The Purge 15

Collection of five dystopian horrors. In 'The Purge' (2013) Ethan Hawke stars as the head of a family forced to fight for their lives. With crime in America spiralling out of control and prison populations soaring, the government of the day implements a drastic new initiative to address the problem. For a 12-hour period once a year, all crime, including murder, is legal, as the police and other emergency services stand down for the night, allowing the population to regulate itself. The Purge is deemed a success due to plummeting crime levels and record low unemployment figures. But after placing their upmarket home under its yearly lockdown, James and Mary Sandin (Hawke and Lena Headey) and their family find themselves under siege from a crazed group of masked killers when their teenage son (Max Burkholder) offers shelter to the mob's terrified prey. In 'The Purge: Anarchy' (2014), following on from events in the previous film, a year has passed and the time for society to purge itself of all murderous and violent urges has come back around. Desperate to get home to their children before the Purge commences, a young couple (Zach Gilford and Kiele Sanchez) find themselves stranded when their car breaks down, leaving them at the mercy of a mob of masked attackers. Meanwhile, Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo), a man looking to avenge the murder of his son, becomes the reluctant protector of a mother and daughter (Carmen Ejogo and Zoe Soul) on the run. In 'The Purge: Election Year' (2016), two years on from the Purge night where Leo chose not to seek revenge against the man who killed his son, he is appointed Head of Security for presidential candidate Charlene Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell). With Charlene the front runner in the election race due to her vow to end the Purge tradition, Leo's duty is to protect her and ensure she survives the upcoming Purge, the one night where lawless violence and chaos prevail. When an unfortunate turn of events results in the pair being cast out onto the streets of D.C. on the night of the Purge, they must seek help from a band of anti-Purge rebels in order to survive. In the prequel 'The First Purge' (2018), in an attempt to bring the crime rate down below one percent, the New Founding Fathers of America decide to sanction a social experiment which will allow citizens to vent their anger and frustration in a secluded community for one night only. However, the violence soon spirals out of control and trouble begins to spread across the country. Finally, in 'The Forever Purge' (2021), set eight years after the events of 'The Purge: Election Year', the annual Purge is reinstated by the New Founding Fathers of America. Migrant couple Adela and Juan (Ana de la Reguera and Tenoch Huerta) are forced into hiding to survive the lawless night, but when they emerge the following day, they discover that a band of nationalist militants known as the Purge Purification Force have decided that the Purge must be extended indefinitely. As the violence spreads throughout Texas and across the country non-Americans desperately try to escape across the border to safety.