28 Years Later has recently come under intense scrutiny by fans as the ending of the film appears to pay homage to peadophile, Jimmy Savile. The latest instalment of the horror franchise, directed by famed director Danny Boyle, shows a 12-year old boy named Spike who has managed to be kept safe from the virus.
Played by Alfie Williams, Spike is taken from the small island that he has been safely living on and is now on a mission to head to the mainland.
The film also stars acclaimed actors Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes, along with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who was cast as Spike's dad.
The highly anticipated movie ends with Spike bumping into a cult on the mainland, whose leader is a man named Jimmy Crystal, played by Jack O'Connell.
As the encounter gathers pace, viewers are made aware that the cult are Kung Fu experts and their fashion sense has been inspired by prolific peadophile Jimmy Savile as they donned blonde wigs and shell suits.
However, it was initially unclear as to why the director decided to give a nod to the disgraced TV personality as following his death, police at the time concluded that he was a predatory sex offender as the extent of his sickening crimes came to light.
At the time of his death in October 2011, a slew of allegations surrounding sexual assault were brought to the public attention, which led to a police investigation.
And this may explain why fans of the film were left scratching their heads over the chosen ending and its nod to the monster.
Taking to social media, one person wrote: "Watched 28 Years Later last night and I can’t believe they had a character called Jimmy who dressed exactly like Jimmy Savile."
Another said: "If you have an itch that can only be scratched by watching a film that ends with ninjas who are all dressed like Jimmy Savile, then go and watch 28 Years Later. I’m not even joking."
Meanwhile a third added: "Movie was alright, epic cinematography. Not sure why there were 15 Jimmy Saviles at the end though."
And a fourth penned: "I went to see 28 Years Later and I thought it was a smart, gripping and unexpected sequel in the series. I even liked the weird Kill Bill Jimmy Savile end!"
In a bid to gain clarity over the ending a number of fans came forward with their own theories as to why the ending appeared to feature Jimmy Savile.
One person said: "In the world of 28 Years Later, Jimmy Savile was never outed as a pervert and was still a beloved entertainer in the minds of all survivors."
Another viewer explained: "Crazy that the Jimmy character in 28 Years Later resembled Jimmy Savile - I guess with the UK pretty much coming to an end in 2002 in that world he was never exposed for his crimes."
When speaking to The Independent, Danny Boyle explained: "The role of Jack O’Connell’s character and his family, which is a replacement, really, for the family he loses at the beginning of the film, is to reintroduce evil into what has become a compassionate environment."
He added: "I asked Alex [Garland, writer] right at the beginning to just tell me what’s the nature of each of the films, and he said that the nature of the first film is about family. The second film is about the nature of evil. And you’re about to meet a lot more of them when it’ll be more appropriate to talk about them in the second film."
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