However, as subsequent sequels The Purge: Anarchy and The Purge: Election Year would reveal, the annual Purge is actually more concerned with providing the rich and powerful a means with which to control the population.
In the current age of political strife and unrest in America, perhaps no horror franchise has emerged as more culturally relevant than The Purge.
Set in a dystopian near-future, The Purge presents a world where American society collapsed, leading to the rise of a new group of authoritarian governing overlords called The New Founding Fathers of America.
As Election Year showed, some wealthy people even use the “holiday” as an excuse to watch the poor be hunted for sport.