violence.
Sex and nudity
Moderate
Moderate means a sex scene or nudity on screen, even brief, or sexual violence that is described or implied but never shown.
Language
Moderate
Some strong profanity, a few f-words.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is 28 Days Later scary?
Yes, properly. 28 Days Later is the real thing without being an endurance test.
How gory is 28 Days Later?
Graphic gore and brutal violence. If graphic gore is a dealbreaker, skip it.
What is 28 Days Later rated, and is it OK for kids?
It is an R, with real scares, several jump scares, and moderate sex and nudity. Keep it for adults.

What is 28 Days Later about?

Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs -- and it's absolutely impossible to contain.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

It leaves things open rather than tying them up.

Cast and crew

Directed byDanny Boyle
StarringCillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns, Christopher Eccleston, Noah Huntley

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Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.