10 Great Movies Starring Doctor Who Actors You Need To See

3. Christopher Ecclestone - 28 Days Later

Danny Boyle’s 2002 post-apocalyptic horror movie is one of the greatest success stories in independent cinema. 28 Days Later, despite not technically being a zombie movie, was the shot in the arm that the dying subgenre needed and is pretty much responsible, along with the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake, for ensuring zombies would be a mainstay of pop culture for the next fifteen or so years.

28 Days Later is a rare gem; a movie made cheaply but very competently with a good script, great acting and a visionary director. It is also genuinely scary which isn’t something that can often be said for low budget horror. Danny Boyle perfectly captures the desolation and pulse-pounding dread of a man waking up in a world where everyone around him is gone and the land is filled with terrifying creatures.

The third act of the movie sees our survivors make it to a military blockade where a small squadron of soldiers have set up a base. At their head is Major Henry West played by future Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston. Eccleston does a fantastic job of appearing to be a beacon of hope; a man of fortitude offering solace in the country house his men have seized. Eccleston allows the unease surrounding his character to build at a leisurely pace until it is revealed that he intends to let his men rape the two female survivors.

Eccleston’s performance is layered and we can see the regret and desperation etched on his face as he pleads with the characters to understand. The only way he could keep his men in order was to promise them women. It is a truly excellent performance that elevates the movies final act beyond a simple horror movie and into a more nuanced drama.