The Death Cult in ‘The Bone Temple’ Is Scary. Our Real One Is Worse

'28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' / Sony Pictures

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is the newest installment in a horror franchise that continues to demonstrate how gut-wrenching terror can invite viewers to ponder questions about politics and human nature. The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta and currently playing in theaters, will certainly make you scream your guts out, but it will also invite you to consider: What is my ultimate concern 
 
For those who have seen the previous three films, some of these questions will be familiar territory: Will humanity’s violence ultimately lead to a societal and environmental collapse? What does it mean to be human? Why do some humans label others as “non-humans”? But The Bone Temple is asking new questions, a lot of them revolving around spirituality and whether there is ultimately a benevolent (or malevolent) deity. Previous movies in this series—especially 28 Years Later (2025), which preceded The Bone Temple—gestured toward religion, but DaCosta’s installment puts religion front and center, and then turns things up to 11.

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