In a summer packed with bloated Hollywood franchise reboots and streaming fodder, Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later dares to be something fresh: slow, strange, and spiritually serious. The third movie in an acclaimed series, following 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, 28 Years Later expands on the premise of a civilization cut off and the fallout that ensued by declaring the British Isles a lost cause.

Yet, Boyle’s newest entry doesn’t just revive a dormant storyline. It revives the idea that horror can still mean something beyond shock value. It makes a powerful case for the fragility of our world and the enduring bond of faith and family.