12 Most Rewatchable Movie Sequels Of All Time

The first Purge is a pretty passable thriller. The film throws a well-to-do suburban family into conflict with a group of murderous yuppies intent on killing the vagrant whom the well-meaning brood have offered shelter to. It offered a few nasty shocks, a cathartic pay-off, and a surprisingly brutal ending unexpected in standard genre fare.

What it failed to do was take advantage of its killer premise, opting for a fairly standard home invasion movie rather than focusing on the fascinating idea of an annual “free-for-all” wherein all crime is tolerated. Luckily, the superior first sequel remedied this.

Wisely opting to focus not on the upper crust families who are immune to the titular threat, The Purge: Anarchy instead centres around a working-class group struggling to survive the night. The stakes are higher, clearer, and scarier, the cast are easier to root for and the alternative history angle is fleshed out, creating a satisfying satirical condemnation of the uber-rich’s greed.