28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’s Cult Theory Stuns Fans

Horror enthusiasts are buzzing over a new theory that’s thrown a dark shadow over Jack O’Connell’s Sir Jimmy Crystal in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. The speculation centres on the strict headcount of his sinister group, and it’s got punters looking at the character in a whole new light.

Cast your mind back to the bleak opening of the previous film, where a horde of infected storm a family home and a church in rural Scotland. The carnage leaves several children and the local vicar dead, but one child manages to escape. That lone survivor, as it turns out, is young Jimmy. Now, a viewer has suggested that Jimmy’s loyal followers, known as the “Fingers”, are more than just henchmen—they’re a stand-in for the siblings he lost that night.

Fan Theories and Symbolism

On X, @pipeshotgun shared,

“The Fingers are called The Fingers but have more than 5 members but cannot have more than 7, this is because Jimmy is (I assume subconsciously) replacing the same amount of sisters he lost.”

The post included a side-by-side of Jimmy’s crew in the latest film and the terrified kids from the prologue of 28 Years Later.

Another fan chimed in,

“Plus, 7 isn’t even associated with the devil in the Bible. 7 is often viewed as a holy number. It’s very clearly him linking it to his family.”

A third offered a different angle:

“Hear me out, it’s for the 7 deadly sins.”

Others took the mickey, pointing to the group’s matching blonde wigs as evidence, with one quipping,

“Explains the wigs!”

and another joking,

“I thought it was only 7 because that was how many wigs he had.”

Deadly Initiations and Childhood Trauma

Within the film, it’s established that Jimmy’s cult has a brutal initiation process. Whenever a new recruit wants in, they must challenge an existing member. The two then fight to the death, with the winner either keeping their spot or taking the place of the fallen. This ritualistic violence keeps the group’s numbers in check and adds a layer of menace to Jimmy’s leadership.

While the theory about the siblings is just that—a theory—the film makes it clear that Jimmy’s traumatic childhood shapes his actions in the apocalypse. The most telling moment comes in a surprisingly tender exchange with Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Kelson. Jimmy reveals that his father, whom he believes to be Satan, still gives him orders in his head.

Family, Faith, and the Apocalypse

Jimmy’s backstory is steeped in religious overtones. His father, a devout man, saw the infected as a kind of divine reckoning. This warped worldview left a mark on Jimmy, who now leads his own flock with a mix of devotion and violence. The cult’s size, the rituals, and even the wigs all seem to tie back to the family he lost and the faith that twisted his sense of right and wrong.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is currently screening in cinemas, with a third instalment already in the pipeline. For those keen on more chills, there’s a whole slate of upcoming horror films to look forward to this year.