28 Years Later (2025): Growing Pains & Toxic Masculinty

8 Years Later is a wild, emotional ride exploring the complications of growing up in the midst of an apocalypse. Garland and Boyle return to the series, offering a vibrant and creative story where even amongst decades of death, the loss of a loved one still hits hard.

Ghouls are joined by fellow podcaster, Erick Barragan of Cinepamina to discuss the highs, lows and very many choices made in this film.

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Media from this week's episode:

28 Years Later (2025): A group of survivors of the rage virus live on a small island. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors.

Directed by: Danny Boyle, Written by: Alex Garland

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Loss of Innocence and the Theft of Childhood

by Kat Kushin

RED: Quotes, someone else's words.

In 28 Years Later, we are given characters who have had their childhood’s stolen. Our first example is Jimmy, a young boy who has had part of his childhood unburdened by zombies, but is then forced to watch as his world is quickly destroyed in front of him. Unlike the other movies, this is our first time getting to see the first hours of the zombie outbreak, where people do not know of the dangers and the uncertainty results in many being turned. As the outbreak begins we see Jimmy and his many siblings be sequestered to a room, watching the Teletubbies as the parents try to figure out what is happening outside. Within minutes we see blood spray across the 90s style TV and the teletubbies on screen, showcasing the main theme of the film, how violence robs us of our childhoods. 

The impact of violence is shown in all the characters of the film. We have Spike, scared of the violence of zombies, and scared of killing them, but trapped by the right of passage his father takes him on. Jimmy, still somewhat of a mystery, but seeming to thrive in the violence, approaching it from a childlike immaturity. Spike’s father views violence much like the town does, a sign of manhood, and a necessary part of surviving this world. And then Spike’s mom, who will use violence to protect her child, but wants him to remain that, a child, soft and kind. The doctor views the violence of the infected as a doctor would, as an illness that he cannot treat. He respects the bodies of the dead and victims of violence by burning them and building a shrine to honor them. Throughout the film we also see masculinity represented, both the toxic and healthy versions of it. Spike, the doctor, and the grandfather being the healthy manifestations of masculinity, and Spike’s father, the town, and the soldiers representing the toxic manifestations of it. 

What really stands out for me about 28 Years Later is this contrast. The extremes between high empathy, and low empathy and how that is represented in the characters. The ways they care for each other and harm each other. It will be interesting to see how these characters develop in future films, and we’re optimistic that Nia DaCosta will deliver something unique to the series.