#The Purge Is Still Relevant, Still Scary, And Still As Eloquent As Ever

The “Purge” franchise has been done to death, much like any horror franchise worth its salt. “Scream,” “Halloween,” “Nightmare on Elm Street.” They’ve all come back again and again like the villains whose stories they tell — sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.

Depending on who you ask, the “Purge” franchise did that as well, sometimes expanding on the world’s main concept in meaningful ways — in my opinion, the “Purge” TV show, which premiered in 2018, totally rules — and sometimes not so much. And, like most horror franchises worth loving, its original installment has stood the test of time (so far).

Among many other things, like the human need for catharsis and our unexplainable penchant for violence, 2013’s “The Purge” does such an excellent job of highlighting what happens when extremism brews over in the teapot and spills onto the floor. While we were making strides toward equality as a country — we were embarking on President Obama’s second term when this film was released — there were (and still are) a lot of nefarious things brewing in the underbelly, hoping for a chance to take power. This film shows what happens when we let our guard down and allow that to happen — and even if it only rears its ugly head one night a year, that doesn’t mean there isn’t something sinister behind it all.