Where 28 Years Later's Island Community Is Located & Is It A Real Place?

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28 Years Later

Although the trailer for 28 Years Later only features a few glimpses of the 28 Days Later sequel’s island setting, it is easy to find out more about this real-life location. 2025’s upcoming 28 Years Later sees director Danny Boyle return to the world of 28 Days Later, his 2002 collaboration with screenwriter Alex Garland. That seminal zombie horror saw a quartet of survivors dodging murderous victims of the Rage virus and fascist soldiers alike, and the hit spawned a sequel in 2007’s 28 Weeks Later. Already, 28 Years Later’s story is bound to be very different.

Cillian Murphy as Jim and Christopher Eccleston as West in 28 Days Later and Idris Elba as Stone in 28 Weeks Later.

28 Years Later Photos Tease The Sequel's Real Main Villain (It's Not The Infected)

The infected may run amok in 28 Years Later, but new images tease a different main villain - one that's in-keeping with the past two movies.

As evidenced by both its title and its premise, 28 Years Later is more of a post-apocalyptic horror movie than a disaster horror. Where 28 Days Later dealt with the initial outbreak of the Rage virus and subsequent societal breakdown, 28 Weeks Later charted the failures that led to the virus taking over Britain and spreading into the wider world. The story of 28 Years Later is fundamentally different, as the sequel picks up over two decades after the collapse of civilization. Society has seemingly rebuilt itself via cultish religions and isolated homesteads, judging by 28 Years Later’s trailer.

28 Years Later's Island Community Is On Holy Island (Which Is A Real Place)

Lindisfarne Is A Real-Life Island Off The Northeast Coast of England

28 Years Later is set on Holy Island, or Lindisfarne, a real-life island off the coast of Northeast England where the sequel was also filmed. A small island, Lindisfarne was historically known as a center of Celtic Christianity. The island is home to a rebuilt monastery and a castle, but little else save for a few pubs, a hotel, and a museum. This makes the isolated setting perfect for the plot of 28 Years Later, and the stunning location doesn’t hurt either. Judging by its trailer, the production of 28 Years Later converted the island to a chilling setting.

The religious significance of Lindisfarne’s history could play into the plot of 28 Years Later.

28 Years Later features a tall tower made of skulls and various other ghoulish monuments to the dead, as well as battlements that look almost Medieval in their rustic design. The movie’s main characters may have chosen Holy Island since its distance from the mainland would make it easier to avoid the infected, but they could also have eerier motivations. The religious significance of Lindisfarne’s history could play into the plot of 28 Years Later as the movie’s protagonists seemingly run into a cult, judging by the trailer. Whether the heroes are members of the cult remains to be seen.

The Name "Holy Island" Hints Toward 28 Years Later's Themes

Holy Island Is Seemingly Home To A Religious Cult

The news that Garland was inspired by Kes when writing 28 Year Later doesn’t bode well for the fate of the franchise’s existing characters, but Lindisfarne may also be bad news for the new stars of the series. Holy Island is a secluded setting that would be a perfect home for a post-apocalyptic cult. Considering Garland Boyle’s earlier collaboration The Beach focused on a seemingly idyllic isolated community with cultish leanings, Lindisfarne could prove that 28 Years Later will offer a bloodier, darker new take on this already dark story when the 28 Days Later sequel finally arrives in 2025.