‘28 Years Later’ Showcases the North East

National World - LocalTV

Nearly 23 years after 28 Days Later redefined British horror cinema, director Danny Boyle returns with 28 Years Later, the long-awaited third chapter in the iconic series. But this time, the spotlight isn’t just on the infected, it’s on the North East of England, where much of the new film is set and shot.

Transcript

00:00Nearly 23 years after 28 days later they'll define the British horror cinema.

00:05Director Danny Boyle returns with 28 years later, the long-awaited third chapter in the iconic series.

00:11But this time the spotlight isn't just on the infected, it's on the north-east of England,

00:16where much of the new film is set and shot.

00:19Boyle has chosen to root the story in the haunting beauty of Northumberland's coastline,

00:23particularly Holy Island, a place he describes as captivating in a perfect metaphor

00:28for isolation and rebirth.

00:32With its vast open spaces and shifting tides, the island's tidal causeway offered an eerie and dramatic backdrop

00:38that aligns perfectly with the film's post-apocalyptic themes.

00:43For Boyle, the north-east wasn't just a setting, it was a central character.

00:48He's spoken openly about being drawn to the region's raw cinematic beauty,

00:51calling it one of the few places in the UK that still feels truly untouched by time.

00:56In his words, the landscape here looks exactly as they did a thousand years ago.

01:02And that timeless quality plays a vital role in the film's world-building,

01:06set nearly three decades after the rage virus outbreak first consumed Britain.

01:11The sense of abandonment or nature reclaiming the world is visually powerful

01:15and Boyle used to north-east dramatic terrain to bring that vision to life

01:19in a way that no soundstage could replicate.

01:21But the film's ties for the region go far beyond its scenery.

01:26It also celebrates local talent.

01:28Alfie Williams, a 12-year-old from Gateshead, plays Spike, the story's central figure,

01:33a boy raised in isolation on Holy Island, coming of age in a world still scarred by the virus.

01:40Boyle has described Williams as the emotional heart of the movie.

01:43He's joined by fellow north-east actors Harriet Taylor, just 10 years old from Durham,

01:48and 19-year-old Hayley Walters from Newcastle,

01:52both of whom make their feature films debuts in roles that add a local authenticity to the cast.

01:59This regional identity is also preserved in the film's language.

02:03Boyle admitted he was initially nervous about how international audiences,

02:07particularly in the US, would respond to strong Geordie accents.

02:12But to his surprise, test screenings showed viewers connected even more deeply.

02:1728 years later, picks up in a Britain that's still fractured and fenced off.

02:21The story follows Spike as he sets off from Holy Island into the mainland,

02:26a land still under quarantine and crawling with new threats,

02:29from infected survivors to isolated communities,

02:32who've created their own twisted versions of order.

02:35It's a darker, more psychological chapter,

02:38one that builds on the legacy of 28 days and 28 weeks,

02:42while offering something bold and contemporary.

02:45A story that echoes post-Brexit tension,

02:48pandemic recovery, and the harsh cost of survival.

02:52But what do northerners actually think of the film

02:55and the world-building of the north-east?

02:57Do locals love or love the idea?

02:59Do locals love or love the idea?

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