What the Skull Pyre and Bone Towers could mean

The Temple of Bones will apparently play a key role in 28 years laterbut there are as many questions and mysteries surrounding this spooky tourist attraction as there are skulls in the pile. With renowned film director Danny Boyle back behind the camera, it's no surprise that 28 years later contains emotive and powerful visuals, but by far the standout photo of 28 years laterThe first trailer for is Temple of Bones. Set loosely in a British countryside, the arrangement comprises a central skull pyre surrounded by numerous towers made from various human bones.

28 years laterThe Temple of Bones is, to say the least, disturbing, and its prominence in the sequel's marketing points to it having a deeper meaning to Alex Garland's new story – potentially even extending into Alex Garland's next two films. 28 years laterThe planned trilogy. Much about The Temple of Bones remains unknown, but the few details revealed so far begin to clarify why the UK has a morbid new landmark and what it means for the 28 years later history.

28 Years Later Suggests Some Survivors Have Started Worshiping the Dead

Did a cult appear in honor of the rabies virus?

The most plausible explanation for 28 years laterThe Temple of Bones is that, after nearly three decades of apocalyptic life, some survivors have been pushed to the edge of sanity and now worship the dead, the infected, or the virus itself. From the trailer footage, It can be assumed that the Temple of Bones was carefully designed and built by many handssince no one could have accomplished such a feat.

The Temple of Bones is also clearly not a healthy way to honor those who have died. A commemorative statue or plaque is perfectly understandable, but pulling bones from corpses and using them to build a giant monument smacks of characters losing their sanity and embracing the apocalypse with a little enthusiasm.

28 years later's Bone Temple feels distinctly pagan in nature, ripped straight from the folk horror world of The Wicker Man. Essentially a less hygienic Stonehenge, the purposeful arrangement of the Temple of Bones suggests a certain level of devotion of its creators. Those who built it weren't just trying to pass the time with a human LEGO project, they seemed consumed by thoughts of the dead.

There are signs of a death cult elsewhere 28 years latertrailer and marketing too. The synopsis teases: “…horrors that transformed not only those infected, but also other survivors.“Changing Horrors”other survivors“could mean that groups of living people have developed bizarre belief systems over the past 28 years, potentially resulting in the construction of a Temple of Bones. Trailer footage also shows an infected hanging upside down with “JIMMY” engraved on his stomach – a clear sign that Britain's population has become somewhat deranged outside of safe communities.

A mysterious character wears a bizarre mask with bloody eyes and an arrow in his head, mirroring a scarecrow shown in a previous scene – again, not normal behavior. Even more worrying, the masked figure appears to have followers behind her. Finally, one of the characters present in Temple of Bones is the mother played by Jodie Comer, who rocks a baby in her arms. It's a rule of horror films that Cult-like ritualistic groups tend to gravitate toward mothers and newborn childrenwhich again suggests that the Temple of Bones belongs to some diabolical presence lurking in the shadows of 28 years later.

The Temple of Bones is part of the religious symbolism of 28 years later

28 years later, the religious connotations are not difficult to detect

Beyond the Temple of Bones alone, 28 years later It is filled with religious symbolism. There is a cross in the window when a woman is thrown from a flight of stairs near the beginning, infected bursts through the stained glass windows of a church in reference to the original 2002 film, 28 years laterThe island community is located on Holy Island, the trailer includes a cemetery full of cross-shaped graves, the window behind the hanging Infected has a cross of light shining through, and Jodie Comer's character evokes images of the Mother, Mary.

28 years laterThe Christian symbolism of is therefore unsubtle and could expose a fundamental aspect of the sequel's story: the collapse of faith. After 28 years, perhaps the remnants of humanity have abandoned traditional religions in favor of something darker, mutated by the horrors of the virus. The Temple of Bones could represent the end result of this process – a new church, in a way.

28 years later, Bone Temple defines the title of the next film

The Temple of Bones could play an important role in the sequels

It cannot be ignored that the next film in the series is reportedly titled 28 years later, part II: The Temple of Bones (through Shortly). It is not yet clear whether the title refers to the structure seen in 28 years laterbut given that temples built from human remains are few and far between in the British Isles, one might imagine there is a link.

Whatever happens to the Temple of Bones in 28 years later could therefore enter the sequence. Perhaps 28 years later will begin by introducing the history and meaning behind the Temple of Bones, but the next film will unpack these plot points more fully. If the Temple of Bones were left behind by a new group of villains, these bad guys could continue to be the story's main threat across the three films in the next trilogy, which would certainly explain the title of the second film.

Anyway, 28 years laterThe Temple of Bones will not be a fleeting, visually stimulating location, merely meant to add cinematic spice. The monument to death will be in the heart of the 28 years later trilogy, defining the future of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's fictional universe.

28 Years Later Temple of Bones is Potentially Teasing a Bigger Villain

Is it the masked character? Is this Cillian Murphy's Jim? Are you an architect gone rogue?

If an antagonistic group built 28 years laterIn the Bone Temple, the biggest subsequent question is who leads this group. A band of cult survivors wandering the northern English countryside must surely have a charismatic idol to give them instructions. Interestingly, two major actors in the 28 years later the cast is completely absent from the trailer: Jack O'Connell and Erin Kellyman. One of them could be the enemy responsible for the Temple of Bones cult.

The mysterious figure with the bloody-eyed mask – a mask behind O'Connell or Kellyman – is probably the most likely candidate. The mask itself suggests some level of cult behavior afoot, and it's just a short jump between following a survivor who wears a scary mask and building giant structures out of human bones. Alternatively, 28 years laterThe mysterious character “Jimmy” may be behind the Temple of Bones. The name “Jimmy” is seen twice in 28 years latertrailer: once next to a message reading, “Behold, he comes with the clouds“, and again on the hanging infected's chest.

Jimmy could be the name of a messianic figure in 28 years later – a controversial leader who inspires complete devotion in his followers, but has rather dark ideas about what a religious service should be like. If an infected was hung upside down and tortured in Jimmy's name, the same character could certainly be behind the Temple of Bones. Of course, it may not be a coincidence that Cillian Murphy's original 28 days later character was called Jim. Although Jim's story ended happily, losing Selena and Hannah over the next 28 years could have sent him down a darker path.

Sources: Shortly