The new trailer for 28 Years Later contains a hidden message that unlocks bonus content. The upcoming movie is a belated sequel to 2002’s 28 Days Later, which was previously followed by just one sequel, 2007’s 28 Weeks Later before the franchise – which follows England being ravaged by a rage virus that transforms people into mindless, violent zombie-like beings – went dormant. The upcoming 28 Years Later, which reunites Days‘ director Danny Boyle with screenwriter Alex Garland, stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell, Erin Kellyman, Edvin Ryding, and Ralph Fiennes.
In the comments on the trailer for 28 Years Later on the Sony Pictures Entertainment YouTube page, eagle-eyed fans have worked together to spot a hidden message just a few hours after the video premiered. The user @Not_A_Cultist spotted that there are symbols in the corner of the screen that can be deciphered using a Pigpen Cipher (a basic cypher that uses fragments of a grid to represent letters), spelling out the Latin phrase “memento mori,” which roughly translates to “remember (that you have) to die.” See screensH๏τs of the symbols in the trailer below:
User @gretxy609 adds that this phrase is the pᴀssword to a promotional website that others have been trying to crack for some time, rageleaks.net. The pᴀssword is indeed the way to access the site, which has the username “Admin” already entered. When logged in, the site displays a timer counting up to 28 years, lining up with the movie’s release date. Files have been uploaded that seem to be of a military or governmental nature. One is a surveillance report of the Lindisfarne Commune, an isolated tidal island with “stable social order” and “zero attempts at breaking quarantine.“
The site also has a subheader that asks “What is really happening behind the blockade?” There are three additional files. Two are greyed out, which implies that they will be uploaded at a later date. Those are тιтled “Life on Patrol” and “Cargo Drones?” Another file is a message lamenting the state of the world and hinting that “the Infected have adapted,“ which reads as follows:
The virus brought us more than the rage.
The sorrow, for our lost home. The guilt, for the ones we left behind. The righteous indignation for the secrets being kept from us.
It’s been almost 28 years since the outbreak. And still, not a single shred of truth about what’s really going on. They say it’s to protect us. It’s for our own good. After all this time, what are they still hiding?
They classify satellite images. They forbid any communication with survivor communities. They suppress rumors and discredit reports that somehow, the infected have adapted.
They don’t want us to see. But we must bear witness. All of us.
What This Means For 28 Years Later
There Are Big Clues For The Movie’s Setting And Tone
While the clues unlocked by the code in the new 28 Years Later trailer are oblique, they do hint at what is going on in the world around the main characters in the horror sequel. For one thing, this not only confirms that there is a more organized society outside the British Isles, it seems to reveal that other nations are keeping a close watch on the populace, enforcing a severe quarantine to protect the rest of the world.
While exact details are unknown, it seems that 28 Years Later has largely retconned the final sH๏τ of 28 Weeks Later, which showed the Infected running through Paris and implied that the rage virus would spread globally.
The message on the website also hints at the overall tone and themes of the anticipated 2025 movie. In addition to hinting at the fact that the Infected may be a much more potent threat than they have ever been, the nature of the message seems to imply that the movie could focus on themes of the breakdown of international cooperation and the power of those who control the flow of information.
Our Take On The 28 Years Later Bonus Content
This Is Just The Beginning
It is unknown if there is any intention for the promotional 28 Years Later website to include any more files beyond the greyed-out ones included on the main page. However, it seems very likely that, at the very least, both files will eventually be shared before the movie debuts on June 20. While the time when this will happen is unknown, it is possible that they will be linked to further trailer releases with additional codes.
Source: Various, via the Sony Pictures Entertainment YouTube comments
