In 2013, James DeMonaco wrote and directedThe Purge, an action horror film with an interesting question at the center of its premise: what if crime was legal? For 12 hours, all crime is legal, including murder, and all emergency services are suspended. Set in a dystopian future,The Purgedepicts a wealthy family fighting to defend themselves against a group of sadistic murderers on Purge Night.
The Purgeexploded at the box office, making an impressive $89 million against a $3 million budget. The massive success ofThe Purgespawned four sequels and two seasons of a television show. The film also started the partnership betweenJason Blumand Blumhouse Productions with Universal Pictures, a relationship that still lasts in 2023. To commemorate the 10th anniversary, we ranked The Purge movies from worst to best, which you’re able to find below.
5. The Forever Purge (2021)
For the fifth film in the franchise,The Purgeelected for their version of a western inThe Forever Purge. In 2048, the New Founding Fathers of America are back in power, and their first order of business is to re-establish the Purge. However, America is starting to question the Purge as many fear it will hurt, not help, the country. Set in Texas,The Forever Purgefollows Abela (Ana de la Reguera) and Juan (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s Tenoch Huerta), migrant workers from Mexico who illegally cross the border to Texas, where they work for the Tusker family.
One year later, the country remains divided on Purge night. Abela, Juan, and the Tusker family are attacked the morning after Purge night by the “Purge Purification Force,” or PPF. The PPF does not want the Purge to be limited to one night. These extremists never want the Purge to stop as they attack innocent people in all fifty states. Canada and Mexico open their borders to those looking to escape the PPF, so Abela, Juan, and the Tuskers attempt to flee through El Paso into Mexico.The Forever Purgeis not as shocking as previous iterations, and its views on social inequality, capitalism, and racial divide are met with mixed results. However, it’s still a Purge movie at the end of the day, and there are two to three exciting action sequences to make up for the misfires.
StreamThe Forever PurgeonMax.
4. The First Purge (2018)
When was the inaugural Purge, and how did it come about?The First Purge, the fourth film in the franchise, depicts the origins of the Purge. In an alternate 2014, the NFFA came into power, and in 2016, they conducted an experiment that would serve as the basis for future Purges. On Staten Island, the NFFA introduces the Purge, an experiment where crime, including murder, is legal for 12 hours. The NFAA offers $5,000 to willing civilians who will stay and partake in the festivities.
The night starts like any normal night, but once the first murder happens, all hell breaks loose. To shake things up, the NFFA sends in trained mercenaries, including a serial killer named Skeletor (Rotimi Paul), to ensure the experiment’s success. The NFFA wants the remove the lower income class to create a larger wealth distribution gap between the rich and the poor. The action is not as exciting as other entries, asThe First Purgeemphasizes social commentary more than action. However, creating aprequelwas a smart, fresh concept to explore the origins of Purge Night.
StreamThe First PurgeonHulu.
3. The Purge (2013)
The premise that inspired a series of films and a TV show was first introduced to audiences inThe Purge. Set in 2022,The Purgefollows a family of four on Purge night: James Sandin (Ethan Hawke), his wife Mary (Lena Headey), and children Zoey (Adelaide Kane) and Charlie (Max Burkholder). James works for a company that designs security systems for wealthy families to protect their houses on Purge night. James designed the security systems for his entire gated community in Los Angeles.
On Purge night, Charlie disables the security system and lets in a stranger (Edwin Hodge) being hunted by a group of merciless Purgers. Led by their polite leader (Rhys Wakefield), the masked and heavily-armed Purgers threaten to infiltrate James’s house if he does not give up the stranger. The Sandins decline the leader’s offer and choose to defend themselves.The Purgeis the most contained film of the franchise, as the second half is set entirely in one house. The first 20 or so minutes are nothing special. Once Charlie lets in the stranger in the house, put your seatbelts on becauseThe Purgebecomes an exciting home invasion thriller.
StreamThe PurgeonPeacock.
2. The Purge: Election Year (2016)
The Presidential election betweenDonald TrumpandHillary Clintonwas not the only hotly contested election to play out in the media in 2016. Set in 2040,The Purge: Election Yearmarks the return of Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo), the former police sergeant fromAnarchynow working as the bodyguard for U.S. senator and presidential candidate Charlene Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell). As a child, Senator Roan witnessed the death of her entire family on Purge night, so she promises to end the Purge if elected President.
Viewed as a threat by the NFFA, the group removes immunity against government officials on Purge night in hopes that Roan will be eliminated. After being betrayed by her team, Barnes and Roan are forced to flee their compound and fend for themselves on Purge night. Grillo continues to shine as Barnes in an action role that is right up his alley. It’s hard to watchThe Purge: Election Yearand not draw parallels between the 2016 Presidential election and how it divided the country. However,Election Yeardoes provide hope for a better (alternate) future, an unfamiliar feeling in a franchise littered with death and violence.
StreamThe Purge: Election YearonPeacock.
1. The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
The Purgemay have introduced the idea of a crime-free night, butThe Purge: Anarchyunlocked the franchise’s full potential in the sequel. Instead of containing the story to one family inside a house,Anarchyexpands the universe with three distinct storylines across Los Angeles. At the center is Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo), an LAPD officer looking to murder the drunk driver who killed his son one year earlier.
As Leo goes on his hunt for vengeance, he steps in to save Eva (Carmen Ejogo) and Cali (Zoë Soul) from an attack by the NFFA military. The trio links up with Shane (Zach Gilford) and Liz (Kiele Sanchez), an estranged couple on the run from a group of masked Purgers. The eclectic group is left to work together to survive a night from hell. Unlike the first film,The Purge: Anarchydoes not have to waste time with exposition at the beginning of the film.Anarchyjumps right into the action, taking advantage of an expanded budget to tell an ambitious and enthralling story with multiple storylines and settings. To this day, it remains the best Purge film released.
