The Purge: Election Year — (2016)

Would you “purge” if you could?

Have you ever been so angry or upset that you really wanted to seriously harm another person? Was it your morals or your fear of possible imprisonment that held you back? What if there was a dedicated time period you could “purge” that pent-up anger without legal repercussions? The Purge movie series provides a vivid illustration of just such an opportunity.

The Purge: Election Year is the third and most recent release in a series of dystopian horror films. Within each of The Purge movies there is a “purge,” a 12 hour period in which all crime is legal and no police, fire, or other emergency services are available. In the first iteration of this movie series the New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA), a far right political party is voted into office. In an effort to stabilize the society following an economic collapse the NFFA passed the 28th Amendment, authorizing an annual purge. During the purge, restrictions prohibit top government officials from being harmed and certain weapons such as explosives devices and chemical/biological weapons are prohibited. Anyone violating these rules is punished by hanging.

While the purge had been sold as a means of releasing and cleansing the souls for the people, it is being used by the NFFA to control the population by eliminating the homeless, poverty stricken, and those considered to be inferior. However, the annual purges have been credited with strengthening the economy through the reduction of unemployment and crime.

Throughout The Purge series there is a split among the population over the purge. Some support the purge for economic reasons, but don’t purge themselves. Others love the purge and use this as an opportunity to eliminate those who they feel have wronged them or simply for sport. Another group of activists, who vocally oppose the purge, are at the core of The Purge: Election Year. The activists are made-up of the lower or working class citizens who realize the purge is really about eliminating them.

In this 2016 release, a presidential election is underway and polls indicate that candidate Senator Charlie Roan is neck-and-neck with the rival NFFA candidate. Senator Roan, who witnessed the murder of her entire family during an earlier purge, is running on a platform that seeks to abolish the purge. The NFFA successfully revokes the rule granting immunity to the top government officials so they can move forward with their plan to assassinate Senator Roan. The NFFA utilizes a neo-Nazi white supremacist paramilitary team to track down and capture Senator Roan, which they ultimately succeed in doing. Simultaneously, the activists have secretly hatched their own plan to assassinate the NFFA candidate. Just as Senator Roan is about to be sacrificed by the “founding fathers,” the activists sabotage their “purge party” and save Senator Roan just in the nick of time.

The Purge movie series are both political and social allegories and this is vividly evident in “The Purge: Election Year.” While you can substitute your own real life characters or groups for those depicted in the movie, this is more a story about the dangers of institutional prejudice at the hands of a totalitarian government. This is also a story of redemption as the activists attempt to regain true freedom from the reigns of the NFFA. Working across social and racial classes the activists show solidarity and sacrifice as they seek to protect the greater good. Ultimately the activists prevail in regaining their freedom through the successful election of Senator Roan and the repealing of the annual purge event.

While a “purge” may never be welcomed or sanctioned in the U.S., this notion does cause one to wonder if such an event could actually reduce violent crime by creating a safer society the remaining 364 days of the year. Could such an event lead to a stronger and more prosperous economy? What would the impact of a “purge” be on our national security?

We’d love to hear your comments. Please respond below or send us an email at homelandhumanity@gmail.com and we’ll share the responses in a future post.