The Purge franchise is set in an alternate America where, for one night each year, all crime is legal, and the country spends 12 hours in a frenzy of violence. The franchise includes five films and two TV seasons, with another movie planned.
The latest film, The Forever Purge, shows El Paso in flames, consuming the whole country. Although it eventually became grand in scale, the franchise began as a low-budget home invasion horror film on Purge night. It was similar to The Strangers but with more social and political commentary.
James DeMonaco, who created and wrote all five movies, has mentioned influences like a classic Star Trek episode and the films of Michael Haneke. However, his original inspiration was a smaller, personal event—a near-miss car accident involving him and his wife.
What Are the Purge Movies About?
The Purge movies are unique because they don’t reuse characters. Instead, they share common settings and themes. In the world of The Purge, an openly fascist political party called “The New Founding Fathers of America” takes power during an economic crisis.
They introduce the Purge, which becomes completely normal by the time of the first movie. The idea is that one night of ritual violence helps people get rid of their negative energy, allowing them to be healthy and productive for the rest of the year.
The Purge is believed to have led to America’s recovery and success. People who are murdered are thanked for their sacrifice. The influence of Shirley Jackson’s story “The Lottery” is clear. In this world, violence has become a part of the society’s belief system.
But there is a dark side. Each 12-hour Purge is actually a way for the wealthy to kill the poor. This is clear from the first movie, where villains are rich bigots who chase an unhoused person into the Sandin family’s home.
Most Purge films feature characters like the Sandins: people who accept the violence of the Purge as normal and believe in its purpose, even supporting it. James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) sells high-security home systems for the wealthy to stay safe during the Purge.
By the end of the film, they realize the system’s wrongs and fight back against this American system of violence. The triumph in a Purge film comes when the hero rejects the Purge’s logic by showing mercy to a defeated enemy. DeMonaco avoids indulging the audience’s “bloodthirsty nature.”
Are the Purge Movies Based on a True Story?
The Purge is an extreme idea, and it might seem strange to ask if it’s based on a real story. On a smaller scale, similar things have happened. There are many places with unusual laws. For example, the 1980s movie Footloose, about a town banning dancing, was based on a true story.
In fact, something like the Purge did happen, but it was much earlier—in the later days of the Roman Empire. The Romans celebrated “Saturnalia” around the winter solstice.
During Saturnalia, some social rules were lifted. Gambling was allowed, dress codes were relaxed, and restrictions on enslaved people were eased. This time of festivity is thought to be an ancestor of some Christmas traditions, like appointing a “Lord of Misrule.”
Because Saturnalia is similar to The Purge, some think it was the direct inspiration. This idea is linked to darker myths about Saturnalia, sometimes wrongly believed to involve human sacrifice. However, DeMonaco has never claimed Saturnalia as an inspiration.
He has consistently pointed to American history for The Purge’s real-life inspirations (The Purge refers to the celebration as a chance to release “American rage.”) DeMonaco, Ethan Hawke, and producer Jason Blum have called The Purge a “strange, dark critique of American gun culture.” DeMonaco has said that a violent incident he experienced himself might have been the first hint of The Purge.
In an interview with Complex, James DeMonaco shared a story about a road rage incident on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. DeMonaco was driving with his wife when a drunk driver cut them off. This led to a fight on the freeway after the driver showed “no remorse” for nearly causing a fatal crash.
Afterward, DeMonaco’s wife said, “Wouldn’t it be great if we all had one free one a year?” She suggested everyone should have a single annual murder. This implies that even ordinary people might fantasize about killing someone they find extremely irritating.
DeMonaco always mentions that his wife is “a nice person,” highlighting the contradiction in The Purge franchise. DeMonaco has been careful not to use his stories to agree with the idea that ordinary people are just murderers restrained by law.
