

You wouldn’t expect a grim zombie horror to be full of full-frontal, but the biggest cinematic sausage fest of the summer? It’s the scary-good 28 Years Later.
Coming 23 years after his groundbreaking 28 Days Later, director Danny Boyle’s much-buzzed sequel is a post-post-apocalyptic drama in which the Rage Virus—which turns humans into rabid, flesh-hungry monsters—has been contained to the British Isles, closed off to the rest of the world.
Still, a group of survivors has managed to make a life for themselves on a secluded and fortified tidal island, including young Spike (newcomer Alfie Williams), his ailing mother Isla (The Bikeriders‘ Jodie Comer), and his scavenger father Jamie (Nosferatu‘s Aaron Taylor-Johnson).
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Now, Taylor-Johnson’s been known to show off his johnson for a movie or two in the past, so you might assume he’s involved in the film’s many gratuitous shots of male full-frontal… but you’d be (un)dead wrong!
You see, in the world of the movie—as in real-life—28 years is an awfully long time. So long that much of the clothing worn by those with the Rage Virus would have tattered and worn away, leaving many of these zombified creatures in their, um, birthday suits.
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And these “Infected” have evolved in other ways. Some have grown large and slug-like, pathetically writhing across the ground as they slurp up worms from the dirt.
Others, known as Alphas, appear to be bigger, stronger, smarter, and scarier. Oh yeah, and they have giant schlongs, too! That goes especially for the one who comes to be known as Samson, essentially the “Big Bad” of 28 Years Later who is packing heat, to put it mildly.
Even as the tension ratchets up and our heroes are running for their lives, it’s hard not to be a little distracted by the pendulous appendages swinging between the Alpha’s legs. We’re definitely not the only ones to notice:
So, yeah, we’ve got questions. First of all: Why? Did these particular Infected become the Alphas because they’re well-endowed? Or are their engorged dongs a result of the specific strain of Rage Virus they have?
In interviews thus far, neither Boyle nor screenwriter Alex Garland have gotten much into the logistics. if anything, it’s just another way for them to show how, without civilization, this world has resorted to primitive barbarism, ruled by virility and the id.
Thankfully, they have answered our other most burning question: No, that thing on Samson isn’t real. And there’s a pretty good reason for it, too.
Per Boyle, the prosthetics were a necessity on set because the lead of his movie, Alfie Williams, was underage. “[They] would put me in prison if I allowed him to see real genitals,” the director told ComicBook.com with a laugh. “So he has to look at absolutely false photo-real genitals, created by a prosthetics company.”
The fake-out phallus was further confirmed by Chi Lewis-Parry, the 6’8″ former MMA fighter and actor (he recently appeared in Gladiator II!) who plays Samson. In an interview with Variety, he agrees it was for the best that eh was covered up on set—because of the law, of course, but for another very funny reason:
“I’m really friendly and am always hugging people,” Lewis-Parry shares. “I wouldn’t have been doing that if I was fully in the nip!” Alright then, cheeky lad!
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Speaking of cheeky, Variety journalist Alex Ritman just couldn’t help himself, boldly asking the actor if the prosthetic was “in proportion”—yes, really!—to which he replied, “Well, I’m 6′ 8″. I’ll say no more!” No, please, go on!
Even though we’ve already seen plenty of Chi Lewis-Parry as Samson, there’s more on the way. 28 Years Later is the first in a planned trilogy, and it sounds like he’ll return for follow-up The Bone Temple from director Nia DaCosta (The Marvels, Candyman) already in the can and set to hit theaters on January 16, 2026.
And, hey, if you can’t stomach horror, don’t worry: You can enjoy the sight of a (partially clothed) Chi Lewis-Parry from the comfort of your own home by scrolling below…
28 Years Later is now playing in theaters everywhere.
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