by Jesse Hudgins
The initial trailer for 28 Years Later has been released and it is the best trailer I’ve seen for a movie in years. This is how a trailer is done!
A big problem with modern-day movie trailers is they give most of the movie away. Staying within the horror genre with the movie Abigail, one of the biggest issues people had was that the trailer shouldn’t have given away the twist that the little girl is a vampire. While still a good film, moviegoers agreed the movie would’ve benefited from the twist not being spoiled by the trailer. With that in mind, the trailer for 28 Years Later goes to a completely different level.
28 Years Later is the third installment of the 28 ___ Later franchise. Its predecessors are 2002’s 28 Days Later and 2007’s 28 Weeks Later. Not much is known about the plot of the movie and the mostly dialog-less trailer only provides enough scattered visuals to craft theories on the plot. Based on how the trailer opens, the beginning of the movie will likely show a day-one infection scenario. I assume there will be a 28-year time jump after that to follow the main character, played by Aaron Taylor Johnson, as well as another character, played by Alfie Williams, leaving their settlement on some sort of mission.
Even though we don’t know much about what happens in the film, what isn’t left in the air is how terrifying the movie will be. The cinematography throughout the trailer is simultaneously gorgeous and horrifying. Two shots stood out to me in the trailer; in one of the shots is silhouette of the infected running toward the camera with a tree behind them, and in an overhead shot, a pillar of skulls is in a field looking like some sort of twisted monument. Backing these visuals is Taylor Holmes’ 1915 reading of the 1903 poem “Boots” by Rudyard Kipling. As the trailer picks up in action, so does the voiceover in the recording. This simple yet effective technique builds maddening stress as the trailer crescendos to the title card.
To say I’m excited about this movie is an understatement. I’m a huge fan of the 28 __ Later franchise and have been hoping for another installment since seeing the original installments. This movie has risen to my most anticipated film of 2025 and you can expect it to be reviewed on Roommate Reviews when it comes out.
