28 Days Later

TRAINSPOTTING director Danny Boyle returns to edgy form and reinvents the science-fiction/horror genre with this apocalyptic tale of viral infection and Darwinian survival. A fatal virus is unleashed on the British public following the liberation of infected chimps from a research laboratory by animal rights activists. The virus can be transmitted in one drop of blood and manifests itself within seconds, infecting its victims with a zombie-like state of murderous rage. Within 28 days the country's population is devastated, and the streets of London and Manchester are apocalyptically deserted save for a handful of healthy survivors who attempt to salvage what is left of civilization. Led by a bike messenger called Jim (Cillian Murphy), the survivors must contend with not only the hordes of plague-carrying zombies, but also with each other, as they manouevre toward a supposedly better future. Shooting on digital video and making excellent use of the bleak English landscapes, Boyle crafts a tale of societal and spiritual devastation reminiscent of horror classics like NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and SHIVERS.