The Purge is actually an American anthology media franchise centered on a series of dystopian action horror films distributed by Universal Pictures and produced by Blumhouse Productions and Platinum Dunes. The films present a seemingly normal, crime-free America in the near future. The truth is that the country is a dystopia that celebrates the annual national holiday that is The Purge, a day in which all crime including murder becomes legal for a 24-hour period.
It’s definitely an original idea that has given us a creepy thriller series. Little did many people who watch all of The Purge series know, there are actually so many terrifying facts that can be identified from them. These are 7 of them.
1) The Perfect Storm
Hurricane Katrina was actually another piece of the puzzle that solidified the idea for The Purge. A key part of the purge is the lack of government services, such as police and ambulances. The insufficient government response in New Orleans was another ingredient that led to a story of 12 hours of legal murder in America.
2) Charles Manson’s Cult
Some fans thought the outfits worn by the villainous purgers in the first film resembled those worn by Charles Manson’s cult, and they’re probably not far off. DeMonaco was obsessed with the Manson murders as a child and says that they still affect everything he writes.
3) Worst Side Of Human Nature
The Purge tends to explore the worst side of human nature. Some view it as unrealistic that so many people would engage in crime, violent or otherwise if it is allowed. However, DeMonaco got plenty of inspiration from seeing the variety of death displayed on the news. Gun culture as a whole scares DeMonaco, making him realize there’s no need for a supernatural villain when we’re all killing each other anyway.
4) Claustrophobic
One of the major influences on The Purge: Anarchy was Dog Day Afternoon, a crime film about Al Pacino’s character being locked in a bank. Like a bank, DeMonaco treated the city like a prison of sorts, an “enclosed space” from which his characters must escape. Space becomes a “pressure cooker” that forces the characters to test themselves.
5) Culture Shock
By this point, it should be pretty obvious that the Purge creator has an interesting point of view that might clash with most people’s sensibilities. That is why many of the messages and images we see in the series are tamer versions of something else that DeMonaco wanted to bring to the big screen. DeMonaco has said: “Everything in these movies starts with this grand insanity and then gets pared down into something that, I guess, is palatable to the bigger audience”.
6) The Purge Inspired Real Crimes
It’s sometimes great when movies can inspire viewers to face a challenge or to believe in each other. Not so great when a psycho uses the movie as an inspiration for the crime. In Indiana in 2016, Jonathan Cruz committed random acts of violence, including robbery and three counts of murder. Cruz later said The Purge inspired him. Incriminating evidence included a text sent to Cruz’s girlfriend, “U better go on Facebook and watch da videos of me shooting people. I Purge every night now.” Horrifying spelling and grammar aside, Cruz definitely had issues.
7) Good Looking Out
The Purge has some historical parallels, such as the Roman festival of Saturnalia, a week of lawlessness that lasted from December 17 to 25 during Pagan times. DeMonaco’s dad also brought up an example that could get his son sued if he wasn’t careful. Star Trek’s “Return of the Archons” shows Captain Kirk and the Enterprise land on a planet ruled by a computer system. The computer would go down every day at 6 pm and its subjects would use that time to engage in all the debauched crime we are used to from the Purge films. DeMonaco doesn’t mind the comparison and says that he wants people to see the parallel. What a good sport.
Sources: Factinate.