Honestly, the first time you see Jim wandering through a totally deserted London in 28 Days Later, something shifts. It isn't just a "scary movie." It feels like a rupture. Most people think Danny Boyle simply made a zombie flick, but he actually invented a whole new visual language for the end of the world. It was gritty. It was shot on digital cameras that made everything look like a grainy, leaked news report. And those "zombies"? They weren't even dead. They were just... us. On a really, really bad day.
If you’re hunting for 28 days later similar movies, you’ve probably realized that most modern horror feels too clean or too "Hollywood" by comparison. You want that specific, frantic, heart-in-your-throat desperation. You want the feeling that society didn't just collapse—it shattered in about thirty seconds flat.
Why 28 Days Later Still Matters (and What to Look For)
The magic of Boyle’s 2002 masterpiece wasn't just the fast-running infected. It was the humanity. Or the lack of it. It’s a movie about how fast we turn on each other when the lights go out. To find a movie that actually matches that vibe, you have to look for three things: visceral speed, a "grounded" apocalypse, and that distinct sense of British or international isolation.
Most lists will just point you toward any old zombie movie. That’s a mistake. You don't want Resident Evil (well, maybe the first one, but we'll get to that). You want films that make you feel like you need a tetanus shot just for watching them.
The Absolute Closest Vibes: Rapid Infections and Brutal Realism
Train to Busan (2016)
If 28 Days Later proved that fast zombies are scary, Train to Busan proved they are an absolute nightmare in a confined space. It’s a South Korean masterpiece. Seriously. It follows a workaholic dad and his daughter on a high-speed train while an outbreak turns the country into a mosh pit of teeth and rage.
The kinetic energy here is insane. Like Boyle’s film, it focuses heavily on the "social rage" aspect—how the people in the "safe" cars treat those trying to survive. It’s heartbreaking. You’ll cry. You’ll also probably never want to take public transit again.
✨ Don't miss: Why the Cast of Hold Your Breath 2024 Makes This Dust Bowl Horror Actually Work
The Crazies (2010 Remake)
This is one of the rare remakes that actually justifies its existence. It’s basically 28 Days Later set in small-town Iowa. A biological weapon leaks into the water supply, turning people into "crazies"—not mindless ghouls, but tactical, angry killers who still remember how to use a pitchfork.
The scene in the car wash? Pure tension. It captures that "anyone can turn at any second" paranoia better than almost anything else on this list.
Children of Men (2006)
Okay, hear me out. There are no zombies here. None. But if you’re looking for 28 days later similar movies because of the atmosphere, this is the king. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, it’s set in a Britain that has become a fortress because humans have stopped being able to procreate.
It’s bleak. It’s shot with long, sweeping takes that make you feel like you’re standing in the mud with the characters. The "vibe" is identical to the second half of 28 Days Later—the military presence, the crumbling infrastructure, and the tiny, flickering hope that maybe, just maybe, things won't end in a ditch.
The "Infected" vs. "Undead" Distinction
A lot of fans get picky about this. In 28 Days Later, they are "Infected" with the Rage Virus. They’re still alive. They can starve to death. They can bleed out. This makes them way scarier because they have the stamina of an Olympic sprinter.
🔗 Read more: Is Steven Weber Leaving Chicago Med? What Really Happened With Dean Archer
REC (2007)
This Spanish found-footage film is terrifying. Don't watch the American remake (Quarantine) first; the original is much grittier. It takes place entirely inside a quarantined apartment building in Barcelona.
The infection moves fast. The camera moves faster. By the time you get to the attic scene at the end, you’ll be holding your breath. It shares that "low-budget, high-stakes" DNA that made the early 2000s British horror scene so legendary.
The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)
This one feels like a spiritual successor. It’s set in a fungal-infected UK where the "hungries" have taken over. It has that same "empty London" aesthetic, but with a twist: some children are born "hybrid."
It’s smart. It’s based on a book by M.R. Carey, and it asks the same questions Alex Garland (who wrote 28 Days Later) likes to ask: Is humanity even worth saving if we’ve become the monsters?
Deep Cuts for the True Survivalists
Sometimes you don't want a blockbuster. You want something that feels like a secret.
💡 You might also like: Is Heroes and Villains Legit? What You Need to Know Before Buying
- Stake Land (2010): Imagine 28 Days Later but with vampires in the American midwest. It’s a road movie. It’s quiet. It’s very, very sad.
- The Night Eats the World (2018): A guy wakes up in a Paris apartment after a party and realizes everyone else is a zombie. It’s extremely lonely. It captures the "quiet" parts of the apocalypse that Danny Boyle did so well.
- It Comes at Night (2017): This is a polarizing one. There are no hordes. There’s just a family in a house in the woods, a mysterious sickness, and a lot of guns. It’s about the paranoia of infection.
What Really Happened with the "28" Franchise?
If you've already binged the original, you've likely seen 28 Weeks Later. It’s... fine. The opening five minutes—where Robert Carlyle runs across a field away from a swarm of infected—is arguably better than anything in the first movie. But the rest of it turns into a standard action flick.
The good news? We’re currently in a massive revival. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland have reunited for 28 Years Later (2025) and its immediate sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026). They even brought back Cillian Murphy. It’s a rare case where the original creators actually came back to fix the legacy of a franchise that had drifted into the "straight-to-DVD" feel of the mid-2000s.
How to Curate Your Own Watchlist
Don't just look for "zombies." Look for instability.
If you want the political side, watch Civil War (2024). It’s written and directed by Alex Garland, and while there are no monsters, the "vibe" of traveling through a collapsed society with people who have lost their minds is exactly the same.
If you want the medical panic, watch Contagion (2011). It’s less "horror" and more "procedural," but it explains how the world ends with a cough, not a roar.
To get the most out of your marathon, start with the frantic energy of Train to Busan, move into the atmospheric dread of The Girl with All the Gifts, and finish with the absolute gut-punch of Children of Men. You won't feel good afterward. But you’ll have seen some of the best cinema the genre has to offer.
Actionable Next Steps:
Start by watching the original 28 Days Later again, then immediately jump into Train to Busan to see how the "fast zombie" trope evolved. If you have the stomach for it, track down the original Spanish REC—it's usually streaming on horror-centric platforms like Shudder. Avoid the "action" sequels of these franchises if you want to keep that specific, grounded feeling of the original.