It’s so exciting to see Danny Boyle not only return to his 28 Days Later world with new ideas, but open it up like a playground of blood and guts for a new crop of filmmakers. While The Bone Temple continues where 28 Years Later left off, it’s a far different sequel directed by Nia DaCosta, even with Alex Garland once more writing the screenplay. Although DaCosta continues the story, she presents her own style that feels just as experimental, vicious, and wildly offbeat as the previous picture. Where other horror franchises settle, this one isn’t afraid to get grittier and giddier.

The underdog Spike (Alfie Williams) might be faring well against the infected monsters that roam the wilderness, but he’s met his match with a Satanic group led by the unhinged Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell). Forced to join a gang with the uniformity of blonde wigs, windbreakers, and the designation of Jimmy, Spike watches in horror as this violent group guts their way through the countryside. Fear of becoming infected takes a backseat to Satanists who can tie you up and skin your flesh, where even the more sympathetic member Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman) can’t offer much comfort from knife-wielding maniacs.

Also returning is the Doctor Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), the odd doctor continuing to care for his bone-based tribute to the dead. His days of tending to his towers of skulls and femurs are filled with isolation, the before-time becoming a distant memory with each day. But then an exciting development comes in the form of the towering Sampson (Chi Lewis-Parry), an infected who might have some humanity left in his blood-soaked body. With a companion to care for, there’s a surreal charm Ian takes towards this massive, naked man, sharing a dance with his new friend that is equal parts sweet and surreal.

There’s an unbound quality to Nia DaCosta’s film, which never settles on an easily decipherable allegory. Nostalgia comes into play early on as Ian delights in classic hits on vinyl, while Jimmy and his cohorts regale their hostages with Teletubbies stories and dances, but this element becomes more of a peppering than a key ingredient. I started to get worried when Ian and Jimmy finally meet and clash, with an atheist and a satanist bluntly squaring off, but the dialogue never devolves into a spiritual debate, even though Ralph Fiennes’s character seemed like he could handle it.

At some point in the film, I started viewing it less as a story building up a central thematic core and more like a smattering of clever ideas that are more pleasing for their momentum. The scenes of torture are absolutely vile in their detail, making Spike’s vomiting more than warranted for such grotesque sights. The strangeness of feeling something more for a hulking monster with bulging eyes and a massive phallus was mesmerizing, garnering sympathy towards a man who rips out spines for sport. And if you ever wanted to see Ralph Fiennes dress up like a goth and dance around fire while singing Iron Maiden, this film will make that very specific wish come true.

The Bone Temple breathes an even more unpredictable, nasty allure than one might expect from this 28 Years Later sequel. Although not as wild with camerawork and tone as Boyle’s previous film, DaCosta’s adds her own distinct style that feels more progressively playful than offbeatly erratic. It’s apparently the subject of debate that Boyle’s 28 series of movies are not zombie movies because of different rules, but I can safely say that these films don’t feel like typical and tired zombie movies. DaCosta ensured that this saga stays that way.

Not available on any streaming platforms.

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