Searching For- 28 Days Later In- -

It’s the image of Cillian Murphy’s character, Jim, walking through a deserted London. He stands at the base of a giant billboard that reads, “The End Is Extremely Fucking Nigh.” He shouts into the empty void of Oxford Street, begging for someone—anyone—to hear him. No one answers.

For the past week, I have been “searching for 28 Days Later .” Not literally, of course. I’m not looking for the Infected. But I’ve been chasing the ghost of that film. Here is what I found. Danny Boyle’s 2002 masterpiece did something no zombie film had done before. It traded the gothic Romero mall for the cold, digital reality of a depopulated Britain. To search for 28 Days Later is to look at your own hometown differently. Searching for- 28 days later in-

There’s a specific moment in 28 Days Later that has never left my mind. It’s not the rage-fueled zombies (or “Infected,” if we’re being technical). It’s the silence. It’s the image of Cillian Murphy’s character, Jim,