Sequel reveals how the Infected see the world and a partial treatment for Rage

Collider reports that 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple depicts, for the first time in the franchise, how the Infected perceive their surroundings and follows Dr. Ian Kelson as he develops a treatment that briefly restores an Alpha Infected named Samson's human awareness.

The film explains the Infected are not undead but living humans driven to feral violence by the Rage virus. Samson’s perspective and Kelson’s observations suggest the virus induces a psychosis that makes Infected hallucinate non-Infected humans as threats and fills their minds with constant noise and buzzing. Kelson finds that morphine tranquilizer darts mute that noise, and from that insight devises a medicinal approach that calms Samson and allows him to recall childhood memories.

Kelson’s breakthrough does not cure the virus’s cellular effects, and his treatment is lost when he is mortally wounded during a confrontation with Jimmy Crystal’s cult; Samson survives and briefly recognizes Kelson. It remains unclear why Infected do not attack each other, whether Samson represents an evolutionary stage, and whether the next planned 28 Years Later installment will explore these questions. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now playing in theaters (release date January 16, 2026).

Key Topics

Culture, Rage Virus, Ian Kelson, Samson, Alpha Infected, Jimmy Crystal