This week’s Pop Culture Boner reviews the complicated world of the Purge franchise. Why did it get so big? What does it mean? Would we be lingerie-wearing murder bunnies with chainsaws, or would we be hiding in the house? Probably hiding in the house - let’s be honest. We’re not good with confrontation.
Articles and websites I referenced:
Sonaiya Kelley (LA Times, 2018) - An oral history of ‘The Purge’ franchise: From micro-horror breakout to Trump-era cautionary tale
blackhorrormovies.com - specifically, their Purge reviews, but the whole site is a great referece
Peter Bradshaw (The Guardian, 2016) - The Purge: Election Year review – emetic, unsubtle grindhouse horror
Some plot summaries of the films and TV series, if you’re into that sort of thing:
The Purge (2013)
The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
The Purge: Election Year (2016)
The First Purge (2018)
The Purge (TV series) (2019)
You can download the full transcript here.