- 28 Years Later is set on a remote island
- It’s safe and cut off from the infected mainland
- Is Holy Island a real place?
With 28 Years Later racing towards cinemas fans have been wondering if its Holy Island setting is a real place.
Director Danny Boyle returns for a follow-up to his 2002 horror film 28 Days Later. That movie saw bike courier Jim (Cillian Murphy) awake from a coma to discover that the United Kingdom has been overrun by hoards of infected people.
Read more: What is the audio in the 28 Years Later trailer?
28 Years Later picks up years after the RAGE virus was let loose by environmental activists although the dust is far from settled. Instead, Boyle and original movie screenwriter Alex Garland have shifted their focus onto what might actually happen to an infected island after so much time has passed.
In 28 years later we tried imagining how our world would rebuild itself after an apocalypse,” explained Boyle during a newly-released inside look at the movie. “Initial conversations were often about imagining what does 28 years later mean,” asked Garland.
Read more: 28 Years Later: Ralph Fiennes character explained
“If the infection is still in Britain, what does the infection look like? How does the rest of the world respond to that? Has the country been quarantined, essentially abandoned.”
Instead, it looks like 28 Years Later’s new group of survivors have abandoned the country. Instead, they’re holed up in a remote island home that shields them from the infected – but is Holy Island a real place and if so, where is it?
Here’s what you need to know.
Holy Island: Is 28 Years Later island a real place?
Yes, Holy Island is a real place. It’s located just off the Northeastern coast of England and is more commonly known as Lindisfarne.
The location has important religious and cultural links to Celtic Christianity and was originally home to a monastery. This was ultimately destroyed when the Vikings invaded.
It is also home to Lindisfarne Castle and today, Holy Island is recognised as an Area of Outstanding National Beauty.
Has Holy Island appeared on film before?
Yes, Holy Island is no stranger to TV and movie screens. In addition to appearing in books like Ann Cleaves’ mystery The Rising Tide, the TV show Vera has also shot here.
The TV series Vikins and Norsemen have also used the island as a backdrop to their action sequences, while director Roman Polanski previously shot his 1966 comedy thriller Cul-de-Sac in this spot.
How is Holy Island featured in 28 Years Later?
Based on early trailers and information, it appears that 28 Years Later will begin on Holy Island before transporting the story – and much of its action – to mainland England.
Boyle reiterates as much in a behind the scenes look at the movie.
“Holy Island, which is where our film begins, is protected by a causeway which you can defend,” he explains, “but there’s a lack of machinery, no electricity or fuel.
“The mainland then becomes somewhere over there, which has both promise and threat.”
As of yet, it’s unclear how much screen time the island might ultimately get in 28 Years Later.
