10 Horror Movies Where The American Dream Becomes A Nightmare

The phenomenally successful Purge franchise is commendable for its ability to weave social commentary into gory and highly marketable horror fun, and its political knife slices sharpest in the airtight first instalment.

The series’ surface level strength is its elevator pitch-perfect premise: once a year, crime is declared legal, thus allowing society to expunge its worst desires. For those unable to defend themselves, this means untold chaos.

For the wealthy, though, they can hide out behind their fancy security systems and wait it out, safe in the knowledge that it doesn’t apply to them. Ethan Hawke stars as James Sandin, whose security company has benefitted mightily from the annual criminal chaos. But his amoral profiteering hasn’t gone unnoticed by his neighbours, and this year’s Purge might not end so well.

The Purge is a deeply cynical, surprisingly complex film. Ultimately its message is: there’s no situation so bleak that someone won’t be able to make money from it.