#Review The Purge: Election Year [Why it’s ONE of the SCARIEST Movies You’ll Ever See]

Head with caution, this one will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end!

With the third installment hitting theatres today, The Purge: Election Year definitely does not disappoint in delivering a rollercoaster ride filled with potent jolts and adrenaline –pumping excitement.

The follow up to 2014’s The Purge: Anarchy, chronicles anti-hero Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo), who becomes head of security for Senator Charlene Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), a potential front-runner in the upcoming elections. After baring witness to her family being brutally murdered 15 years prior during the night of the Annual Purge, Roan’s polemic vow to eliminate the gory tradition, puts her life at major risk.

It is up to Barnes to protect the Senator during the violent and deadly night, but just as they thought they were safe, a colossal betrayal puts both lives at risk, leaving Barnes and Roan exposed to the horrifyingly dangerous evening.

While categorized as a thriller, the film (directed by James DeMonaco and produced by Michael Bay) can easily identify as a horror. The themes of survival in a reality very much resembling our own, are especially potent and remarkably relatable. The movie portrays a system in which appears functional, as there is very little crime and the economy is thriving more so than ever; but the mere idea of such an event existing on an annual basis all in order to eliminate “the bad seeds of society”, is frightening as hell.

If one has the economical resources, security and insurance could protect you from the violent events of the night. However, if you have little financial aid and descend from a low-income family, your chances of survival are scarce. And that is what makes this movie so scary, is that it could actually happen.

Human nature is fickle; and without order and organization even for one night, the consequences of an obedient and relatively law-abiding citizen could lead to violent outcomes, if they should choose to let loose for a few hours. By “purging” all of their anger and tapping into the animalistic primal instincts, the movie depicts what human beings are really capable of if given the opportunity.

The film successfully illustrates the possibility of the existence of such a society and the raw characterization of human nature at its best and at its worst. It boldly suggests what could happen if a government becomes too powerful and the results of its obtrusive corruption.

All in all, The Purge: Election Year is very effective in keeping audiences consistently enthralled all the way to the final conclusion. From the looks of it however, fans will probably get another dose of the franchise. In the meantime, try not to fall of your chair or squeeze your friends hand too hard – because you’re in for a turbulent two hour ride!

Universal Pictures Canada releases The Purge: Election Year on Friday, July 1, 2016

[Review by Alessia Youkhanna]