In the year 2022, the United States of America is in a great place. The country has flourished into a truly “utopic” society. Unemployment, crime and poverty are issues from the past.  A New America has born and once a year they purge. This collective ritual consists in a yearly 12 hour period were all crimes, including murder, are permitted without punishment.  Without laws, police protection or medical services Americans take the streets to unleash their inner beasts and feast on violence and mayhem.

Every year, security systems salesman James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) arrives to his home the day of The Purge, has dinner with his wife (Lena Headey) and kids (Max Burkholder and Adelaide Kane) and activates their state of the art security system to stay at their house until the lawless night is over. As the Sandin family is locked tightly in their "bubble" they sink into the illusion of safety from the chaos that is taking place outside their steel doors. Things take an unexpected turn when a stranger (Edwin Hodge) being chased by a bloodthirsty group finds a way inside their home asking for help. The group leader (Rhys Wakefield) demands that Sandin return the man to them, so they can indulge in their constitutional right to purge. This situation puts James and his wife Mary in a very complex moral dilemma: leave this man to die or risk the safety of the family.

The Purge is a film that examines the violence within the true nature of human race and how terrifying can be to watch the darkest side of our society unravel. In a conversation with the film producer Jason Blum he talks about the horror factor in home invasion flicks. “I think that good suspense and horror is really about creating situations that are relatable, throwing a wrench in it and watching how people respond to that. I think the most honest responses you get to watch are in people’s most private spaces,” he explains. “When you are threatened in the space that you feel safest it makes for the scariest situations,” he adds.

Blum also commented about possible controversies and the moral complexities of a film like this. He states that they were not coming from a specific point of view. “We made a really violent movie about violence in America. The fact that people will talk about that after the movie (in addition to being scared) I would not say is a concern, but it was on the plus side.” He also explained that even though a purge could be a highly improbable idea, presenting it in this movie opens conversations about the place violence has in our lives as a society and as individuals. The producer also explained the perks of working with modest budgets and how it contributes to creative freedom. “I think the idea keys into what we do, which is making movies for low budgets that are strange and different, that are not only entertaining and fun, but make people think a little bit,” he said.

Actor Ethan Hawke, who portrays the head of the Sandin family, talked about how terrifying it is to confront the very tangible possibility of having to protect your family at all costs. When asked about his screen family and how they established chemistry and unity, he complimented his co-star Lena Headey and expressed great admiration for the actress. “My favorite element of the script is Lena Headey’s character.  I‘ve always thought that she is a magical actress . . . She plays this part so interestingly, it's kind of my favorite aspect of the movie and I think because I’ve known her for so long the whole family dynamic was pretty easy,” Hawk said.

As an actor Hawke started to explore horror films with his role in the movie Sinister (2012), with The Purge the veteran actor takes another step into this genre. He explains that as he was finishing Sinister, producer Jason Blum approached him with the script for The Purge, written by James DeMonaco, who is also the film’s director. “I had so much fun with Sinister and when I was younger I loved genre movies. One of my first directors was Joe Dante (Explorers, Gremlins), he taught me a real love for what was possible with a genre movie. Mainly a good genre movie is a really scary, a really fun thing to see on a Friday night, but also has a subterranean political message.  And The Purge is perfect,” he added. Hawk also explains that above the structure restrictions of a genre film to fulfill audience expectations, they also provide a space to talk freely about complex issues. “In a way it's wonderful because you get to make a movie that deals with all these sociopolitical issues.  Who wants to see a movie about gun violence in America and class? But if you set it in a terrifying, fun, rollercoaster ride of a movie you can talk about whatever you want,” he said.

By creating 12 hours of perverse indulgence without remorse The Purge faces the audience with the possibility of their own violence. This film raises once again the eternal conflict between our survival instinct and our humanity. When they turned the switch off, the only goal is to survive the night.

“The Purge” in theaters June 7, 2013.