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The Purge

The Purge is 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, which are written and in some cases also directed by James DeMonaco, who was inspired by a Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "The Return of the Archons". The films present a seemingly normal, crime-free America in the near future. However, the country is a dystopia which observes an annual event known as "the Purge", in which all crime, including murder, is legal for a 12-hour period.

For other uses, see Purge (disambiguation).

The Purge

The Purge (2013)

2013–present

The Purge (2018–2019)

The franchise began in 2013 with The Purge, directed by creator DeMonaco, who also directed two of the sequels and wrote the screenplays for all films in the series. A fifth installment, The Forever Purge, was released on July 2, 2021. In addition to the films, the franchise has spawned a twenty-episode television series which premiered on September 4, 2018, and concluded on December 17, 2019; DeMonaco wrote its pilot episode.


The franchise has received a mixed critical reception, but has grossed over $450m overall, against a combined production budget of $53m.[1]

Fictional premise[edit]

Origins of the annual purge[edit]

In 2014, following an economic collapse and rising social unrest, a political organization named The New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA) is formed and is voted into office. The organization establishes a new totalitarian government and a police state. In 2016, the NFFA devises a plan to help stabilize American society and later in 2017, the 28th Amendment to the U.S Constitution is ratified.[28][29] This amendment establishes a 12-hour event known as "The Purge" which would take place from 7 PM on March 21 to 7 AM on March 22 wherein all crime becomes legal. Before the Purge begins, the Emergency Broadcast System (the predecessor to the Emergency Alert System, which returned for unexplained reasons) is activated with rules and a prayer saying "Blessed be our New Founding Fathers and America, a nation reborn" before ending with "May God be with you all".

Rules[edit]

The rules for the annual Purge are as follows:

Reception[edit]

Box office performance[edit]

The Purge is one of the highest grossing horror film franchises of all-time.

Official website