'The First Purge' (2018) Movie Review

When The First Purge, the latest in Blumhouse’s saga of a future where all crime is legal for one night, sticks to the horror elements that drive the franchise, it’s often quite effective. In short bursts, it taps an underlying sense of dread and evokes a visceral, gut-level terror. When the protagonists stumble their way through dark streets, pursued by gangs of giddily murderous revelers draped in eerie masks, it’s tense and scary and raw. The framework around these moments, however, doesn’t always support the weight.

'The First Purge' Trailer Lights It Up

As a film series, The Purge films fluctuate wildly. The first had a cool concept, but turned in a mostly middling home invasion yarn. The Purge: Anarchy is an exploitation-style throwback that opens up the world and, IMO, is the best of the bunch. The Purge: Election Year tried to up the crazy, with mixed results—there’s good and less good. But these movies are also cheap, quick to produce, and crazy profitable. Which is why The First Purge is upon us, and you can watch the first trailer now and gawk at a new poster.