Greetings, and welcome back to October Horror Fest! I apologize for this article STILL being a tad late, but thankfully, the age of Comic Con induced delayed articles is OVER!!! We are back on track, with movies coming every day. (Also, if you guys were concerned, of course I begin all articles and moves on the day of the challenge. If I go 20 minutes over on a movie, it does not mean I failed the challenge. I promise, my friends, I’m so dedicated to this challenge and to making great content for you all that I literally watched a movie and wrote an article on the train coming back from New York. No way in hell I am failing Horror Fest). Tonight, we venture back into one of the creepiest franchises I have ever seen, and explore the sequel to our day 2 movie. Strap in, dear readers, because the RAGE isn’t done with us yet. Without further ado, sit back, relax, grab some Candy and Popcorn, and let’s review…

28 Weeks Later

We begin our tale in a small house during the beginning of the outbreak. (Just saying this now, this film follows none of the characters from the first one, and was made in 2007 (my birthday year, yay!) so it unfortunately LOOKS like a horror film from 2007. It has a lot of weird effects on screen and you really aren’t able to make out much clearly, but I shall try my best! We meet Don Harris and his wife Alice, as they hide out in their cottage with four other survivors. Don and Alice reveal that they sent their kids on a school trip RIGHT before the infection started, so they are safe and out of harm’s way, which they are eternally grateful for. They are on the outskirts of London (as we know, this is NOT the place you want to be in the 28 later universe), and are relatively content at dinner until they hear screams. They are coming from a young boy, and he begs to be let in. The couple oblige, and he immediately hugs Alice for comfort, saying that he was being chased. However, there is no respite for the group, as we see LOTS of infected on the hills (absolutely incredible shot btw), and they infiltrate the house. All of the survivors are killed except for Don, Alice, and the young boy. Alice and the young boy enter a bedroom upstairs to hide, but are surrounded by infected. Don sees what is happening, and while staring into his wife’s eyes, LEAVES. He abandons her as she screams, and flees on a boat. He turns around, and sees her fall out of his sight by dropping under the window, as her screams can still be heard as we fade to black… (CRAZY WAY to start the movie btw)

We then begin a montage, of course, starting with 28 Days Later. We see that over the course of around seven months since the first film (28 weeks), NATO forces led by the U.S. have moved into Britain after the infected died of starvation, and tried to rebuild the infected island. A safe zone has been established in London, with HEAVY U.S. Military presence. It is known as District One, and it is located on the isle of dogs (east London). Let’s name our important military people, shall we? District One is under the command of General Stone, a no nonsense soldier that still cares about his people. Our boy Flynn, who is good friends with Doyle and is a helicopter operator. Doyle (played by Jeremy Renner, it seems like all his roles involve shooting enemies from a distance), is a selfless, comedic soldier who tries his best to help others. Finally, we have Scarlet, a medical officer who is VERY nice, and cares about the future of the human race. We see Don reunite with his kids as they finally make their way back to a safe Britain. Their names are Tammy and Andy (not confusing at all), and actually have a really nice day with them. However, he tells them that their mother is gone, and lies about ABANDONING her (btw, Don is a surveillance officer or some rank like that so he has a SUPER nice flat)

In the morning, after Andy has nightmares about forgetting his mother’s face, and Tammy promising that he won’t, our two kiddos set out through the gate (wise move) to head to their former home. Doyle notices them leave immediately through his sniper, and informs the military to watch them. Once getting there, Andy finds a photo of him, Tammy, and his Mother, and holds onto it like his life depends on it. However, Andy goes upstairs, and finds something NO ONE (especially not me), was expecting. ALICE. That’s right, his mother is ALIVE, and the two embrace. However, Alice clings onto her son enough to make him hurt, and she is INCREDIBLY delirious, begging him not to go. Andy runs downstairs to his sister, and the kids leave the house right as the military show up. The military rushes into the house, and brings the kids and Alice all back to district one, where Alice is quarantined in a room, and the kids are held next to her in a waiting room. 

Don shows up to talk, and he is confronted by his kids about the fact that their mother is OBVIOUSLY alive, but he still lies nevertheless. When Scarlet takes a sample of Alice’s blood, we find that she IS infected. WHAT? That’s right, Alice is an asymptomatic carrier of the virus, and her blood could be the way towards a cure. Don breaks protocol and enters the room with his wife, pleading for forgiveness. He kisses her (uh oh, bad decision Don), and the rage virus SPREADS through her saliva onto him. He begins changing, and BRUTALLY murders Alice, before we get an authentically 2007 montage of flashing lights and blood as Don goes on a rampage, infecting and murdering anyone in sight. Downstairs, Scarlet comes to the rescue of Tammy and Andy, trying to get them out of harm’s way, as she believes their blood still may be used for a cure. With EVERYONE running around in the chaos, Andy gets separated from the girls, and they hide out with another survivor named Sam. Although apprehensive, Stone activates code red, as he knows the U.S. has lost control. Code Red enables all military personnel to kill ANYTHING in sight, infected or not. Andy reunites with Tammy, as he says that their father is one of them. Doyle spots Andy from his sniper nest, and breaks orders, trying his best to get survivors out. We now have our group of Scarlet, Doyle, Sam, Andy, and Tammy. While trying their best to get out of District One, two survivors are cut down by a sniper, before our boy Doyle responds in kind, killing the sniper. All along the path, we see glimpses of the infected Don in the background, which REALLY creeped me out.

Just as our group makes it out of District One, the U.S. shows up and FIREBOMBS the entirety of the District, with flames rising out of the streets in an absolutely incredible shot. Our group is now trying to survive in London, as Don follows them. Our group makes it to Regents Park (one of the most famous parks in London), as it is overgrown. Our boy Flynn arrives to try and pick up our group with his helicopter. However, our faithful pilot barely has any time, as a HORDE of infected approaches. Doyle runs to his friend and pleads for him to take the kids across the channel to France. Flynn refuses this order, worried about his friend and knowing he can’t take the entire group. However, his thinking process is interrupted as Sam jumps onto the bottom of the helicopter, causing Flynn to spin out. However, Flynn can be RUTHLESS, and takes his helicopter into the horde, infecting Sam and chopping all the infected into little bits. WOW. Flynn goes back to his friend, telling Doyle to meet him at Wembley Stadium without any of the group. However, our boy Doyle isn’t like that, and takes the survivors with him. As the group keeps going through London, though, the saddest scene in the movie by FAR takes place. The U.S. military sends a nerve gas into the streets, killing all infected. The group hop into a car and try not to breathe in the gas as it kills all of the infected around them. However, of course, the car won’t start. Doyle takes one last look at the group, and tells them to go to the stadium, saying he’ll meet them there. Doyle gets out, and PUSHES the car, successfully getting the engine to work. Doyle is then ambushed by soldiers with flamethrowers, and BURNED ALIVE as he waves for the car to leave. THIS HAD ME SO SAD.

Our remaining survivors of Scarlet, Tammy, and Andy bolt out of the city as the military shoots at them from above, and they head into the London Underground with a series of tunnels. In one of the most tense scenes in the film, the pitch black tunnels are only illuminated through Scarlet’s night vision scope, which the camera sees out of. (amazing effect). However, in the darkness, DON appears. He rushes Scarlet, and in ANOTHER sad scene, brutally kills her with her own gun. Andy and Tammy run, until the infected Don pins his son to the ground, and bites him. Andy screams and struggles, until Tammy appears, shooting her father in the head. He drops to the ground, and the terrified Andy runs into the tunnels. However, only making it a bit far, Andy collapses to the ground. NO!!! Tammy runs to her brother, and we see his eyes become bloodshot. He is now a carrier, just like his mother was. He asks if he is “one of them”, and Tammy swears he isn’t, hugging her brother. Our duo sticks together and runs out of the tunnels, eventually finding Flynn at Wembley. He asks where Doyle is, and Tammy emotionally says that he’s gone. Flynn reluctantly agrees to fly them across the channel, keeping his word to his late best friend, as we fade to black…

However, this story isn’t over…

We cut to a title card. “28 days later” appears on screen, as we see the inside of the ruined and destroyed helicopter of Flynn. We see Andy’s picture ripped apart, as a voice comes through the radio in the helicopter. The voice is French, and it is requesting help. We cut to a horde of infected running out of a metro station, as the Eiffel Tower looms in front of them…

THERE WE HAVE IT! Wow. This movie (28 days is still my favorite) was INCREDIBLE, and the ending really sold me on the whole thing. I am so happy to share it with you all. I honestly felt horrible for Tammy and Andy, and the ending sets up LOTS in the 28 later universe. Articles are fully back on schedule, and we are ALMOST halfway through! Wow. I honestly can’t believe it. Thank you all for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoyed it! And, always remember, beware of code red. If you hear it, RUN…