By RICK HIPSON

Now showing in theatres everywhere, 28 YEARS LATER is the third installment in the rage-infected zombie franchise that began with 2002’s 28 Days Later. Written by Alex Garland and Danny Boyle, with Boyle directing, the film stars Alfie Williamson, Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes. With the next film, 28 Days Later: Bone Temple, coming in 2026 and rumoured to star Peaky Blinders‘ Cillian Murphy, who has an executive producer credit in this one, 28 YEARS LATER (reviewed here) is the first movie in a new trilogy.

Set in Lindisfarne, a tiny, isolated island off the coast of England, 28 YEARS LATER is as brutal and intense as they come, with a surprising amount of heart at the core of so much carnage. Jodie Comer plays Isla, the mother of 12-year-old Spike (Williamson) and wife of Jamie (Taylor-Johnson). When Spike learns of a (possibly insane) doctor on the mainland, now overrun with the infected, who may be able to help his ailing mother, he sneaks her across a treacherous tidal causeway on a harrowing journey of hope.

Recently, RUE MORGUE sat down with Jodie Comer to find out what it takes to bring such a confined and complex character to life amidst so much death at the end of a civilized world, where just surviving can have inestimable costs. Exuding pure class and nearly childish enthusiasm for her role, Comer walks us through her stark portrayal of a woman with a darkly troubled mind who must persevere against all odds in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

I’m still reeling from seeing this movie in Toronto a couple of days ago. I found a big part that elevates this film well above your typical zombie movie is the strong relationship between Spike and Isla. As far as I’m concerned, you both played your parts to perfection to give us this complex, powerful mother/son relationship. I’d love to hear about your initial reaction to your character when you read the script, and what you felt it would take for you personally and professionally to bring such a challenging character to life.

Well, it’s funny. When I read the script for 28 YEARS LATER, it immediately transported me to when I watched 28 Days Later, and thinking about the kind of relationships and dynamics that were present within that film. Brendan Gleeson’s character comes to mind straight away, with the relationship he had with his daughter and what transpired there. I was so struck by how, on paper, this is the horror genre, but it’s so much more, and there’s so much levity and intimacy and emotion. For Alex [Garland] and Danny [Boyle] to have been able to marry all of that together so seamlessly felt really profound to me.

In a world that feels heightened and epic and full of terror, there was actually a through line that felt very relatable and emotionally driven, which I felt like I could really ground myself in. That was exciting. And you are right; There’s the dynamic of this family set up and these complications within that. One of them being Isla’s illness, which creates a lot of nuances in her relationship with her son because he’s often having to be the guardian, the parental figure and the source of comfort and strength. I knew that coming to this, it was like, Wow. Okay, what does this illness look like? It has to be believable. How do I map this out over an entire film? And, to find that with Alfie, I was like, that’s gonna be my biggest challenge.

As far as preparing for this specific role, I can only imagine how getting inside the headspace of a character like Isla could only lead to some really fascinating, if not downright scary, perspectives that maybe you haven’t given space to previously. How might your character have informed your perspectives about the world around you during the filming process? And, if I may add to that question, how do you think that she’s ultimately going to inform viewers who may or may not be ready for the perspectives that she has to offer them?

Well, it’s funny, right? Because there’s this awful reality that she has her own terror in her own mind and her own body. She’s been kind of hijacked by this illness, but it also provides her with this respite from the reality of the world and the severity of the situation and the danger that is lurking beyond the causeway. She does have this element of escapism, which I think gives her relief and maybe provides the audience with that in moments. I don’t know, but she spends a lot of time alone, a lot of time in her own head. And a lot of the time, I feel like, is she observing this? Is she listening? Is she taking this in? It’s never fully clear what kind of state she is in. I feel like I was very introspective on this job. 

In a lot of ways, I found Isla to be a sort of unreliable narrator and final girl, if you will. That might be a bit of a crass way to put it, but that was my immediate takeaway from watching your performance. 

I think it’s also with memory, right? It’s like, if what Spike is learning is all from memory, everyone’s got a different memory of what happened and a different version of that. And Isla’s memory is unreliable and takes her to when she was a child, you know? So, what does this kid have to go off of?

Right. And speaking of such a non-typical zombie movie, call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure there’s a rule somewhere that says zombie movies, especially ones as, frankly, balls-to-the-wall violent and brutal as this one is, they’re not supposed to make you cry, but I’m not ashamed to admit that I totally bawled while watching this in the theater. I’m sure I won’t be the only one. There was a particular scene involving Spike and Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), who may or may not be insane, but without giving away too many spoilers, if that is possible, could you share a little bit about what the energy and general mood were like on set while you were filming that?

Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson.

Those particular scenes involved the Bone Temple. Everybody involved was able to navigate creating such an intensely emotional experience. What was interesting about coming to those final scenes at the Bone Temple was we’d pretty much shot chronologically, so we felt like we’d played out a lot of the journey so far, you know?  Spike is on this huge quest and is trying to get his mom there safely and alive. Then we landed at this beautiful location in North Yorkshire, and we were welcomed with this huge monument that was built by the art department in such detail. It was, for a set that was an ode to the dead and what that represents … very alive. We were right next to the running water. There was a constant music washing through the set because they had these wind chimes made of bones.

It was never quiet. It felt very, very alive. What was beautiful about that moment and lovely about working with Ralpk and the kind of energy that he has was like… Spike and I are so ready to meet him in that moment and so desperate and so exhausted, that it was lovely for me and Alfie to just lean into Ralph’s energy and for him be able to take control of that situation and guide us in that moment as mother and son and be able to deliver some hard truths that Isla hasn’t been able to face herself.

It was beautiful. We were on night shoots as well, so I remember there was a full moon one night, and they got all this smoke, and the atmosphere felt very singular, you know? It’s amazing to see how the creative team brings these ideas to life off the page.

Between being in a very confined space for much of the film – not to make you sound like a lazy actor, but you spend a lot of time in bed and kind of lying and sitting around a lot, so I can only imagine what it was like to create such an outstanding, complex character from such a confined space and spending much time with Alfie in between scenes to develop that natural chemistry and everything in between. But, to wrap things up, if you had to stick a pin in any particular highlight during your filming experience for 28 YEARS LATER, what comes to mind?

I think for me, it was witnessing [how] Alex Garland, Danny Boyle, Anthony Dod Mantle, our director of photography, led the set, the kind of energy and passion and innovative nature that they had. It was so playful and daring and incredibly friendly and joyous and pleasurable. You often find, whether it’s a lead actor, director, that the energy of that person and how they present themselves trickles throughout the whole crew. It informs how everyone feels like they can behave and do their job. The way in which Danny conducts himself and leads was so inspiring and encouraging. I think that was felt by everyone, and that’s something I will take away from this experience. And then, to watch the film and just be like, Yeah, this is something I’m so proud of. It’s so fucking cool and smart and just brilliant. I’m honored to have been a small part of the process.