The ending of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple has left fans scratching their head, particularly about whether Samson truly cured. Director Nia DaCosta has given a bit of clarity on the infected Alpha’s fate.
Was Samson cured in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’s ending
Much of the speculation around the 28 Years Later: Bone Temple ending centers on Samson’s dramatic transformation in the final act. In the film, Dr. Ian Kelson, played by Ralph Fiennes, makes a major breakthrough in treating the Infected. His experimental approach — a combination of morphine and anti-psychotic medication — significantly reduces Samson’s aggression and psychosis.
The treatment allows Samson, played by Chi Lewis-Parry, to enter a calmer, more lucid state. For the first time, the infected Alpha can communicate clearly and recall memories from his childhood, suggesting a profound shift from his earlier condition. In this state, he fought other infected ones and was even bitten multiple times again. But, he still came out as someone who acted totally different from the infected ones after ripping them apart.
While these changes make him seem like a human who isn’t infected and is now immune to the rage virus, DaCosta doesn’t confirm a full recovery for him.
What Nia DaCosta Said about Samson’s fate in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Addressing whether this means Samson was totally cured 28 years later, the director explains that the outcome is more complex:
“I think I’m good to say that [Samson is] not fully cured, and the level that he is healed is permanent,” DaCosta shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “He’s not what he was [at the start of the movie], but is he one of us? I don’t know. But he’s not what he was.” This distinction is crucial. While Samson no longer functions as the violent Alpha introduced earlier in the trilogy, DaCosta deliberately avoids labeling him as completely human again.
Moreover, DaCosta’s comments reinforce that Samson’s condition exists somewhere between infection and recovery. The director emphasizes permanence in his healing but remains cautious about defining it as a cure, especially with another film still to come.
The ending scene, where Samson returns to the Bone Temple and thanks Dr. Kelson before the doctor succumbs to his injuries, underscores this ambiguity. Samson’s composure and emotional awareness contrast sharply with his earlier brutality. But we’ll know for sure when 28 Years Later 3 arrives.
