By and large, is a far more light-hearted film compared to its predecessor, . It primarily serves as a casual, character-driven story centered on the kind Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) and the Alpha Infected he’s named “Samson” (Chi Lewis-Parry). However, one particular scene pushes The Bone Temple into a level of brutality unmatched by any other film in the 28 Days franchise. This sequence challenges the R-rating of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and briefly veers the movie into splatter territory. Notably, this is the only scene without any Infected characters.
Director Nia DaCosta was acutely aware that this sequence had the potential to either elevate or damage the film — and more likely unsettle its viewers. She approached the level of gruesomeness with caution, though she admits it was “difficult.”
Warning! Spoilers ahead for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
“Shirts Off”
In the latter part of The Bone Temple, Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) and his “Fingers” invade a farm and take the family residing there hostage. After taunting them emotionally, they herd the hostages into a barn and bind them. It is here that Sir Lord Jimmy issues the chilling command: “Take their shirts off.”
Over the next several hours, the Fingers proceed to skin the hostages, using either their bare hands, knives, or blunt tools. This harrowing, gory sequence displays some of the violence on camera but occasionally cuts away from the bloodshed to show Spike (Alfie Williams) running outside to vomit, with only the victims’ screams indicating the horrors unfolding inside. However, it reveals just enough gore to induce nausea — a balance DaCosta notes she was meticulous about maintaining.
“That sequence required careful consideration because the focus is on the brutality and the appalling choices being made,” DaCosta tells Inverse. “Since there’s so much beauty in Kelson and Samson’s narrative, we needed to counterbalance it with equal brutality. I believe the core idea is highlighting how difficult it is to cling to hope when the world is so cruel.”
But even in the script (written by Alex Garland), DaCosta says the scene was hard to process. “People reacted with, ‘Wow.’ Because it involves people being skinned. It’s distinct from shooting, stabbing, or even beheading someone. Skinning is a form of torture.”
Yet, this is why finding the right balance was crucial for DaCosta — a lesson she drew from making her 2021 horror film Candyman. “With skinning, you can pull back entirely, but the mere concept of what’s occurring and glimpsing it in the background can be profoundly impactful,” she states. “We had to continuously adjust, edit, and determine, ‘We want this moment to hit hard, but we must avoid glorifying the violence.’”
This is why she portrayed the skinning taking a toll even on the Fingers, who are administering the punishment. “The shot is so repulsive, but after the skin hits the floor, you see Jimmy Jones [played by Maura Bird] in another area, tapping their head, and another member visibly affected,” DaCosta says. “It makes you realize, ‘This isn’t natural to them; they’ve sacrificed their humanity to feel secure within this cult they belong to.’”
“That’s the balance I strived to achieve, but it’s challenging. Extremely challenging,” she adds.
The Jimmy Savile Of It All
Alongside the imagery of skin flopping to the ground and exposed innards, there are depictions of children wearing tracksuits and shabby blonde wigs — outfits that mirror the iconic style of , a once-beloved children’s TV personality later revealed to be an abuser after his 2011 death. However, in the 28 Years Later universe, time halted in 2002, and this irony is lost on Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal and his followers (all of whom share the name Jimmy in his cult).
Savile’s scandal was widely publicized in the U.K. but less so in the U.S. DaCosta acknowledges that, as an American, it might have seemed odd for her to direct a film so deeply rooted in the “Jimmys” narrative. However, having spent parts of her childhood in the U.K., she describes her perspective as “unique” and valuable.
“I was living in the U.K. when the full extent of that individual’s crimes came to light,” DaCosta explains. “This gave me insight, but it’s part of a broader theme we’re exploring: the corruption of childhood.”
“It’s an interesting dynamic — being American yet telling a very British story,” she concludes. “But my knowledge, experiences, and family connections made me feel more connected to it.”