Universal Pictures just released the first trailer for The First Purge, taking us back in time to the origins of the violent annual tradition of legalizing every crime—including murder—for a 12-hour period. This is the fourth installment of the Purge franchise, and while it sticks to the old, faithful theme of one evening of utter terror, the origins of the event bring along a surprising angle to the story.

While the Purge is advertised as a way to get out human aggression and lower the crime rate, when the tradition is first practiced in a remote town, things don’t ultimately go as planned. When the New Founding Fathers of America initiate the Purge, while some do choose it as an outlet for violence, the NFFA are surprised to see many using it as an excuse to party. To keep the Purge as its violent outlet, the military takes things into its own hands, revealing a much darker purpose behind this “psychological device”.

Though the first Purge is meant to only be an experiment, it’s easy to see why it spreads and escalates so quickly. As the official synopsis states, “when the violence of oppressors meets the rage of the marginalized, the contagion will explode from the trial-city borders and spread across the nation.” Because as we see in the trailer, the NFFA seem to be using the Purge as a means of what appears to be legal genocide by sending real soldiers into the streets during the Purge.

It’s a pretty heavy message for a franchise of gory horror films, but giving the violent tradition roots in an effort of socioeconomic “cleansing” really brings some gravitas to the film. And more and more, The Purge franchise has made their films with an increasing amount of political and social commentary. With a cast made up with actors who are primarily people of color, it looks like this movie is going to not only be an intense, violent horror flick, but it will also touch on some very real issues of racial and social injustice.

This is going to be a fascinating new entry into the Purge franchise, and we’re excited to learn more about this movie. The First Purge hits theaters this summer, appropriately on July 4, so we don’t have to wait too long to learn all about how the origins of the Purge.

Are you excited to see The First Purge? How do you think it will compare to other films in the franchise? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

Feature Image: Universal Pictures

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