Today I went back to look at one of my favorite international horror flicks, before I will come to an end on my last pick for Halloween. I’m looking back at Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, from 2002.

28 Days Later focuses on a British guy who wakes up from a coma and discovers the entire population in the UK is deserted due to a contagious virus that turns people into flesh-eating zombies. Soon, he meets up with 3 other survivors as they all look for food and shelter while avoiding these horrific monsters.

This film has been around for a decade and a half. I remember seeing the poster to it as a little boy while my dad and I was going to see Ang Lee’s Hulk back when the film arrived to America in the summer of 2003. And it creeped me out because of how the poster was designed with the eyes above from the left and right. So I didn’t know what to think of what kinda horror flick it could’ve been. Fast forward to my summer days after I graduated from high school, I remember going through my uncle’s old room where he left all of these old VHS tapes of really good movies at my grandparents’s house. I was looking for something good to watch, and I came across 28 Days Later sitting in his old shelf. So I was like, “Alright, I’ll watch it.” So 2 hours later, I thought, “Dear God, this film was a modern classic!” I loved this film! It became one of my favorites from the 2000 era! It’s not just one of my favorite horror flicks, it’s also a drama with a political backstory.

The cast was awesome! You got Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, and Brendan Gleeson. They aren’t ridiculously abnormal characters who make stupid decisions and do nothing but scream all the time. The characters are very interesting. When we met these people, they’re in for a purpose of survival, help each other, while kick some zombie ass! The cast might be small, but it really makes 28 Days Later an interesting and compelling film.

Alex Garland was a genius for turning the script into something while being inspired by George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead and the video game Resident Evil. Danny Boyle turned 28 Days Later into something like a documentary with it’s digital camera, but without the film being a found footage style with crappy camerawork. The atmosphere they both created is really horrific, but absolutely fantastic. Especially with the beginning where the entire city of London being totally empty!

Even though I’m not a fan of Danny Boyle, I do like some of his films like Trainspotting, 127 Hours, and Steve Jobs. I probably have to say as of what’s my favorite film from him, it’ll be 28 Days Later. Some of you might say your favorite film of his is Slumdog Millionaire or Trainspotting. As I come to a close, tomorrow is Halloween, and I will reveal my last pick for my all time favorite horror film.

I’m giving 28 Days Later 4.5 stars!