‘The Forever Purge’: An Allegory For The Dangers of Nationalism

With it’s portrayal of violent white nationalism run amok, ‘The Forever Purge’ hits closer to home than any previous instalment of the film franchise

‘The Purge’ franchise — for as much as I have admittedly enjoyed it through the years — has never felt as profound as it purports to be. The films all revolve around an America ruled by the “New Founding Fathers” who have instituted an annual one-day holiday where all crimes (including murder) are allowed. The franchise, which began in 2013, was marketed as a dark dystopia that shined a light on the evils of mankind and how close society is at any given moment to becoming ruled in the name of our darkest desires and demons. Despite this marketing however, the film series never quite landed as such; failing to transcend boilerplate horror clichés.

The franchise’s latest instalment, however, offers a marked and welcome shift in perspective and priorities. Less focused on jump-scares, and with the most fully fleshed out story-telling of the series so far, ‘The Forever Purge’ is the best instalment of ‘The Purge’ to date. Unlike previous instalments of the franchise, which never did enough to establish the film’s premise as anything other than laughably ludicrous, the…