Infection: Rage virus
Seen In: 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007)
Type: Mutated strain of Ebola Virus, transmitted by fluids (e.g. blood and saliva). Limited interspecies transmission (Primate to human only)
Original Source: Cambridge Primate Research Institute
28 Days Later is a British horror film, set largely in London, following a handful of survivors after an incredibly infectious virus has wiped out the majority of the United Kingdom. It’s presented as similar to a zombie virus, with the exception of the infected not being driven by hunger but by a single minded determination to attack.
Unlike previous viruses covered, 28 Days Later does not follow a singular location allowing for the path of infection to be easily documented. Instead, after witnessing the initial outbreak, the audience is then skipped to a month later when the United Kingdom is basically obliterated. The sequel is set after the disease has seemingly been eradicated which does give a little taste of how the first outbreak may have gone and a demonstration of the chaos that follows. Due to the lack of evidence during the 28 day period between outbreak and annihilation, the standard format is going to be of little use to analyse the virus.
2002 British Film Council
The original source of the virus came from laboratory chimpanzees in Cambridge. It’s described only as ‘rage’ and the details of how it came to be, what that means or anything else isn’t really elaborated on. The first human victim is an unnamed female activist who releases one of the test animals and immediately gets attacked by it. It’s at this point that we get a demonstration of how rapidly the virus takes hold. It is shown to be incredibly aggressive in its take-over. Within a minute of infection, the activist displays ravenous hostility and takes down both of her companions, as well as the scientist that is present.
One of the most terrifying aspects of the virus is just how little time it takes for a pandemic to develop. In the sequel, there is a second example of how ruthless the infected are, with a single infected person managing to essentially cause the destruction of the survivor compound within very little time. This is further reinforced by the brief timeline presented in the sequel.
The second aspect of the virus that increases is destructive powers, is how little is required to turn someone. While the majority of the infected become this way following a violent attack by another infected persons, it’s shown that the virus requires much less than this to take hold and remains active even after the host body succumbs. One of the survivors in 28 Days, a man named Frank, turns from a single droplet of blood falling into his eye from the corpse of an infected. That is enough to turn him. While the second outbreak is caused by an asymptomatic carrier and a very stupid man, it’s entirely possible that during the clean-up efforts someone could have become infected after exposure to the bodies of the infected.
2002 British Film Council
The rage virus’ origins do get explored a little more in the graphic novel follow up to the films, allowing for a few additional details to be clarified. Initially developed as an inhibitor for rage, it was spliced with the Ebola Virus which caused genetic mutations and ended up reversing the inhibitor to cause rage instead of prevent it.
In terms of symptoms, the predominant feature is the aggression exhibited by infected persons. However, in addition to this, at the initial infection stage the infected display seizure like symptoms and the female activist states that she is ‘burning’ suggesting an intense fever. There are also traces of the original Ebola Virus still displayed through the symptoms, as those infected begin to bleed from the mouth and eyes.
2002 British Film Council
It’s uncertain how much of the person is retained following infection. Some who become infected are shown to still be able to hold onto themselves for a little while before it fully sets in, such as survivor Frank who manages to warn his daughter to stay back before he is overwhelmed. However, this may be due to the relatively small amount of infected blood he was exposed to.
On the other end of the spectrum, there is also the suggestion that the aggression is not entirely all consuming. While in most of the infected it seems to be their only instinct, there are certain other behaviours that they demonstrate which implies there is still more going on in their brains. There’s a sense of herd behaviour with the infected. They tend to run as a group with solo infected persons joining a group as soon as they see it. The first infectee of the second outbreak seems to recognise family members and actively targets them throughout. He displays almost a sense of sadism, seeming to enjoy killing and enacting his violence with a sort of smile on his face.
Apart from the first stage of infection, it doesn’t look like the infected are really capable of feeling pain. However, much like the mutated rabies virus in the Quarantine films, the sheer destructiveness of the virus depicted makes it an exceptionally dangerous and horrible one.
Transmission: A-
Curability: F
Death Rate: C-
Horror Factor: B-
Biohazard Level
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