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And he also knows how to subvert expectations, as when Jim, taxi driver Frank (Brendan Gleeson) and the rest of their small band are trapped in a highway tunnel. Boyle works plenty of seat-jumpers out of their sudden, murderous appearances, but he’s not just out for shock effects the viciousness of these setpieces is genuinely bloodcurdling, and once we know what the “infected” are capable of, he builds plenty of suspense out of the threat of their appearance. Rather than slow, lumbering creatures whose numbers and implacability pose the threat, the “infected” move with superhuman speed, lurching out of nowhere to attack their victims. Separating them from the ghouls of Romero’s films and others of their ilk is the manner in which Boyle presents the attacks. As someone says in Dawn of the Dead, “They’re us.” They’re not out to drink blood, or eat brains-they’re driven purely by homicidal anger, which makes them very much of their time, a period when “road rage” and “air rage” are frequently in the news. The city is now deserted save for a handful of survivors and roving, raving packs of afflicted people, who savagely assault anyone they encounter. He soon discovers that a lot has happened while he was out: animal activists accidentally let loose a “rage virus” from a primate testing lab, and it has gone on to infect a very large percentage of the population. Yet none of it comes close to shredded your nerves quite like this close call in a dark tunnel.Dovetailing neatly and eerily (but coincidentally, as it was filmed before 9/11) with current concerns about mass human destruction and deadly diseases, 28 Days Later follows Jim (Cillian Murphy) a London bike messenger who wakes up in hospital after a month-long coma. Death comes swiftly and frequently in 28 Days Later, as do the bursts of stark horror. A reprieve awaits at the other end, this time.
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Jim, Selena, Frank, and Hannah barely make it out of the tunnel alive by the skin of their teeth. The aural build ties it all together, matching the emotions of both characters and viewers.

The rapid, turbulent camera movements within the tire changing scene exacerbate the unease shaped by its eerie setting. The lo-fi quality and Boyle's dynamic direction give 28 Days Later a gritty, present feel for this unique dystopia, but it also heightens the fear. Jim's journey toggles back and forth between moments of extreme stress and lulls of peaceful calm before the next wave. The tension gets drawn out to an uncomfortable degree.īoyle toys with erratic pacing to maintain unpredictability. As the gap between the enemy and the protagonists shorten, pulse-pounding horror reaches a fever pitch. A single silhouette in the distance gives way to dozens-their angry wails signal proximity. The noise hushes to a lull long enough for the actual threat to emerge. The wave of rats heralds a rush of panic, but they serve as a foreboding harbinger of doom. Then comes the sound, a soft rushing roar that builds to shrieking terror. The camera's rapid pans as it follows Jim's pacing makes his anxiety palpable. Boyle exploits the natural unease the setting creates with frenetic camera movement and quick edits, cycling through wide shots of the group fumbling in the dark to close-ups of each character as they set about their tasks. Only one way in and out creates claustrophobic dread, but then it's magnified to a horrific degree with a makeshift graveyard of those that were unable to escape civilization's ruin. The dark, enclosed tunnel instills trepidation before even factoring in the outbreak.


They begin their part in the narrative with lower survival odds and the expectation of added weight for Jim and Selena. The introduction to middle-aged Frank and his young teen daughter contradicts everything Jim has been taught about what it takes to survive. Speed is of the essence against the fast-moving and seemingly tireless aggressors. It set a precedence that survival isn't guaranteed for even the most heroic and fit characters. Before this intense scene arrives, Boyle established stakes through more minor scaled attacks by the infected and the shocking demise of Mark.
