The late, late sequel to 28 Days Later, 28 Years Later, is here, and it has significantly expanded on the established lore by adding some exceptional elements, including the Alpha Zombies. Interestingly, the makers have allowed the zombies to evolve over the decades, and viewers now get to witness more breeds of zombies.
What is an Alpha Zombie in 28 Years Later?
The Alpha Zombies are a new breed of zombies that have evolved in 28 Years Later. Unlike the zombies in 28 Days Later, the Alpha Zombies are bigger, faster, stronger, and smarter. This means that humans have a harder time outsmarting them or beating them in a fight. Alpha Zombies evolved from ordinary zombies, but the three decades between the films gave them enough time to develop.
Alphas also have a signature move, which is brutal to witness. They pull the head and spine off a body and swing it around like a trophy, giving the movie some of its most brutal and gut-wrenching scenes. The Alpha Zombies also act as one of the primary adversaries in 28 Years Later.
Danny Boyle told IGN that they were looking to add evolutions to the lore, which helped make the story feel fresh. Boyle said, “There have been evolutions because we didn’t want to just stand still with them. There have been kind of mutations that have developed, if you like.”
Of course, this means that killing Alphas is also one of the tougher tasks. In the movie, Kelson figures out a way to kill the Alphas. They can be killed by firing darts laced with morphine.
Apart from Alphas, 28 Years Later also introduced Slow-Lows, another evolution of zombies. The Slow-Lows are big, bloated, and pale zombies that crawl on their stomachs and consume a steady diet of earthworms.
With all these developments, 28 Years Later has crafted a lore that is well worthy of a sequel.
