Director Danny Boyle has described the Young Fathers-crafted soundtrack for his new film, 28 Years Later, as “surprising” and “inspiring,” marking a bold musical move for the much-anticipated horror sequel now in theaters. The Danny Boyle 28 Years Later soundtrack formed an integral part of this first entry in a planned trilogy, which also brings Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes into the chaotic aftermath of a zombie apocalypse.
Young Fathers Bring a New Sound to Boyle’s Horror Franchise
After over two decades since the franchise began with 28 Days Later, Danny Boyle returned to the director’s chair and made sure the music would set a new tone. This time, the Scottish hip-hop group Young Fathers was tasked with the film‘s soundtrack, an unconventional choice for a horror sequel. Boyle detailed the collaborative process, underscoring how organic the partnership felt:
“You can’t really brief someone for scoring the apocalypse,”
—Danny Boyle, Director. He outlined their method, sharing how he would send them the script and songs used in the edit room, sparking a dialogue about music that soon became pivotal to the project.
Boyle praised Young Fathers for their ability to merge rich vocal harmonies with rhythmic beats, suggesting their energy surpassed standard expectations for a horror film soundtrack. Describing the group, he noted they were “The Beach Boys on steroids.” The group’s original song “Remember,” designed for a climactic scene at The Bone Temple, especially stood out to Boyle:
“They use vocal harmonies as well as these beats and it just seemed like a wonderful idea to give them this horror film and see what they made of it. If you’re a Young Fathers’ fan, you’ll say ‘yes that’s them’ [when you hear the soundtrack]. But they also wrote this tune ‘Remember’ for this big scene at The Bone Temple and that will definitely surprise people. It’s a very beautiful song and I just love them. They’re a real inspiration.”
—Danny Boyle, Director
Creating the Soundtrack: From a Cold Edinburgh Shed to the Big Screen
Boyle shared anecdotes about Young Fathers’ working conditions, describing how their music studio was far from glamorous.
“They won’t mind me saying this, but they work in a dump,”
—Danny Boyle, Director. During a winter visit, he found himself bundled in a coat inside their cramped Edinburgh shed, with little heating and no snacks provided.
“I went up to visit them and they were basically crammed into a shed. I had to wear a coat because there was not much in the way of heating and it was winter in Edinburgh. They don’t do biscuits either, I had to bring my own. They were worth it though.”
—Danny Boyle, Director
Nostalgic Homages and Musical Continuity
Alongside Boyle, writer Alex Garland reflected on the soundtrack‘s continuity with earlier films in the series. They spoke of the iconic opening scene from 28 Days Later, which featured Cillian Murphy’s character Jim wandering an empty London. For that moment, Boyle chose a track by Godspeed You! Black Emperor:
“We shot that a couple of months before the rest of the film and I’d put Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s ‘East Hastings’ on it. Very rarely do you get that feeling of ‘oh god, that just works and I don’t care what anybody else says about it’. We’ve used it again at the end of 28 Years Later as a homage to that scene,”
—Danny Boyle, Director.
Alex Garland also recounted the impact Boyle’s musical choices had on his writing process.
“I remember you telling me about them when we were still developing the film, so I went out and brought their [2000 album] ‘Lift Your Skinny Fist Like Antennas To Heaven’. I listened to it while I was doing rewrites,”
—Alex Garland, Writer. Garland recalled the organic discovery of so-called “needle drops” as an intrinsic part of scripting and editing:
“It was funny because you usually discover the needle drops while you’re working on the film.”
—Alex Garland, Writer
Behind the Collaboration: Trust and Evolving Relationships
Securing music rights for both the original film and the new sequel involved hurdles. Boyle recounted the challenge of winning over Godspeed You! Black Emperor due to their skepticism about industry figures.
“It was quite hard to get them for the original film though. Understandably, they distrusted Rupert Murdoch and Fox. Andrew [Macdonald, producer] and I went to Newcastle to watch them in concert before going out to dinner with them. They were wary as anything about us, but then they saw the bit of the film we wanted them to soundtrack and they reluctantly agreed. When we approached them for this one though, they said yes instantly. They obviously thought we were okay.”
—Danny Boyle, Director
What Lies Ahead for 28 Years Later and Its Music
28 Years Later is now available in cinemas, with Danny Boyle, Alex Garland, and the Young Fathers’ soundtrack ushering a fresh chapter of post-apocalyptic storytelling. The film‘s score, blending modern beats and haunting melodies, stands as a significant evolution for the genre and enriches the experience for returning fans. As the trilogy continues to unfold, this innovative collaboration hints at further experiments in fusing visual horror with unexpected musical depth, ensuring that the creative risks taken by Boyle and his team will remain a talking point among horror and music enthusiasts alike.
