The First Purge is coming.
As any true horror fan will know, there’s always an even ‘bigger evil’ that’s lurking behind some of the genres best films. For example, Night of the Living Dead is more about racism than zombies. They Live is a critical take on the Reagan administration. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers is all about the witchhunt that defined McCarthyism in the US. The list goes on.
On that note, it’s easy to mine the current socio-political landscape of the world for some fantastic horror films and that’s what filmmakers have been doing.
2017 was arguably one of the strongest years in recent memory for the genre and with the likes of Hereditary and countless other terrifying treats to look forward to, 2018 is shaping up to be an excellent year for horror fans.
While the films in The Purge franchise have varied in quality, there’s no denying their box-office appeal – they’ve nearly earned $320 million in total while the budget for each film was $10 million or less, per Box Office Mojo.
With news of a TV show on the way, fans of The Purge will also be delighted to know that a new film is coming and it’s directly influenced by Trump’s impact on American life.
The synopsis of the film reads:
“Behind every tradition lies a revolution. Next Independence Day, witness the rise of our country’s 12 hours of annual lawlessness. Welcome to the movement that began as a simple experiment: The First Purge. To push the crime rate below one percent for the rest of the year, the New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA) test a sociological theory that vents aggression for one night in one isolated community. But when the violence of oppressors meets the rage of the marginalized, the contagion will explode from the trial-city borders and spread across the nation.”
In fact, the filmmakers have even borrowed Trump’s famous hat for inspiration.
#TheFirstPurge pic.twitter.com/pAPTJLcIBt
— Abigail (@UniversalHorror) January 30, 2018
Series creator James DeMonaco (writer/director of The Purge, The Purge: Anarchy and The Purge: Election Year) returns alongside Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum (Insidious series, Get Out, Split), Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ouija series, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and DeMonaco’s longtime production partner, Sébastien K. Lemercier (Assault on Precinct 13, Four Lovers) as the creative and producing team for the film.
The First Purge is directed by Gerard McMurray (Burning Sands) and the ensemble cast includes Y’Lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade, Luna Lauren Velez and Marisa Tomei making her Purge debut.
The First Purge begins on July 4th, 2018.
