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Horror Franchises

Every 28 Days Later Movie, Scariest to Least Scary

Ranked by Fear score

The scariest: 28 Days Later (2002), at 7.3 on our Fear axis. 28 Years Later (2025) is next at 6.0.

By Alan WilleyLast updated

Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's 28 Days Later (2002) followed survivors of the Rage virus through an emptied Britain. 28 Weeks Later followed in 2007, Boyle and Garland returned with 28 Years Later in 2025, and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple came in 2026. This page ranks the films we have scored by Fear.

Fear is one of five scores Watch Darkly's curators give a film, each from 0 to 10. It measures how frightening a film is to watch and is scored separately from gore and intensity, so a bloody entry can still rank low here. Films we have not scored yet are listed after the ranking. How we score

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Ranked from scariest to least scary

  1. 28 Days Later poster
    Curator Score 7.8
    01

    28 Days Later 2002

    Fear
    7.3
    Gore
    7.0
    Atmosphere
    7.5
    Intensity
    8.0

    Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs -- and it's absolutely impossible to contain.

  2. 28 Years Later poster
    Curator Score 7.5
    02

    28 Years Later 2025

    Fear
    6.0
    Gore
    7.0
    Atmosphere
    6.8

    Twenty-eight years after the Rage virus outbreak, a heavily-defended island survives connected to the mainland by a single causeway. When one of the group leaves the island into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.

  3. 28 Weeks Later poster
    Curator Score 8.0
    03

    28 Weeks Later 2007

    Fear
    5.0
    Gore
    6.5
    Atmosphere
    8.0

    Twenty-eight weeks after the spread of a deadly rage virus, the inhabitants of the British Isles have lost their battle against the onslaught, as the virus has killed everyone there. Six months later, a group of Americans dare to set foot on the Isles, convinced the danger has passed. But it soon becomes all too clear that the scourge continues to live, waiting to pounce on its next victims.

  4. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple poster
    Curator Score 6.5
    04

    28 Years Later: The Bone Temple 2026

    Fear
    3.0
    Gore
    5.7
    Atmosphere
    6.0
    Intensity
    6.5

    Dr. Kelson finds himself in a shocking new relationship - with consequences that could change the world as they know it - and Spike's encounter with Jimmy Crystal becomes a nightmare he can't escape.

The 28 Days Later movies in order

In release order.

  1. 28 Days Later (2002)
  2. 28 Weeks Later (2007)
  3. 28 Years Later (2025)
  4. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)

Common questions about the 28 Days Later movies

What is the scariest 28 Days Later movie?
28 Days Later (2002), at 7.3 on our Fear axis. 28 Years Later (2025) is next at 6.0.
What is the least scary 28 Days Later movie?
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026), at 3.0 on our Fear axis.
Which 28 Days Later movie is the goriest?
28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Years Later (2025) tie at 7.0 on our Gore axis.
What is the best 28 Days Later movie?
By Curator Score, 28 Weeks Later (2007) has the highest at 8.0 out of 10. The Curator Score is our overall verdict on a film and is separate from Fear.
What order should I watch the 28 Days Later movies in?
In release order: 28 Days Later (2002), 28 Weeks Later (2007), 28 Years Later (2025), 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026).
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