ON THIS DAY IN HORROR - November 1st
"28 DAYS LATER..." premiered in London in 2002
"28 DAYS LATER..." premiered in London in 2002
Don't miss out on future blogs, trailers, and clips IHdb has coming up
by Following IHdb's Facebook page above
by Following IHdb's Facebook page above
In Cambridge, three animal liberation activists break into a medical research laboratory. A scientist in the lab desperately warns them against releasing the captive chimpanzees, which are infected with a highly contagious rage-inducing virus. Ignoring his pleas, the activists release a chimp, which infects a female activist. She then attacks and infects everyone else present.
28 days later, in London, Jim (Cillian Murphy), a bicycle courier, awakens from a coma in St Thomas' Hospital. He finds the entire hospital deserted. He wanders the streets of London, finding it deserted as well, with signs of catastrophe everywhere. Jim enters a church and finds a priest, who turns out to be infected. Jim flees, attracting attention of more infected, but Selena (Naomie Harris) and Mark (Noah Huntley) rescue him. At one of their safehouses, they explain to Jim that while he was in a coma, a virus spread among the populace, resulting in societal collapse. The next day, Selena and Mark accompany Jim to his parents' house in Deptford, where he discovers they committed suicide in bed together. That night, the three are attacked by more infected. Mark is bitten, and Selena viciously kills him. She curtly explains that the virus spreads through blood and saliva and overwhelms its victims in 10 to 20 seconds. Later, the two see some blinking Christmas lights from Balfron Tower, where they discover two more survivors – cab driver Frank (Brendan Gleeson) and his daughter Hannah (Megan Burns) – who allow them to take shelter. The next day, Frank informs them that their supplies – particularly water – are dwindling. He plays them a pre-recorded radio broadcast from a military blockade near Manchester, claiming they have "the answer to infection" and promises to protect any survivors who reach them.
The group board Frank's cab and head to Manchester, bonding with one another throughout the trip. At the deserted blockade, Frank is infected when a drop of blood falls into his eye. He is killed by the arriving soldiers, who take the remaining survivors to a fortified mansion under the command of Major Henry West (Christopher Eccleston). West reveals to Jim that his "answer to infection" entails waiting for the infected to starve to death and luring female survivors into sexual slavery, to repopulate the world. The group attempts to flee, but Jim is captured and chained next to Sergeant Farrell (Stuart McQuarrie), a dissenting soldier. The next day, while being led away by two soldiers to be executed, Jim escapes and lures West and another soldier to the blockade, where Jim kills the latter and leaves West stranded for arriving infected. With time running out, Jim races back to the mansion to save Selena and Hannah from the remaining soldiers, before the horde of infected arrive and overrun the entire estate!
28 days later, in London, Jim (Cillian Murphy), a bicycle courier, awakens from a coma in St Thomas' Hospital. He finds the entire hospital deserted. He wanders the streets of London, finding it deserted as well, with signs of catastrophe everywhere. Jim enters a church and finds a priest, who turns out to be infected. Jim flees, attracting attention of more infected, but Selena (Naomie Harris) and Mark (Noah Huntley) rescue him. At one of their safehouses, they explain to Jim that while he was in a coma, a virus spread among the populace, resulting in societal collapse. The next day, Selena and Mark accompany Jim to his parents' house in Deptford, where he discovers they committed suicide in bed together. That night, the three are attacked by more infected. Mark is bitten, and Selena viciously kills him. She curtly explains that the virus spreads through blood and saliva and overwhelms its victims in 10 to 20 seconds. Later, the two see some blinking Christmas lights from Balfron Tower, where they discover two more survivors – cab driver Frank (Brendan Gleeson) and his daughter Hannah (Megan Burns) – who allow them to take shelter. The next day, Frank informs them that their supplies – particularly water – are dwindling. He plays them a pre-recorded radio broadcast from a military blockade near Manchester, claiming they have "the answer to infection" and promises to protect any survivors who reach them.
The group board Frank's cab and head to Manchester, bonding with one another throughout the trip. At the deserted blockade, Frank is infected when a drop of blood falls into his eye. He is killed by the arriving soldiers, who take the remaining survivors to a fortified mansion under the command of Major Henry West (Christopher Eccleston). West reveals to Jim that his "answer to infection" entails waiting for the infected to starve to death and luring female survivors into sexual slavery, to repopulate the world. The group attempts to flee, but Jim is captured and chained next to Sergeant Farrell (Stuart McQuarrie), a dissenting soldier. The next day, while being led away by two soldiers to be executed, Jim escapes and lures West and another soldier to the blockade, where Jim kills the latter and leaves West stranded for arriving infected. With time running out, Jim races back to the mansion to save Selena and Hannah from the remaining soldiers, before the horde of infected arrive and overrun the entire estate!
[Jim enters a dark abandoned church when he sees writing on the wall]
Writing on a Wall: 'Repent, The End Is Extremely Fucking Nigh'
Top: An infected monkey "rescued" by a group of activists starts the spread of the Rage virus;
Above: Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes from a coma and wonders the deserted streets of London
After director Danny Boyle and producer Andrew Macdonald filmed an adaptation of Alex Garland's novel The Beach, Garland approached Macdonald about his concept for 28 Days Later. Garland explained, "I said to him that I had an idea for a movie about running zombies. I wrote it and sent it to him and the two of us went backwards and forwards with it for a few drafts... At the point I was working on 28 Days Later I had a lot of zombie movies as well as video games like Resident Evil turning round in my head."
Both Garland and Boyle felt that the notion of the living dead wanting to eat peoples' brains was outdated and one of the original factors behind zombie movies was a fear of nuclear power and its possible effects on people. Garland and Boyle concluded that one of the biggest fears in modern society is fear of disease, especially a viral apocalypse, such as Ebola or Marburg. Garland and Boyle were specifically inspired by such incidents as anthrax and bio-terrorism scares in London and the spread of mad cow disease and foot-and-mouth disease in the UK. The 'design' for the symptoms of Rage was based on Ebola, which is communicable in all primates (including humans), and is transmitted through the blood. Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever which leads to a rash, red eyes and both internal and external bleeding. Indeed, in 28 Days Later: The Aftermath (a graphic novel set between 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later (2007), it is explained that the Ebola virus was being used by the scientists as a carrier for the inhibitor which mutated into Rage.
Another aspect of rendering the zombie movie more contemporary was the idea that the virus didn't necessarily affect people physically (it doesn't kill them as in traditional zombie movies), but psychologically. Both Alex Garland and Danny Boyle felt that the idea that the virus renders people zombie-like due to uncontrollable rage was a good metaphor for the contemporary phenomenon of social rage (such as road rage, air rage, hospital rage etc). They liked the idea that the virus simply amplifies something already in each and every man and woman, rather than turning them into something entirely Other, as is the traditional route in zombie movies. Some argue that the story draws heavily from and even follows the basic story-line of The Day of the Triffids; for example the main protagonist escaping the disaster by being incapacitated in hospital, a deserted Britain, a group of people leaving London for a better place and even the 'escape from the soldiers gone bad' scenario towards the end.
Both Garland and Boyle felt that the notion of the living dead wanting to eat peoples' brains was outdated and one of the original factors behind zombie movies was a fear of nuclear power and its possible effects on people. Garland and Boyle concluded that one of the biggest fears in modern society is fear of disease, especially a viral apocalypse, such as Ebola or Marburg. Garland and Boyle were specifically inspired by such incidents as anthrax and bio-terrorism scares in London and the spread of mad cow disease and foot-and-mouth disease in the UK. The 'design' for the symptoms of Rage was based on Ebola, which is communicable in all primates (including humans), and is transmitted through the blood. Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever which leads to a rash, red eyes and both internal and external bleeding. Indeed, in 28 Days Later: The Aftermath (a graphic novel set between 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later (2007), it is explained that the Ebola virus was being used by the scientists as a carrier for the inhibitor which mutated into Rage.
Another aspect of rendering the zombie movie more contemporary was the idea that the virus didn't necessarily affect people physically (it doesn't kill them as in traditional zombie movies), but psychologically. Both Alex Garland and Danny Boyle felt that the idea that the virus renders people zombie-like due to uncontrollable rage was a good metaphor for the contemporary phenomenon of social rage (such as road rage, air rage, hospital rage etc). They liked the idea that the virus simply amplifies something already in each and every man and woman, rather than turning them into something entirely Other, as is the traditional route in zombie movies. Some argue that the story draws heavily from and even follows the basic story-line of The Day of the Triffids; for example the main protagonist escaping the disaster by being incapacitated in hospital, a deserted Britain, a group of people leaving London for a better place and even the 'escape from the soldiers gone bad' scenario towards the end.
TRIVIA: The British made Hawker Hunter used in the film flew from Blackpool to the location in the lakes. It took the crew hours to make the same journey, but it took the pilot less than four minutes and cost £6,000 in fuel.
Top and Above: Jim eventually joins fellow survivors Selena (Naomie Harris), Frank (Brendan Gleeson) and his daughter Hannah (Megan Burns)
The decision to film on DV (using Canon XL1 cameras) was both an aesthetic and a logistic choice. Aesthetically, Boyle felt that the harshness of the DV imagery suited the post-apocalyptic urban landscape and the grittiness of the film in general. In the production notes, Boyle says "the general idea was to try and shoot as though we were survivors too." Logistically, producer Andrew Macdonald claims that shooting with standard cameras, especially some exterior scenes, would've been impossible. As MacDonald points out in the production notes, "The police and the local authorities were quite happy to assist us because we could set up scenes so quickly. We could literally be ready to shoot with a six-camera set-up within minutes - something we would not realistically have been able to do if shooting under the restrictions of 35mm which takes a good deal more time to set up a single shot."
Ewan McGregor was the original choice to play Jim, and when that didn't work out, the role was offered to Ryan Gosling, who had a scheduling conflict. Irish actor Cillian Murphy was eventually cast in the lead role, with Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Christopher Eccleston, and Megan Burns joining the production as Selena, cab driver Frank, Major Henry West, and Franks' daughter Hannah respectively.
Ewan McGregor was the original choice to play Jim, and when that didn't work out, the role was offered to Ryan Gosling, who had a scheduling conflict. Irish actor Cillian Murphy was eventually cast in the lead role, with Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Christopher Eccleston, and Megan Burns joining the production as Selena, cab driver Frank, Major Henry West, and Franks' daughter Hannah respectively.
[Jim asks Selena and Mark about the government]
Jim: What about the government?
Selena: There's no government.
Jim: Of course there's a government! There's always a government. They're in, a bunker or a plane.
Mark: No, there's no government. No police. No Army. No TV. No radio. No electricity. You're the first uninfected person we've seen in six days.
Top: Following a radio broadcast message promising "safety", the group encounters the insane Major Henry West (Christopher Eccleston);
Above: At the barricade, Frank is infected with the Rage virus
28 Days Later features empty, desolate scenes set in normally bustling parts of London such as Westminster Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, Horse Guards Parade and Oxford Street. For these scenes, police would close the roads at 4am, and filming would begin immediately. After 1 hour, the police would reopen the roads. The producers correctly predicted that asking drivers (including clubbers headed home) to either wait for up to an hour or find another route might make some of them angry. They got several extremely attractive young women (including Boyle's daughter) to make the necessary requests, and the drivers responded quite amicably to them. For the scenes on the motorway, the production got permission to shoot on the M1 on a Sunday morning between 7.00am and 9.00am. The police gradually slowed traffic in both directions. Using 10 cameras, the filmmakers managed to capture a total of one minute of usable footage. The crew filed all of the necessary papers to destroy the Canary Wharf petrol station, but the police were (unintentionally) not notified. When the explosives were detonated, police sent fire brigades (although one was already present). Boyle resolved the manner after several hours. The explosion cost £250,000 total.
The hospital in the film is a real day hospital, open only during the week. The trust managers of the hospital hire out the building to filmmakers for weekends, and the productions pay the hospital directly, meaning the money from filming goes directly to the hospital's trust fund. All of the mansion scenes were filmed at a mansion in Trafalgar Park near Salisbury, with upstairs rooms being filmed downstairs because the mansion's owner lives upstairs. When Jim jumps through the window in the roof, he is actually jumping through a hole in the corridor upstairs down to the ground floor. The scene when Major West reveals his plans for Hannah and Selena to Jim was written by Cillian Murphy, Christopher Eccleston and Alex Garland the night before it was shot. A different scene had been scripted and shot, but no one was happy with it, especially the two actors. The execution pit scene near the end was filmed outside a church off Witherington Road, connecting Salisbury to Downton. One of the props teams didn't pick up the fake bodies after filming. A local hairdresser from Downton saw them from the road, panicked, crashed her car, and phoned the police, who came to investigate and interrogate the crew.
The hospital in the film is a real day hospital, open only during the week. The trust managers of the hospital hire out the building to filmmakers for weekends, and the productions pay the hospital directly, meaning the money from filming goes directly to the hospital's trust fund. All of the mansion scenes were filmed at a mansion in Trafalgar Park near Salisbury, with upstairs rooms being filmed downstairs because the mansion's owner lives upstairs. When Jim jumps through the window in the roof, he is actually jumping through a hole in the corridor upstairs down to the ground floor. The scene when Major West reveals his plans for Hannah and Selena to Jim was written by Cillian Murphy, Christopher Eccleston and Alex Garland the night before it was shot. A different scene had been scripted and shot, but no one was happy with it, especially the two actors. The execution pit scene near the end was filmed outside a church off Witherington Road, connecting Salisbury to Downton. One of the props teams didn't pick up the fake bodies after filming. A local hairdresser from Downton saw them from the road, panicked, crashed her car, and phoned the police, who came to investigate and interrogate the crew.
TRIVIA: Stephen King is a huge fan of the movie, he bought out an entire showing of the film in New York City. King even paraphrases one of Selena's lines in his novel Doctor Sleep, "he needs us more than we need him".
Top: Betrayed by the soldiers, Jim vows to rescue Selene and Hannah;
Above: One of the soldiers has already been infected!
28 Days Later was a considerable success at the box office and became highly profitable on a budget of about £5 million, grossing £6.1 million in the UK and taking over $45 million in the US, despite a limited release at fewer than 1,500 screens across the country. Reviews for the film Critical were also very positive, with Kimberley Jones of the Austin Chronicle writing, "a highly topical updating of Night of the Living Dead, with all the shocks and shudders that lineage would suggest. There’s gore, all right, although the real terror lies in the tease, and the often dark, herky-jerky DV format ratchets up the tension to an almost unbearable degree". Critic kevin Keyes wrote,"28 Days Later isn't just one of the most effective movies of the year, but also one of the most unsettling and disturbing films of its genre: a true reminder of what being scared is all about."
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland took producing roles alongside Andrew Macdonald for the sequel, 28 Weeks Later (2007), starring Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Imogen Poots, Harold Perrineau, Catherine McCormack, Mackintosh Muggleton, and Idris Elba. To promote the sequel, Fox Atomic Comics, in association with HarperCollins, released a graphic novel bridging the time gap between 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, titled 28 Days Later: The Aftermath, written by 30 Days of Night creator Steve Niles. In July 2007, while promoting Sunshine, Boyle said he had a possible story for the next film. "There is an idea for the next one, something which would move the story on. I've got to think about it, whether it's right or not." And then on 14 January 2015, Garland stated: "We’ve just started talking about it seriously. We’ve got an idea. Danny [Boyle] and [producer] Andrew [Macdonald] and I have been having quite serious conversations about it so it is a possibility. It’s complicated. There’s a whole bunch of reasons why it’s complicated, which are boring so I won’t go into, but there’s a possibility," also adding: "It’s more likely to be 28 Months Later than 28 Years. 28 months gives you one more place to go," hinting at the possibility of a fourth film as well.
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland took producing roles alongside Andrew Macdonald for the sequel, 28 Weeks Later (2007), starring Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Imogen Poots, Harold Perrineau, Catherine McCormack, Mackintosh Muggleton, and Idris Elba. To promote the sequel, Fox Atomic Comics, in association with HarperCollins, released a graphic novel bridging the time gap between 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, titled 28 Days Later: The Aftermath, written by 30 Days of Night creator Steve Niles. In July 2007, while promoting Sunshine, Boyle said he had a possible story for the next film. "There is an idea for the next one, something which would move the story on. I've got to think about it, whether it's right or not." And then on 14 January 2015, Garland stated: "We’ve just started talking about it seriously. We’ve got an idea. Danny [Boyle] and [producer] Andrew [Macdonald] and I have been having quite serious conversations about it so it is a possibility. It’s complicated. There’s a whole bunch of reasons why it’s complicated, which are boring so I won’t go into, but there’s a possibility," also adding: "It’s more likely to be 28 Months Later than 28 Years. 28 months gives you one more place to go," hinting at the possibility of a fourth film as well.
ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE: 87%
____________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment