Interviews
How the Rage Virus Has Evolved ’28 Years Later’ with New Mutations [Interview]
It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory in the new trilogy-starter 28 Years Later, and the infected have evolved since director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland teamed on 28 Days Later.
That presents a whole new set of obstacles and intense situations when young Spike (Alfie Williams) leaves the safety of his community and embarks on a dangerous mission. Especially considering that the infected are still human.
Despite sharing common ground, the rage virus is grounded more in reality and doesn’t transform its infected into zombies, no matter how ravenous or violent they can be.
Screenwriter Alex Garland broke down his approach to evolving the infected for 28 Days Later in a recent chat. He tells Bloody Disgusting, “I think it was the product of conversation, and essentially, it went like this: if infected are still around, how are they still around? And actually, what happens is things just get enforced by that. They’re not really inventions; they’re just logical progressions. The infected are not supernatural. They’re not reanimated dead people. They’re actually just people who are sick, but that’s all they are.”
An infected with the barcam on the set of Columbia Pictures’ 28 YEARS LATER. Photo Credit: Sony Pictures/Miya Mizuno
Garland continues, “So they need to eat, they need to drink. If they’re going to eat, how are they going to eat? If it’s protein, they’re going to hunt. Then you look at the animal kingdom, and you see the way, say, dogs or wolves can hunt in packs or various kinds of essentially pack-like animals, which humans absolutely are. So they hunt in packs, and then you get alphas, which traditionally come out of a pack, some kind of dominant figure within it. But then also, would all humans do that? Well, maybe not. Some of them might not be very suited to hunting in a pack. There are other forms of protein. You can get it through earthworms or beetles that actually can provide quite a lot of protein and nutrients and so on. They would move more slowly.”
Food and food sourcing is a crucial part of the equation, but Garland took it even further. “Then, after that, the question of sex arrives,” Garland continues. “In a way, how human are they or how animal are they? Which is the same thing in some respects. To throw that into relief, you have a character played by Ralph Fiennes, who is clearly not really distinguishing between infected and non-infected people. He’s seeing them as a compassionate, rational doctor would see them, where you don’t really divide sick people and non-sick people. They’re just people in different states, and they need to be memorialized or thought about, or cared about in the same way.
“But really, all of those tree branches come back to the same thing, which is the infected are not supernatural, and if they’re still alive, how are they still alive?“
Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) and Isla (Jodie Comer) in Columbia Pictures’ 28 YEARS LATER. Photo Credit: Sony Pictures/Miya Mizuno
28 Years Later star Jodie Comer (Alone in the Dark), who plays Spike’s mother, Isla, provided additional insight on what to expect on how the mutations have affected the infected and how the practical effects helped the actors’ performances. Comer explains, “[They] were inspired by mythology. There are certain aspects of these mutations that are representative of different species, and it was amazing to see the actors embody that, by the way.
“A lot of these actors were spending six hours in hair and makeup every morning and then coming to set and just taking on these forms, which made it so much easier for us because there was no green screen. It was all very real for us, which was very helpful.”
28 Years Later brings the rage virus back to theaters on June 20, 2025.
Interviews
The Work ‘Grind’ Is Hell, So Brea Grant & Ed Dougherty Made a Horror Anthology About It [CFF 2026 Interview]
Genre fans rejoice! Chattanooga Film Festival is back for its 13th year in 2026 with a killer lineup and once again offering audiences both in-person and virtual options. After having its World Premiere at SXSW this spring, the horror comedy anthology Grind is playing CFF 2026 opening weekend.
From a screenplay by Brea Grant (Torn Hearts, 12 Hour Shift) and Ed Dougherty (MLM) and segments directed by Grant, Dougherty, and Chelsea Stardust (Satanic Panic), Grind features four interwoven stories that parody the gig economy, hustle culture, and the evils of late-stage capitalism.
The anthology follows weary everyday people juggling side hustles just to survive, while going up against greedy oligarchs, and cleverly uses dark humor and bloody practical effects to portray a world much like our current economic nightmare.
Bloody Disgusting had the pleasure of chatting with Brea Grant and Ed Dougherty about the socioeconomic commentary in Grind, casting Barbara Crampton as a villain, and DIY filmmaking.
Bloody Disgusting: Every segment in this anthology feels relatable because people are actually struggling to survive in the gig economy right now. How did the two of you come up with the idea of creating Grind?
Brea Grant: Like you said, we were trying to come up with a cool idea that seemed relevant right now. The thing that everyone we know is talking about is the economy, the lack of work, and the nightmare hellscape that is late-stage capitalism. It felt like the right time to write something that really featured that as the main horror. As the main thing that people were scared of, this world sort of came to us over the course of a couple of years.
Ed Dougherty: We wanted to make a hit film, and we said, “Let’s make a horror anthology, that’s the most marketable thing there is.” [laughs]
BG: [laughs] Definitely not!
BD: I love anthologies!
ED: We do, too. We feel like it’s kind of an undervalued form of horror film, but it’s a hard sell.
BG: People told us not to make it. They said, “Don’t make an anthology. It’s too hard to sell.” But we did it anyway.
BD: I guess I’m just one of those weirdos who likes anthologies and watches them all.
ED: We believe that there are a lot of weirdos like you out there. It seems like every good horror anthology has a long life, but it’s just getting over the initial hump that’s difficult.
BD: Chelsea Stardust directed some of the segments with the two of you and serves as a producer. How did she first get involved with this project?
BG: The project has a long history. We shot the first segment, which is about multi-level marketing, a couple of years ago. We had decided we wanted to make a full anthology, but it took us about a year after shooting that initial segment to shoot the rest of the movie. When we did that, we knew we needed to bring on a producer aside from Ed and me, since we were directing the bulk of the movie, so that was how she came on board. I’ve been friends with her for a long time, and the one thing I know about her as a friend is that she is very organized, so it felt like a good fit. I just called her one day and said, “Would you want to produce these three segments that we have left to shoot of Grind?” and she came on board.
BD: There are some fun cameos in Grind, but we have to talk about Barbara Crampton. She’s so good as a villainess. Why did you want her for this role, and what was it like working with her on this film?
BG: She’s in her villain era, which is so fun. [laughs] Obviously, we’re huge Barbara Crampton fans, and when we were making MLM, it was a smaller part of the movie that we knew we needed to call on people who could do a good job but were also friendly to us [laughs]. I’m friends with Barbara Crampton, and we’ve done three movies together before this. So, it felt like someone within our reach, but could also really draw a horror crowd. She has a huge fanbase, and she’s also super supportive of all the projects that she’s been in, so that was also really exciting. She’s a great actress, and she’s super funny. I think a lot of these horror actresses, especially those who came up in the eighties and nineties, weren’t given an opportunity to be funny. I think she was ready to jump on an opportunity that was different than what she was used to; it’s not running around and screaming. She is a cult leader, and she is quite funny in it. She just takes the comedy so well and seriously, and she does such an amazing job with it. She has a scene across from Rob Huebel, who is obviously a comedy master, and I feel like the two of them together were hilarious. It’s been fun to watch Barbara go from these iconic roles to a different kind of role at this point in her career. We’re super happy to be a part of that.
ED: And she loves the movie and has been so supportive. Every time she posts about it, I’m like, “I can’t believe this. This is amazing.”
BD: This is an accurate parody of the current socioeconomic situation in this country, as well as our obsession with online culture. It repeatedly asks the question, “What are you willing to do to make money,” in a world with wealth inequality and evil oligarchs. It’s fun, and it’s a horror movie, but it’s thought-provoking. What do you hope audiences take away from Grind, besides having a good time?
ED: I read every review and every Letterboxd review; Brea does not. So, I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen some reviews that say, “Good movie but doesn’t propose a solution.” I think we do propose a solution, which is that the power of unions and organizing is the only way that we will be able to fight back against oligarchs. I do think that is the message of the film. Organizing is the only way to defeat these villains. I do think we have a lot to say in the film. I’d want someone to say, “Man, I’ve never seen a horror anthology that had a political message before.” [laughs]
BG: I think the other thing is that what is currently happening is that we live in a world in which people kind of feel alone in this. They’re like, “Well, I’m doing bad, “or “I’m having trouble paying my rent.” We wanted to hang a lantern on the fact that this is happening to everyone, that wealth disparity is at an all-time high. We’re pointing out to people that you aren’t in this alone; you’re not the only person doing side hustles. Every filmmaker friend I have is working a side job of some sort at this point, and that is just in Los Angeles. Outside of this city, I think things are more dire. I think it was about infusing some politics into something that could make people realize that they aren’t alone and that there are ways of fighting back and fighting the system that has been set up against them.
ED: I think the tone of the movie, which is darkly comedic, also really matches the tone of life right now. Everything seems almost at a parody level as far as the disconnect between oligarchs and trying to make a living and reality. The absurdist nature of the film kind of captures the real tone of life.
BD: There are some cool creature effects and makeup effects in this movie. Can you talk a little bit about the practical effects and makeup?
ED: I think especially because of the message of the film, which is pushing back against the current hellscape we’re in, we wanted to use as many practical effects as possible. We used matte paintings, miniatures, and practical creature effects. I’m always afraid of the matte painting because we used the old school matte painter, but they do look a little AI. I heard someone make a noise behind me during one of the shots, and I was like, “I hope that noise wasn’t them using AI because that’s a matte painting.” [laughs] There’s also the fact that it’s pretty DIY. It’s a film that we financed ourselves and shot in our houses as much as possible. We wanted the whole thing to feel handmade and very tactile.
BG: We’re old school horror fans, so we love seeing practical effects. The practical stuff is really fun for us. It’s the stuff that we think is actually cool. [laughs] So, practical stuff made the most sense for us. We both grew up in the punk scene in the nineties, and I think it just kind of comes naturally to us to try to do things ourselves. And we both work on projects for big companies, with smaller companies, but always for other people, so trying to do something ourselves to see what that felt like was also part of the experiment of Grind.
ED: This was our chance to do everything we wanted our way.
Grind screens at the Chattanooga Film Festival on June 20.
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