The Horror movie genre is one that struggles with originality. We’ve all seen a ton of movies where a masked killer hunts down helpless teens with a butcher knife. One of the most interesting and intriguing concepts from a modern horror flick is The Purge franchise. Luckily for fans of the series, the trailer for the newest installment, The Purge: Election Year was just released. Check it out.
Honestly, this seems like it might be the best Purge film yet, and for a few reasons. Let’s break down what we know from the trailer.
The Purge: Election Year revolves around Senator Charlene "Charlie" Roan, played by Lost fan favorite Elizabeth Mitchell. She is a survivor of a gruesome Purge night 15 years ago, where the rest of her family was slaughtered by a madman Purger. As an elected official, Roan is seemingly the only person in power who is actively opposing the annual Purge, which is a Government-sanctioned event where every year 12 hours of crime is permitted including murder. The introduction of The Purge has resulted in record lows in crime and unemployment, while also helping to solve the problem of overpopulation and homelessness in heavily populated areas… at grave costs.
What makes The Purge: Election Year so exciting is the large scope of the piece. While the original film introduced the concept of the annual Purge and followed one suburban family’s night from hell, the two sequels assisted in fleshing out the world of the franchise. Additionally, we’re seeing more characters from the previous films crossover as time goes on.
Frank Grillo, who was the protagonist from The Purge: Anarchy is playing a major role in Election Year as Roan’s head of security. He was a character who set out in the last film as a Purger, hellbent on revenge for his young son’s death. However, his mind is changed as he helps a group of people attempt to survive the night, and sees just how sick the annual event is. Additionally, actor Edwin Hodge will be appearing in Election Year, making him the only actor to have been present during all three films. He was saved by the Sandin family in the first film, and has since become a militant opposer to the annual event who saves the innocent and kills privileged Purgers who make sport of killing.
The Purge: Election Year will be the first time that we’ll be able to see the people in power in this alternate America. We will finally be able to delve into the institutionalized nature of the The Purge, and finally understand how it is possible that murder is happening annually without widespread opposition from the American people.
Plus, this crap looks straight up terrifying.
The Purge: Election Year will be released on July 1st, 2016, a very appropriate and spooky choice of Fourth of July weekend.
