While The Purge franchise has evolved from being a horror movie, to focusing more on the action, the one thing that has never changed is that the basic premise is just completely creepy. The idea that people, not just can, but should, go out and commit crimes, which mostly involve killing people, for the good of the nation is absolutely chilling. The newest trailer for The Purge: Election Year plays exactly on this feeling. Before getting into scenes from the film, get ready to be told you’re a terrible American if you don’t go out and participate in the Purge.
While it sounds like these smiling people are claiming that they’re really happy they have an eating disorder, what they’re actually saying is "last year I totally murdered somebody, isn’t that great?" It actually feels more messed up than the actual clips of The Purge: Election Year. This third installment follows a US Senator who is running for office on a platform of ending the Purge. Of course, such things do not sit well with the powers that be, who use the annual event to keep the masses placated, so that they can easily keep power. The solution? Use the event as a cover for a political assassination. Luckily, the Senator has Crossbones, er, Frank Grillo, on her personal security detail, and he’s going to do what he can to keep her alive.
While not a traditional horror franchise anymore, The Purge has a lot in common with recent successes in that genre, like the Saw films, namely, that they cost just short of nothing to produce, and bring in a solid box office return. This makes them incredibly profitable for the studio. The biggest name to ever appear in the series was Ethan Hawke, but that was back in the original film. Now that the third movie looks to be following much more in the footsteps of the second, it appears the series has found its footing. If we see more in the Purge series after this one, and it’s a fairly safe bet that we will, they’ll likely all look something like this. The new film is not entirely without its horror moments, however, and this one makes me want to hide under my desk.
Are you ready for your next experience with The Purge? We’ll be busy boarding up the windows.
