28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) is the follow-up to 28 Years Later and continues the long-running infected saga that began with 28 Days Later. The first installment of 28 Years Later showed how the world had evolved nearly three decades after the Rage virus outbreak, focusing on survivors trying to rebuild some form of order in a land still shaped by infection and isolation. The Bone Temple moves the story forward, exploring what remains of humanity when fear, faith, and survival begin to mix.
The sequel turns its focus to a strange sanctuary called the Bone Temple, an ossuary created by Dr. Ian Kelson. It’s a place built from the remains of those who died during the rage virus outbreak, and it carries the weight of that history in every corner. The film also follows Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal and his gang, along with several new characters, as they face fresh infected threats and harder moral choices than before. Nia DaCosta, along with Alex Garland, makes the story more personal, with the survival horror reflecting on memory, guilt, and the constant bridge between faith and belief, as well as the need for control.
In this article, I will break down the complete plot in detail and explain how the movie connects to Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later and what it signifies. The article contains full spoilers; reader discretion is advised.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Who is Jimmy Crystal, and why does he take Spike into his group?
The movie picks up from the previous installment’s ending scene, where Spike is taken in by the Fingers, a survivalist group. The group is more like a cult built around fear, violence, and blind devotion to their leader, the self-proclaimed “Sir Lord” Jimmy Crystal. Crystal presents himself as chosen, almost divine, and claims that Satan is his father and that he speaks to him. The gang, in which each member is named Jimmy, believes their leader, or at least they are too afraid to question his thoughts and methods. Spike is young and has already seen too much, but nothing prepares him for what the Fingers demand as proof of loyalty. To become one of them, he must fight in a death match. His opponent is Jimmy Shite, one of the gang members. The fight is brutal, but Spike survives, and Sir Jimmy gives him a new name, “Jimmy,” just like the others. Among the group, a girl named Jimmy Ink shows a little bit of compassion toward Spike.
Why doesn’t the ‘Alpha- Infected’ kill Dr. Kelson?
Elsewhere, far from the chaos of the Fingers, Dr. Ian Kelson continues his strange and lonely work. He has built what he calls the Bone Temple, an ossuary constructed from the remains of those who died during the rage virus epidemic. It is more than just a memorial because it is a visible reminder of how many lives were lost. The skulls and bones are placed carefully, almost with respect. For Kelson, this place is both a refuge and a space for his work. However, he is not entirely alone. The Alpha Infected, a towering figure named Samson, keeps returning to him. Unlike the other infected, Samson does not attack Kelson. At first, Kelson believes this is because he repeatedly incapacitates him with sedatives delivered through a blowgun. Over time, however, he begins to suspect that something more complicated is happening.
Does Dr. Kelson euthanise Samson?
Kelson notices that Samson seems to anticipate the drug. He does not resist. It is as if he has become dependent on the morphine. Instead of fighting, he spaces out, and Kelson starts to see patterns in his behavior. Although Samson is still dangerous, there are moments when something almost human seems to flicker beneath his wild persona. Their encounters become almost routine, with Samson visiting and Kelson sedating him. Slowly, the two share a strange bond, sitting quietly until Samson’s trance slowly fades away. In one of these moments, Kelson speaks to him as though he were a patient, even a friend. He believes that if the rage virus can be understood, it might be treated.
However, when Kelson realizes he is running out of sedatives, as the supplies are limited, he can no longer control Samson. In a way, he suggests to Samson that he must allow Kelson to end his life with dignity rather than suffer endlessly. Kelson considers euthanizing him, even though it pains him to do so and to lose his only friend. He suggests that Samson allow him to take his life as a way of dying with dignity rather than painfully from the virus. When Samson eventually manages to form a word, “moon,” Kelson is overwhelmed with hope. It seems like he has reached a milestone, and at this juncture, Kelson begins to believe that this could restore memory and offer a path to recovery.
Who is Old Nick, and why does Sir Jimmy offer a sacrifice?
Meanwhile, the Fingers prepare for another raid. They attack a remote farm inhabited by survivors, including a man named Tom and his pregnant partner, Cathy. The farm is one of the few places that still feels almost normal, with animals and crops. Sir Jimmy sees it as an opportunity and sends Jimmy Ink to scout the area. While surveying the surroundings, Ink catches sight of the Bone Temple in the distance. She also glimpses Samson and Dr. Kelson, whose body is stained with iodine that he uses as a protective measure against infection. However, from a distance, Jimmy Ink finds Kelson’s all red posterior similar to what Jimmy had always described Satan to be like. Seeing that Kelson had control on Samson who is infected by the virus, she assumes that Kelson is, in fact, Satan.
Back at the barn, Cathy makes a quick run and hides when the Fingers capture the other survivors. Sir Jimmy announces that they will be skinned alive as a sacrifice to “Old Nick,” another name for the devil. He insists that Satan is watching and that this offering will please him. As Spike watches in horror, the violence that takes place is ritualistic and performative. This makes Spike sick to his stomach, and he steps out. This is when Jimmy Ink returns and senses Spike’s distress. At this point, she has begun to doubt Sir Jimmy, as the raid feels wrong to her and the continuous cruelty feels unnecessary. However, seeing Spike shaken to his core, she suggests he pull himself together, as being shaken is close to being weak.
Does Tom join Sir Jimmy’s group?
Inside the barn, Sir Jimmy gives Tom a cruel choice. If he can defeat one of the Fingers in a death match, he can join them. Tom, desperate to protect Cathy, agrees and chooses Jimmima, one of the craziest members of the group who enjoys violence, as his opponent. The fight is hopeless. Jimmima is faster and more experienced, and Tom is quickly overpowered. At the last moment, Cathy emerges from hiding and kills Jimmima to save Tom, leading to chaos inside the barn. In the confusion, Tom grabs a gas tank and sets the barn on fire, and it spreads quickly.
In the chaos, Jimmy Jimmy and Tom are killed in the blaze, while several others are burned. Sir Jimmy loses his mind over the defeat and orders Spike to chase Cathy and bring her back to him. Spike follows the order and finds her, but instead of attacking, he breaks down in front of Cathy, begging her to take him with her. He is clearly traumatized, lost, and does not want to be part of the Fingers anymore. However, Cathy cannot risk bringing him along, so she kicks him hard and runs away as Spike groans in pain.
After losing a few gang members, the rest of them regroup, with their morale completely shaken. Sir Jimmy blames Spike for failing to obey his orders and threatens to kill him as punishment. However, Jimmy Ink intervenes and suggests that they seek judgment from “Old Nick,” whom she believes to be the red-skinned figure she saw near the Bone Temple. As mentioned above she assumes Dr. Kelson is Satan himself, and Sir Jimmy is at first surprised but eventually agrees to prove his divine connection.
What happens when Sir Jimmy meets Dr. Kelson?
The gang travels to the Bone Temple, where Sir Jimmy suggests meeting Satan alone. Things shift when Sir Jimmy realizes that Kelson is not Satan but just a simple madman. He feels furious and humiliated, and at this point, he also realizes that he has believed a different version of reality all this time. His father, who was a vicar, delivered sermons that included rage-bait theories, which led Sir Jimmy to believe in things that are completely unrighteous and aimed only at hurting people. After talking to Kelson, Sir Jimmy offers him a choice that demands he pretend to be Satan and publicly validate Sir Jimmy’s leadership. If he refuses, he will be killed. Kelson understands that if he does not agree to Sir Jimmy’s demand, his precious research with Samson will be jeopardized, and the Fingers will take control and destroy everything.
The following morning, Spike attempts to leave the camp since he cannot endure the torture anymore. Jimmy Fox confronts him and tries to kill him to avenge his best friend, Jimmy Shite’s death. However, before the fight can end in Spike’s death, Jimmy Ink intervenes and kills Fox. Later, she lies to Sir Jimmy, claiming that Fox fled in fear of Satan and that she acted in self-defense. Sir Jimmy accepts the explanation, but there is clear tension in the group.
Does Samson get his memory back?
Meanwhile, Kelson makes a risky decision. Fearing that he will lose Samson and his research, he administers a cocktail of antipsychotics and other drugs. He theorizes that the rage virus may not directly cause aggression but instead may trigger extreme psychotic hallucinations, leading to violent behavior. The drugs seem to work, at least temporarily. Samson experiences moments of clarity and wanders to an abandoned train, the place where he was first infected. There, he hallucinates a memory from childhood in which a conductor asks for his ticket. The scene feels like an ordinary day from the “normal” days, and for a moment, Samson feels he is almost his real self. When he regains the ability to speak more clearly, a nearby pack of infected attacks him, treating him as though he were uninfected, suggesting he no longer fits neatly into either world.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) Movie Ending Explained:
What happens when all the Jimmys’ meet Kelson?
Later that night, Kelson agrees to Sir Jimmy’s demands and stages a theatrical performance, complete with fire and music. As Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast” plays, Kelson appears before the Fingers as Satan, delivering a hypnotic performance. He secretly exposes the gang to hallucinogens, heightening their experience. The gang is overwhelmed by the performance, and Sir Jimmy validates the theatrics. But when Kelson sees Spike in the group, he cannot let the cult continue. In a strange shift, he orders the Fingers to crucify Sir Jimmy, as he begins to shatter the illusion in front of them. First, Jimmy Ink turns against Sir Jimmy, and when Ink and the other Jimmys fight, Sir Jimmy fatally stabs Kelson.
Is Dr. Kelson dead?
Consequently, when Spike realizes Kelson is deeply hurt, he finds the courage to stab Sir Jimmy in the side. As Sir Jimmy whimpers in pain, Ink forces him onto an inverted cross, and the cult falls apart as the other Jimmys also die. Spike stays by Kelson’s side as he dies. Kelson’s dream of curing the rage virus dies with him. In the end, Samson arrives. Sir Jimmy, delirious, believes he is finally meeting his maker, Satan. Instead, Samson utters Kelson’s name and thanks him. He then carries Kelson’s body away gently, as if he is honoring him. Meanwhile, Sir Jimmy is left behind, and we see him crying for help. Spike and Jimmy Ink, whose real name is Kelly, run away from the memorial grounds.
Are Spike and Kelly safe?
The ending of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) shows the duo, Spike and Kelly, running together, trying to escape from another group of infected. As we cut away from the kids running, the scene shifts to a small farmhouse where a man named Jim (Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later), and his young daughter, Sam, are discussing postwar Europe. They talk at length, as if Jim is teaching Sam about the world that was once completely distorted in the past. However, when Sam hears the growls of the infected, the two go outside and realize that two survivors are trying to find safe ground. Sam asks Jim if they should help the survivors, and Jim quickly agrees as the scene ends the movie.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) Movie Themes Analysed:
Practise of Blind Faith & Religious Cultism
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple carries its weight by focusing on how people are easily blinded in the name of religion. The religion here exists only to spread hatred and violence, infiltrating people’s minds with fear and dark thoughts that often become the driving force behind violence in society. The people drawn into it are the vulnerable ones, too afraid to have a voice and ill-equipped to question the authoritarians who play with people’s fear.
The movie does not try too hard to explain how cult groups are formed, as it is very apparent that all it takes is a person who takes charge with clear intentions to ignite more hatred, spew venom, and commit crimes. The people who follow this religion are mostly blinded by tall claims and false hope born out of their desperation. It becomes a long chain that is finally broken when Jimmy Ink realizes the facade Lord Jimmy had been maintaining. In the end, it is all about control and marching forward while hurting anyone who does not agree with the norms and conditions of the cult.
Love, Compassion, and Understanding Are the Only Cure
Dr. Kelson, who tirelessly worked on building the Bone Temple, an ossuary, understands that every human who was once infected and died from the rage virus was still a person with a family, an identity, and a connection to the world. The infected may appear wild and driven only to destroy and kill, but they are blinded by the rage that has taken over their minds. When Kelson meets Samson, the alpha who seems completely untameable, he uses morphine to calm him down.
The film makes it clear that something consumed by rage must be met with calmness. Only after Samson sobers does he begin to respond to Kelson’s approach. Because of the scarcity of resources needed to fully cure the rage virus, Kelson continues researching and trying different methods to find a solution. When he is fatally wounded, Samson returns to him, remembering the kindness he was shown. This suggests that love and compassion can reach even those consumed by trauma and hatred.
