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ON THIS DAY IN HORROR - June 7th

"THE PURGE" released in US in 2013

Imagine a future where on one night of the year all emergency services are suspended (ambulance, fire brigade, and especially the police) for 12 hours. During that allotted time nothing is illegal, despite a few minor regulations that protect government officials and bans the use any weaponry more powerful than a grenade, rocket launcher, or bazooka!

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Established sometime in "late-2010's" by the "The New Founding Fathers of America" - in reality a new totalitarian government and a police state - the annual Purge has resulted in crime and unemployment rates plummeting to 1% and a strong economy (by economy, they mean the huge market for elaborate security systems and weapons for Purge Night). Top security products salesman, James Sandin (Ethan Hawke), and his family prepare for that start of the Purge in their luxury fortified home. As the six sirens go off to indicate the start of the Purge, Sandin's young son, Charlie, sees a wounded man (Edwin Hodge) outside the home, and in an instant of compassion allows him inside. Unfortunately the man is being hunted by a masked and armed gang, led by the psychotic leader known as Polite Leader-1 (Rhys Wakefield) who lay seige to the house, until the Sandin's either give them what they want or the gang "release('s) the beast" - meaning their pretty much going to break in and kill everybody.

Writer/Director James DeMonaco (in his directorial debut) has stated that he originally got the idea for The Purge after his wife made a remark about an episode he had with road rage, and filled it with creepily subtle details - the Annual Purge falls on March 22nd. The day before is March 21st (or 3...2...1...) and lasts from 7PM to 7AM marking the beginning of the Spring equinox, a symbol of eliminating the old and renewing what remains. Produced by Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller (of Platinum Dunes) and Jason Blum, The Purge also stars Lena Headey, Adelaide Kane and Max Burkholder as Hawke's character's wife and children. This would be the second time that Ethan Hawke has starred in a Blumhouse-produced horror film, the first being Sinister released the year before.

The Purge was a major commercial success, it's eventual gross of nearly $90 million far surpassing it's $3 million budget, despite the lukewarm reception it received from the critic's. Entertainment Weekly gave The Purge a B−, saying that it "clearly has a lot on its mind, but it never really manages to express it." In spite of the reviews, the producers have since gone on to produce two sequels, The Purge: Anarchy (2014) and The Purge: Election Year (coming this July 1st, 2016) and inspired the theme for a "scare zone" for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood for the past three years.

Rotten Tomatoes Score:   34%