Danny Boyle directs horror movie 28 Years Later with the fervent energy of a newcomer and the steady hand of an old master. He uses every trick in the book (and plenty not in the book, like shooting many scenes with iPhones), which makes virtually every moment of the film impossible to predict. You truly never know where 28 Years Later is going to go, and it’s that kind of experimental nature that makes its bonkers opening scene so chilling.
The movie, about a “rage virus” that took over the world, begins with what seems like a peaceful sight: a group of young children gathering together to watch the Teletubbies. You know, those goofy little (certainly homosexual) dudes who have television screens on their bellies, speak gibberish, and love custard.
Reality soon sets in: The kids aren’t in a bedroom watching Teletubbies by choice. They’ve been put there by their parents, who’ve been infected with the rage virus. Boyle’s camera closes in on the children’s faces, and you can see their fear, tears streaming down their faces as the panicked voices downstairs tell them not to come out of the room, no matter what. The handheld lens zooms further into their petrified expressions as the virus takes control of the adults, shaking as the violence begins downstairs.
The kids try to distract themselves with the Teletubbies, who are frolicking in a sunny green field. Many audience members watching 28 Years Later will recognize the tubby characters as key parts of their childhood, or a part of their own kids’ upbringing. There’s an immediate sense of calm that a children’s show represents, and the feelings of peace and comfort they conjure. It’s nostalgia at its purest, a gateway back to those cozy feelings you had as a child.
Teletubbies is a safe space, and contrasting this with furious zombies lurking below makes for deeply distressing viewing. It’s a group of kids watching the freaking Teletubbies! Surely the children will be spared.
Not so. Boyle eviscerates the comforting glow of nostalgia right in front of our eyes. As the children try to forget the horror happening all around them, the bedroom door is smashed open by one of the parents who has turned into a zombie.
There is plenty of screaming and crying, but it’s no use, as the zombie begins to feast. Mercifully, Boyle spares us from being confronted with the visual atrocity of a child being killed. Instead, our attention is turned back to the Teletubbies, still giggling, full of hope as they strut along the green hills.
A sense of unlimited joy emanates from the screen. But that joy is impossible to feel in 28 Years Later, as you can hear the sounds of children being consumed by the zombies. The film instantly establishes itself as brutal and unsparing; when it comes to these rage-infested people, nobody is safe.
Underneath the sounds of bones crunching and blood spurting, you can still hear the dulcet tones of the Teletubbies.
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