Why spend £80,000 on a cinema-grade camera when the most talked-about horror film of 2025 was shot on… an iPhone?
Yes, really. Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later, a $75 million sequel to his iconic zombie flick 28 Days Later, was filmed almost entirely using an adapted iPhone 15 - and not even the latest model.
The result? Five emotional stars from Metro’s review, a wildly anticipated box office smash, and a reminder that filmmaking has officially entered its “low-budget gear, high-budget vibe” era.
Boyle, who revolutionised horror in 2002 with 28 Days Later and its gritty, handheld look, chose the iPhone for its lightweight flexibility and spontaneous energy. “Smartphones are everywhere,” he told The Independent. “You can create special rigs, film the violence, or just hand it to the actors and let them shoot. It’s liberating.”
Oh, and at one point, they strapped it to a goat.
But Boyle isn’t the only filmmaker giving Apple a starring credit. Here are the other bold directors who’ve skipped the studio kit and gone fully mobile:
28 Years Later (2025)
Filmed on: iPhone 15 (modified) Starring: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Boyle’s grim, gorgeous return to the infected apocalypse franchise has blown critics and fans away - and the fact it was shot on a phone makes it all the more jaw-dropping.
“I like refreshing the palate,” he said. “You don’t have to go classical. Horror gives you that freedom.”
Big Man (2025)
Filmed on: iPhone 16 Pro Starring: Stormzy
Stormzy’s short film for Apple TV+ was shot using the brand-new iPhone 16 Pro — complete with cinematic mode, 4K slow-mo and a dreamy handheld intimacy.
Director Aneil Karia said shooting with an iPhone helped strip the filmmaking process back to its rawest, most emotional core. “Sometimes a big camera just gets in the way,” he said. “This was liberating.”
Unsane (2018)
Filmed on: iPhone 7 Plus Starring: Claire Foy
Steven Soderbergh’s psychological thriller was the first mainstream film to fully commit to the iPhone aesthetic and it paid off.
Tense, claustrophobic and deeply unsettling, Unsane blurred the lines between reality and delusion with a lo-fi edge.
Soderbergh was so convinced by the phone’s cinematic potential he declared: “I think this is the future.”
High Flying Bird (2019)
Filmed on: iPhone 8 Starring: André Holland
Soderbergh doubled down just a year later with High Flying Bird, a sharp-tongued NBA drama that captures boardroom battles with the intimacy of a FaceTime call.
“The iPhone allowed me to get shots I simply couldn’t with traditional gear,” he said. “It’s faster, it’s lighter, and sometimes better.”
Tangerine (2015)
Filmed on: iPhone 5s Starring: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor
Shot entirely on a phone and a shoestring budget, Sean Baker’s breakthrough comedy-drama made waves at Sundance and later helped Baker sweep the Oscars with Anora in 2025.
Using a £7.99 app (FiLMiC Pro), a Steadicam rig and a handheld lens adapter, Baker created a sun-drenched, hyper-real L.A. that critics couldn’t get enough of.
“We never lost any footage,” he said proudly. “And honestly, without the iPhone, I wouldn’t have made the movie at all.”
Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
Filmed partly on: iPhone Starring: Sixto Rodriguez
Malik Bendjelloul’s Oscar-winning documentary about forgotten singer Rodriguez wasn’t meant to be an iPhone film, until the budget collapsed and he had no other option.
“I’d run out of money,” he told CNN. “I had a few shots left and used an app on my phone. It looked almost exactly the same as Super 8.”
Turns out you can finish an Oscar-winning film using the same device you use to play Wordle. With more directors now embracing smartphone tech, not just out of necessity, but preference, the iPhone is no longer just a last-minute fix. It’s a creative tool in its own right.
