The story behind that haunting poem in the 28 YEARS LATER trailer that amps up the terror

The new chilling trailer for 28 years later released yesterday and delivered an unsettling blow that promises an intense and gripping return to the franchise.

Director Danny Boyle AND Alex Garland reunited for the first time since then 28 days later and this sequel will delve into the chaos and destruction caused by the Rage virus.

While the trailer offers plenty of intense footage of panicked survivors trying to survive the Rage-infected hordes, the real gut punch comes from the haunting audio that accompanies the images.

The trailer features a menacing voice reciting Rudyard Kipling’s poem “Boots,” read by Taylor Holmes in 1915. The distorted, repetitive rhythm of the poem creates a sense of absolute terror and highlights the devastation depicted on screen.

Kipling’s “Boots” was originally written to convey the relentless monotony and psychological tension of soldiers marching to war, and here it takes on a darker resonance.

The use of this poem in the trailer is extremely effective as it evokes a complete sense of dread. In the film’s trailer it reflects the incessant desperation of a world devastated by the virus. Holmes’ reading is no ordinary recital either, as it carries with it a dark legacy.

The US Navy uses this very recording in its grueling Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) training. Brandon Webb, retired Navy SEAL, in his book The making of a Navy SEAL, he described this exercise as “by far the most intense workout I have encountered so far.”

Trainees are subjected to the incessant repetition of Holmes’ recitation, preparing them for mental and emotional endurance under extreme duress.

The poem’s militaristic ties reinforce its significance in the film franchise, where war and the military have always played a key role.

In Ralph Anthony Duran A manual to the poetry of Rudyard Kiplingit is explained that the first four words of each line in “Boots” “should be read slowly, at the rate of two words per second. This will give the time at which an infantry soldier would normally march.”

But the trailer completely disrupts this structure, reflecting the disorder and unpredictability of a world immersed in apocalyptic chaos.

With its haunting imagery and disturbing use of Kipling’s poetry, the 28 years later The trailer sets a chilling tone for this long-awaited sequel.

The synopsis reads: “’Time has healed nothing.’ Some time after the events of 28 Weeks Later, the Rage Virus has returned and a group of survivors must survive in a world ravaged by hordes of the infected.

“Shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max with the help of numerous specialized accessories. Cilian Murphy returns as Jim, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Jack O’Connell, Erin KellymanAND Ralph Fiennes.”

28 years later will be released in theaters on June 20, 2025 by Sony.

Via: /Film