The Purge Series Is The Most Political Horror Franchise In History (Really)
All of the best horror films are traditionally more than just "a horror film." George A. Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" is a zombie movie, yes, but it's also a satire of consumerism and an exploration of how close the crumbling of societal norms is at any given moment. John Carpenter's "The Thing" is a masterpiece of practical effects, but it is also a sci-fi body horror film examining themes of paranoia, identity, isolation, fear of the unknown, and masculine hierarchies in survival situations. Despite what naysayers may cry out these days, horror has always been political, but one franchise has consistently been a lot more "in your face" about it.
I'm talking of course, about "The Purge" movies. Created by James DeMonaco and introduced by Blumhouse in 2013 with "The Purge," the films take place in an almost "Twilight Zone" alternate reality of America, where the country enjoys a society free of violence and crime because once a year, all crime, including murder, is completely legal for 12 hours.
On its face, the very concept of Purge night feels rooted in our own reality. Things like rage rooms — where people pay money to smash the hell out of cars, computer monitors, and glassware — already exist as a means to help people work out some of their frustration, so the psychology behind an annual Purge isn't all that out of reach. However, by reeling in audiences with the premise of a night of legalized crime, Blumhouse and DeMonaco were able to present progressive messaging about systemic abuse, government overreach, social issues, and racial injustice. And this isn't just subtext either — this is unmistakable, canonical, text.
The Purge movies force you to face our American reality
In the prequel film "The First Purge," it's shown that even during the initial test of Purge night on Long Island, citizens immediately saw through the propaganda peddled by the New Founding Fathers of America (they're dangerous MAGA-types through the lens of Margaret Atwood) and called out the Purge for what it really is: A way for the government to legally rid the country of poor, marginalized people (predominantly Black and brown people) as a cheap, quick, and justified form of genocide. They even refer to the act of purging as a "cleansing" — you know, as in ethnic cleansing.
At the same time, Purge films inspire endless thought experiments for the viewers at home. How would we react on our own Purge night? Would we participate, seek safety within a shelter, or fight back against the very notion of Purging? Given the proximity the series has to our current landscape of cultural unrest, these thoughts are becoming less and less hypothetical with every passing day. There is no cognitive dissonance that exists while watching a Purge movie that allows the viewer an out. The message is clear: Don't trust the government, and don't do their dirty work for them. We recently ranked all five Purge films, and I joined Ben Pearson and Jacob Hall on today's edition of the /Film Daily podcast to explain how the films ended up in their ranking placement and expand a bit more on our feelings about each film, which you can listen to below:
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