The devil’s always up for making a deal.

Nearly three decades have passed since the United Kingdom was quarantined from the rest of the world to contain the rage virus. Spike (Alfie Williams) opts to leave the safety of his small island home following his mother’s passing, but it isn’t long before the dangers of the mainland catch up to him. Appearing out of the woodlands like Robin Hood’s merry men, Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) and his gang of yellow-haired vagabonds dispatch the infected… before making their unfortunate intentions known. Not too far away, Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) continues his work with the Infected alpha he calls Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), but a bad circumstance and a chance sighting brings the reclusive doctor into the cultish gang’s orbit — a possible face for the whispering father figure whom Sir Jimmy swears is Ol’ Nick himself.

After resetting the franchise to make a more or less direct sequel to the original 28 Days Later, Danny Boyle bequeaths directorial duties to The Marvels and Candyman “requel” director Nia DaCosta from a continuing screenplay by Alex Garland. Picking up after the previous film’s epilogue, details provided but left unexplored fuel this sequel, branching out into an unusual yet fitting continuation. A common complaint regarding 28 Years Later was the disjointed tone and perhaps unintentional humor — have you watched a Danny Boyle film? — but viewers were certainly entertained. With origins in the rearview mirror and character arcs surging forward, how far off its rocker will this sequel be?

As watchable as Fiennes’ brief appearances were as Dr. Kelson in the previous film, he becomes electrifyingly unhinged in a performance everyone will have an opinion of. Fresh off of his success in Sinners, O’Connell matches Fiennes energy, crossing paths to set up “that trailer scene” and all its implications. Williams’ Spike is unfortunately reduced to bearing witness to the hellfire and damnation, but the trade off is at last addressing the previous film’s prologue (read: the importance may be confusing for anyone who neither saw it nor remembers it). As predicted, the storyline skews much darker in this sequel with the Jimmies living up to their devilish means and cultish potential, but the side quest of Kelson working with Samson is equally captivating with enormous implications. The trailer promised a film that can indeed “turn this up to eleven,” and that was no exaggeration, Mr. Tufnel.

Spikes’ reduced role initially feels hollow — his reintroduction suggests how screwed he really is among the Jimmies — yet his mere presence introduces the necessary seeds of destruction at exactly the right moments: a primer with a backstory. Visually, The Bone Temple itself is perfect fodder for a Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights attraction… or at least going all-out for a front yard display. In the previous film, the temple served as the memorial it was meant to be; for the sequel, it becomes a supernatural stage in the round. Kelson’s flirtations with mortality make him highly unpredictable but not foolish, bringing some storylines to a close while setting new ones in motion. No new Infected (like the ground crawlers) are introduced this time, but the brutality of the Jimmies may be something of a shock; let’s call it “Negan-esque.” The soundtrack is certified eclectic as the good doctor has some curious tastes.

Fans of the previous 28 Years Later will enjoy the new revelations, but it might not convert non-believers. The filmmakers seem intent on rewarding serious interest rather than luring in the casual masses, and that’s okay. By the slightly less cliffhanger-y ending this round, attentive viewers can see the pieces being lined up without giving away the game… yet leaving plenty of room to yank the rug out from under any preconceived expectations.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, graphic nudity, language throughout, brief drug use, and the superior sound of vinyl.

Four skull recommendation out of four