What actually happens
An initiation with a death match
The Fingers are a gang led by Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal, who worships Satan, and they have just rescued Spike. As an initiation, Spike is forced into a death match against another Finger named Jimmy Shite, and he has to kill him. Afterward Sir Jimmy renames him Jimmy so that he matches the rest of the gang, which is a lot of people called Jimmy. The Fingers include Jimmy Ink, who shows a little sympathy now and then, and Jimmima, who is deranged and sadistic.
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A doctor who coats himself in iodine
Dr. Ian Kelson coats his skin in iodine to protect himself from the Rage Virus and keeps building the Bone Temple, an ossuary for the people the virus killed. An Alpha infected named Samson visits him repeatedly. Kelson works out that Samson has grown dependent on the morphine in his blowgun, and that Samson lets himself be dosed on purpose. Samson stops attacking him, and the two develop a bond as Samson's humanity returns. When Kelson runs low on sedatives, he is about to euthanize Samson, but Samson says his first word, "moon". That suggests the virus may be treatable.
A farm raid and a barn full of bad ideas
The scene people dread is early, at a farm. The Fingers raid the place and take its survivors prisoner, among them Tom and his pregnant partner Cathy. Jimmy Ink spots the Bone Temple from a distance, with Kelson dancing alongside Samson. In the barn, Cathy hides while Sir Jimmy tells the Fingers to flay the prisoners alive as an offering to Old Nick, who he says is his father. Sir Jimmy says Tom can join the gang if he wins a death match, but Jimmima beats him. Cathy comes out of hiding and kills Jimmima. Tom uses a propane tank to set the barn on fire, which takes out one of the Fingers before Tom is killed. Sir Jimmy sends Spike to catch Cathy, and Spike, shaken, pleads to go with her. She does not trust him and gets away.
A visit to a man covered in iodine
The gang is short on members and in a bad mood, and Sir Jimmy threatens to kill Spike for failing to catch Cathy. Ink suggests they visit Kelson, whom she takes for Old Nick because of the iodine, and have him settle what happens to Spike. At the Bone Temple, Sir Jimmy talks to Kelson privately and says he will kill him unless he plays Satan and backs up Sir Jimmy's leadership. The next morning Spike tries to leave, and Jimmy Fox tries to kill him over Jimmy Shite. Ink kills Fox and takes Spike back to camp. Kelson worries that his research on Samson will end, so he gives him a mix of antipsychotics and other drugs, guessing that the virus causes aggression through hallucinations. Samson goes to an abandoned train and sees a hallucinated scene from his childhood there. When a pack of infected attacks him, he is immune to reinfection and overpowers all of them.
The ending, explained
That night Kelson plays Satan for Sir Jimmy in a performance full of pyrotechnics, while exposing the gang to hallucinogens. When he sees Spike, Kelson betrays Sir Jimmy and orders the Fingers to crucify him. Sir Jimmy stabs Kelson fatally, and Ink has to kill the two remaining Fingers to defend herself. Spike stabs Sir Jimmy, then comforts the dying Kelson. Ink, whose real name is Kellie, crucifies Sir Jimmy on an inverted cross, and she and Spike leave. Samson arrives, greets Kelson by name and thanks him as Kelson dies, then carries his body away. Sir Jimmy hallucinates Samson as the devil and is attacked by an infected. Later, Spike and Kellie are running from a group of infected when Jim, a survivor of the original outbreak, and his teenage daughter Sam notice them and come to help.
The post-credits ruling
There is no post-credits scene. You can leave when the credits start.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: none, because there is no dog in the film.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple scary?
Yes. The Bone Temple is a 6 out of 10 with high dread, mostly from the cult's cruelty and some jump scares from the infected. It is more disturbing than the infected are frightening.
How does 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple end?
Kelson tricks Sir Jimmy's gang into turning on their leader, and Sir Jimmy fatally stabs Kelson. Spike and Kellie leave, Samson carries Kelson's body away, and Jim and his daughter Sam come to help Spike and Kellie when infected chase them.
Does the dog die in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple?
There is no dog in The Bone Temple. A deer appears at the start and nothing happens to it, and Samson carries a severed deer head early on.
Is there a post-credits scene in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple?
No. The Bone Temple has no post-credits scene, so you can leave when the credits start.
Who is Samson in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple?
Samson is an Alpha infected who visits Kelson at the Bone Temple. After Kelson sedates him with morphine from a blowgun, Samson stops attacking and says his first word, "moon".
