All in all, The Purge is a problematic film, wearing its politics on its sleeve and embracing nearly every cliché imaginable with the standard home invasion scenario.
This is a darkly fascinating and original story that doesn’t end well for anyone involved, but it has a lot of heart. It's good to see Jen and Sylvia Soska get a break and keep moving upward and onward.
On paper, it sounds like any number of such films that flourished in the late 70’s-early-80’s slasher boom. In execution, there’s a reason why it’s still remembered today.
It's the kind of thematic resonance that was missing from the last two episodes and helps to provide a bit more gravity without overtly sacrificing the family-friendliness.
American Horror Story: Coven is possibly one of the most uncomfortable shows to watch in a mixed group of people, but it packs in cinematic quality each week.
This is exactly what I was hoping for with Gimple in charge. Quiet stories of madness and desperation, with horrible things happening for a reason, rather than just lurching out of the darkness.
But in the process of the film, each of the main characters either can't restrain themselves from murdering humans, do it in a dream state, or otherwise give in to their passionate animal side. And then everybody feels bad.
Not only are there some nice and scary bits scattered throughout the anthology, there are also some of the most bizarre and mind-boggling short films I've ever seen.
