56 Days Later

What happens to a zombie flick after 28 days of release? In the case of Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, it gets an additional four minutes of footage. Beginning July 25, audiences who stick around for the credits will be treated to an alternate (and darker) ending set up by a ”What if…” teaser.

”We put it on the DVD in the U.K. and got an amazing response,” says Boyle of what was the original finale — until test screenings and studio muscle convinced him to reconsider. ”Purists will think, Yeah, that’s the way it should have gone.” (They’ll be free to tell him as much: 28dayslater.com will soon be equipped with an e-mail link for comments to which the director promises to respond.)

And yes, there is even a third ending — one Boyle calls a ”very weird idea,” so audiences must wait for the U.S. DVD release. ”[Screenwriter] Alex Garland and I act out the parts over the storyboard with voice-over,” says Boyle. ”It’s really good fun.”