Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) and his Fingers are an even bigger threat than the infected in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, not least thanks to their practice of “charity”. But there’s an even more sinister real life connection behind this phrase.
The ending of 28 Years Later saw Spike (Alfie Williams) choosing to stay in the mainland, only to be rescued by a group who all go by the name Jimmy. Their blond wigs, tracksuits, and catchphrase “How’s that?” suggest they’re inspired by the disgraced British media personality Jimmy Savile.
This idea is reinforced in The Bone Temple, but in case there was any doubt, O’Connell was asked by The Hollywood Reporter if Jimmy Crystal was influenced by Savile. “Yeah,” he replied. “I think he sort of models himself on the memory of this figure that was always on TV.”
Savile was a real-life TV presenter and DJ who died in 2011. It wasn’t until after his death that police launched a formal investigation into the allegations that he had sexually abused hundreds of people, including young children. Warning: spoilers ahead!
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple elaborates on Jimmy Savile connection
Although the Rage virus broke out in the UK before investigation, the Jimmys’ practice of “charity” takes on a far darker meaning when considering Savile’s real-life crimes.
In The Bone Temple, “charity” is the term Jimmy and his Fingers use for torture, resulting in the most brutal scene of the horror franchise so far. It begins when the gang break into a survivor’s farmhouse and tie them up in the nearby barn.
Their “charity” of choice in this instance is removing their shirts, which means skinning their torsos. Later, Jimmima says she wants to remove a man’s trousers, aka skinning his lower half – manhood and all.
We also see the aftermath of one of their acts of charity in 28 Years Later, when Spike and Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) come across a man who has “Jimmy” carved into his torso, and has been left hanging upside down, ready to be ravaged by the infected.
In the real world, before Savile’s crimes came to light, his charity work was as famous as his presence in the media, leading to him being awarded the OBE in 1971 and knighted in 1990 (another connection to “Sir” Jimmy Crystal).
Although sexual abuse allegations had been made during his lifetime, the survivors were largely ignored and dismissed. Following Savile’s death, an investigation was launched into the hundreds of accusations, with the police concluding that he was a predatory sex offender.
Countless documentaries and true crime shows have since detailed how Savile used his charity work as a smokescreen to gain trust and authority, while also using it to gain access to vulnerable people in hospitals, schools, and care homes.
There isn’t a sexual element to the Jimmys’ “charity” in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and their practice is dedicated to Old Nick (aka Satan). But even if it’s not intentional, it’s equally sadistic and darkly ironic that they’re continuing this element of Savile’s horrific legacy.
Xiaomi SU7, ancora un nuovo record: percorsi 4.264 km in 24 ore. Battuta la Xpeng P7