Right here’s one thing movie critics are fairly unanimous over: 28 Days Later is likely one of the most interesting horror motion pictures of the twenty first Century. With Danny Boyle as director, Alex Garland on screenwriting duties, and Cillian Murphy stranded within the deserted centre of London, it’s already turn out to be a basic. The factor folks nonetheless can’t resolve on? If it’s a zombie film or not. As a result of whereas it has hordes of bitey bastards operating round (actually, on this movie’s case) and turning everybody else into even extra bitey bastards, they’re technically rage-infected folks slightly than undead corpses.

In a brand new Empire interview, Garland is lastly able to weigh in. “I’m conscious for years and years there’s been debates about that,” he says. “Over whether or not or not it’s a zombie film.” His verdict? “It’s a zombie film,” he says definitively. “No matter technical discrepancies might or might not exist, they’re just about zombies.” The one downside is, the ‘not a zombie film’ camp has Danny Boyle himself on its facet. Now, followers must work out who they align themselves with – the one who wrote it, or the one who shot it. Perhaps it’s not so decisive a solution in spite of everything.

Whereas all of Garland’s display screen initiatives have oscillated between horror and sci-fi (largely combining each), his new movie Males lands firmly on one finish of that spectrum. “Yeah, it’s not sci-fi,” he says. “If we’re gonna get into subgenres, the subgenre right here is people horror.” The movie stars Jessie Buckley as a girl being stalked by a collection of males who, by some means, all have the face of Rory Kinnear – although the mysterious trailers are protecting any semblance of a wider plot underneath wraps. “It’s the horror of rural England,” Garland teases of the movie’s milieu. “It’s sure sorts of church buildings, sure sorts of forest – the shadows inside darkish inexperienced. That form of factor.” However right here’s a thought: what if it’s really a zombie film? (So far as we all know, it undoubtedly is not.)

Learn Empire’s full function on the making of Males – speaking to Alex Garland, Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear – within the Jurassic World Dominion challenge, on sale Thursday 14 April and accessible to pre-order on-line right here. Males involves UK cinemas from 1 June.