28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) reviews

The Fuzzy Mushroom take on 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

By Fuzzy Mushroom · Updated 15 November 2026 · The Pros 87 · The Punters 75 · Spore Score 83 · How we write our takes

Why The Pros rate it higher than The Punters

The Bone Temple is the rare horror sequel that critics rate above the film it follows on from. The Pros give it 87, The Punters 75, and the Spore Score lands at 83, a mostly clear result with a 12-point gap. Both camps like it. The difference is that critics tend to reward its strange, slow-burn second half and its big swings in tone, while a share of the audience came for infected-on-the-loose thrills and found a film far more interested in the people who survived.

What it is

The fourth film in the series picks up straight after 28 Years Later. Nia DaCosta directs from a script by Alex Garland. Young Spike (Alfie Williams) has been taken in by Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell) and his gang of blond-wigged followers, who all answer to the name Jimmy. Meanwhile Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) carries on his work at his monument of bones, and grows an unlikely bond with Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), the huge Alpha infected from the last film. The two stories move towards each other until they meet at the temple of the title.

What it does well

Fiennes is the reason many people leave talking. His scenes with Samson are odd, funny and moving at once, and they give the series something it has rarely had: real curiosity about the infected as people. O'Connell is genuinely frightening as a cult leader who is part showman, part lost boy, and DaCosta stages the gang's violence without winking at it. The final act, set to a very loud piece of heavy metal, is the kind of set piece people describe to their friends.

Where it falls short

The cruelty of the Jimmys can be hard going, and some viewers will feel the film spends more time on torture and talk than on the infected chases the series is known for. With two stories running side by side, the pace sags in the middle before the threads finally tie together.

Who it is for

Fans of 28 Years Later should see it, and it rewards anyone who likes horror with ideas in it. If you want a straight zombie action film, lower your expectations for the first hour.

The Fuzzy Mushroom verdict

Must-see, with a Spore Score of 83. A bold, unsettling middle chapter with one of the best performances in the series, and a film critics have warmed to a little more than the crowds.