A new generation of infected terrorizes what little survivors remain in '28 Years Later.' A trusty and stomach-churning guide to the variants with the rage virus roaming the mainland.
ew.com
A stomach-churning guide to the infected variants in
You'll lose your head over the alphas.
By
Jessica Wang
Published on June 20, 2025 12:00PM EDT
Comments
An infected in '28 Years Later'.Credit:
Miya Mizuno/Columbia
A new generation of infected terrorize what little survivors remain in
28 Years Later, director
Danny Boyle and writer
Alex Garland's latest entry in the
28 Days Later franchise.
It's been 28 years since the rage virus — a virulent, bloodborne infection that sends its hosts into extreme, uncontrollable rage and states of undead decay — escaped a lab and decimated nearly all of the United Kingdom, now under rigid quarantine. Amongst the group of survivors are residents of a small island who are connected to the mainland by a heavily-guarded causeway, including the young tween Spike (remarkable newcomer Alfie Williams) and his parents, father Jamie (
Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and mother Isla (
Jodie Comer), the latter of whom is plagued by an undiagnosed illness that leaves her bedridden.
When Spike ventures into the mainland with his father for a rite of passage trek, he is met with the horrors — and wonders — of what life outside of the island holds, including new, mutated forms of the infected that will be foreign to fans of the original films, including
Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's 2007 entry
28 Weeks Later. Boyle and Garland introduce some terrifying new variants, amping up the horrors with help from special makeup effects supervisor John Nolan, makeup supervisor Flora Moody, and movement coach Toby Sedgwick.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Jamie and Alfie Williams as Spike in '28 Years Later'.
Miya Mizuno/Columbia
Paraphrasing
Jurassic Park, Boyle has said of the variants: "We wanted to show how they have evolved, because ‘nature always finds a way’ to evolve. It doesn’t stop, no matter how ugly, repellent, or even beautiful the process." He added, "We’ve accelerated the change because it’s been only 28 years since the initial infection, which in evolutionary terms is the blink of an eye. We compress it and force it forward. Different elements emerge out of the infected. There are even families within them, and groupings begin to form.”
Here's a breakdown of those variants and how they differ.
First-generation infected: Consider this group the OGs — the folks who were infected during the first waves of the virus nearly three decades ago. Think: the animal rights activists who broke into the primate research center. The first-gen roam the mainland naked because of the idea that their clothes disintegrated long ago, and their appearances are characterized by veins that protrude from their body in revolting knots.
Danny Boyle's '28 Years Later' is stylistic, creative, and daring
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Slow-Lows: It's all in the name: Slow-Lows are characterized by their slow movement while low to the ground, essentially crawling on all fours to get around. This notably stands in stark contrast to the other variants and the speed at which they can run. (Freakishly fast.) Slow-Lows are larger and more fleshy than otherwise skeletal first-generation infected. The wetness of their bodies helps achieve that slug-like look. They're also seen feasting on the leftovers of other infected.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Jamie and Alfie Williams as Spike in '28 Years Later'.
Miya Mizuno/Sony Pictures Entertainment
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Alphas: The most fearsome and brutal of all, consider alphas as infected on steroids. MMA fighter and actor
Chi Lewis-Parry, standing at a formidable 6'9", portrays Samson, the alpha of the group of Alphas, a group of towering figures who could rip the head and spine from humans just as easily as one could rip petals from a tulip. While, for humans, the purpose of the spine is to serve as the support structure for the body, Alphas, ever so resourceful, utilize them as weapons that could be wielded as whips. Isn't that a lovely image?
28 Years Later is in theaters now.
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