New zombie sequel 28 Years Later is “horrific”, says star Aaron Taylor-Johnson – only not in the way you might think.

Ahead of the long-awaited follow-up’s release, the Marvel actor explained to GamesRadar+ that he always saw the film as more of “a family drama” than an out-and-out scary flick, which made what happens to his character Jamie, his son Spike (Alfie Williams), and wife Isla (Jodie Comer) all the more terrifying.

“We played the reality of the family drama, didn’t we?” Taylor-Johnson recalled, turning to Williams in the interview. “We just kind of leant into what our family was sort of feeling and going through in this post-apocalyptic world. So the story itself feels very intimate within this big landscape. So you don’t really play into the sort of horror theme in a way? You’re just playing the reality of the circumstances, and I think that, in itself, is more horrific.”

Part jumpscare-heavy zombie horror and part uplifting coming-of-age tale, 28 Years Later sees director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland return to the franchise, the latter for the first time since the 2002 original (Boyle was an uncredited second unit director on the 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later). It follows Spike as he and his pops leave their isolated home, Holy Island, behind for an adrenaline-pumping adventure on the Infected-riddled mainland. What starts out as a hunt for fun, though, soon turns into an eye-opening, treacherous mission after Spike learns previously kept secrets about the world beyond the causeway that’s always kept them safe.

“We really see Spike mature throughout this film, and he has to mature to survive,” says Williams. “We see him right at the start where, you know, he holds back a lot and he’s still got that childlike curiosity. Then we start to see… well, he still keeps that but he pushes it back to defend his mother, who’s he trying to protect.”

In the 23 years since 28 Days Later came out, we’ve seen the release of titles such as World War Z, I Am Legend, Train to Busan, The Walking Dead, and more. But Taylor-Johnson and Williams purposefully avoided watching any zombie horror while shooting 28 Years Later.

“I didn’t,” when we ask whether they looked to the genre for any inspiration. “Because I didn’t feel like it correlated or related to this,” notes Taylor-Johnson, as Williams adds: “It’s just so unique and creative. I just watched 28 Days Later a lot to try and get the vibe of this one.”

Also starring Jack O’Connell and Ralph Fiennes, 28 Years Later releases on June 19 in the UK, and June 20 in the US. For more, check out our list of the best horror movies of all time, or our guide to some of the other upcoming horror movies heading our way.