28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

What’s it about?

Spike unwillingly joins ‘The Jimmys’ - a cult-like group who travel the country torturing and killing other survivors of ‘the infected’. Meanwhile, Dr Kelson experiments using drugs to cure an infected Alpha.

The facts 

• Directed by Nia DaCosta (Candyman)
• English language 
• Runtime: 109 minutes
• The fourth film in the 28 Days Later zombie-horror franchise.

Why did it get this rating? 

This film was classified by Te Mana Whakaatu, Classification Office. You can find out more about classification process and ratings here.

Graphic violence

The violence is cruel and visually detailed. There is a focus on pain and suffering to evoke empathy rather than glorify the violence.

Examples of the strongest violence include:

• An infected character rips the head and spine off a person and is then shown pulling apart their skull and eating the brains.
• A group of people are tied up by their wrists and gagged. Several of them have skin ripped from their torsos.
• During a fight, a person cuts another person, the blade piercing the skin and slowly cutting their arm.
• An infected character kills many other infected people by smashing them against walls, ripping and biting their limbs off which results in large amounts of blood.
• A character is stabbed in the leg. We see blood spurt dramatically from the wound.

Cruelty

The Jimmys cult inflict random acts of cruelty for pleasure, usually subjecting their victims to long periods of pain and suffering before killing them. Their attitudes are portrayed negatively and not all the Jimmys want to participate but do so out of fear.

Extreme cruelty is presented as justified in one scene where the villain is crucified upside down with large nails through their wrists.

Horror

The film is in the style of a post-apocalyptic horror featuring zombies called “the infected.” The infected roam the country attacking people. They have red eyes, grotesque skin with protruding veins and prominent scarring. Unlike earlier films in the series, they are not a major plot point in this film, but remain a constant threat.

Drug use

Morphine is used to make an infected character calmer and used recreationally by an uninfected character.

Despite the drug being used in a fantastical situation, the drug’s effects are presented as appealing.

Nudity

There is non-sexual male and female nudity.

Offensive language

Offensive language used includes: ‘c*nt’, ‘f**k’, motherf**ker’, ‘prick’, ‘shite’, ‘sht’ and ‘b*tch’. It is used casually, as insults, in aggression, and as an intensifier.

Youth Advisory Panel comments

Two members of the Youth Advisory Panel attended the screening with Te Mana Whakaatu staff. They commented that the effect of violence was mildly increased when it was done by a human to a human rather than by an infected to a human, but the effect of the cruelty was much stronger when done by a human. They said the most impactful moments were:

• The skinning of the victims and the skin dropping to the floor.
• The infected removing someone’s head and spine and eating the brain.

They also said the drug use could come across as promotional, and was unexpected.

When content stays with you: 

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.  

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information 

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• 28 Days Later | Age Rating and Content Warning | Classification Office - Content Breakdown
• 28 Weeks Later | Age Rating and Content Warning | Classification Office - Content Breakdown
• 28 Years Later | Age Rating and Content Warning | Classification Office - Content Breakdown