Although Slow Lows are the least threatening variety of infected in 28 Years Later, you might still be confused about why Spike and Jamie let one go – unless you spotted this hidden detail.
A lot has happened since the events of 28 Days Later. After the Rage virus broke out, the UK was placed under strict quarantine, not permitting anyone to enter or leave the country.
28 Years Later is set on a remote island separated from the mainland by a causeway, one that’s only accessible during low tide. As for the zombies, they’ve evolved.
Slow Lows live up to their namesake, and are introduced early on in the new movie when Spike (Alfie Williams) and his father (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) head to the mainland as part of a coming-of-age ritual. Warning: spoilers ahead!
Slow Low child has human eyes in 28 Years Later
The pair use their bow and arrows to slay every Slow Low but one: a child. You might assume that this is due to feelings of empathy and guilt about killing a little girl, but there’s a detail you may have missed – unlike the other infected, she has human eyes.
Arguably, Jamie recognized that as the offspring of the infected, she isn’t a full Slow Low. This is reinforced later when Isla (Jodie Comer) helps a regular zombie give birth.
Despite the implications that the father is an Alpha (the scariest species of all), the baby doesn’t appear to be infected in any way, leaving the mainland’s resident physician, Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), stumped.
One viewer noticed this detail, suggesting it could have major implications for the survivors moving forward.
Sony“At the beginning of the movie, the first time we are introduced to the Slow Lows, there’s a child that Spike and his father didn’t kill and let scurry away. If you look closely, its eyes are normal and show no sign of infection – but still, is definitely infected,” they wrote on Reddit.
“I’m assuming that this was to imply that the newborn baby that was born from the infected woman, later, will be the catalyst to the island being overrun.
“The newborn is infected, but it seems the purebred infected don’t have the eye symptoms like someone who is turned. That’s my opinion, anyways.”
Another agreed, indicating that Spike may have doomed everyone on the island by handing the infected’s offspring over to them. “Spike has unwittingly killed everyone on that island,” they said.
Others have different theories about the zombies. “I think Slow Lows are babies that have turned and obviously matured, the baby may not be infected as soon as it is birthed but if it isn’t killed shortly after it will inevitably be turned rather quickly,” one commented.
“What can a baby do? Not a lot but crawl, what do the Slow Lows do? Crawl. I think Slow Lows are the babies born from the infected.”
However, another replied, “I doubt they are grown up babies of the infected. Just mutated infected that have adapted to the scarcity of resources in their own unique way.”
“It looks more like an adaptation similarly to the Alphas. Slow and low. Conserve energy and become bottom feeders and not predators,” they added.
“I took that they didn’t kill the last Slow Low because it was a waste of an arrow and Spike got his first kill. Why waste what precious arrows they have on a Slow Low that didn’t pose a threat?”
28 Years Later is in cinemas now. If you’ve seen it, check out our breakdown of the ending, why it’s called 28 Years Later, and the scariest looking horror movies of 2025.
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