History Film / ThePurge1

* UngratefulBastard:
** Zoey. When [[spoiler:Zoey's boyfriend Henry tries to kill her father and gets shot instead]] she immediately carries him upstairs and fusses over him. She doesn't check on her father who was shot at or her mother and brother who could've been hit by a ricocheting bullet/shrapnel and doesn't call him out on his actions or express disapproval. This is even though her father provided for her, as they are wealthy and well-cared for, and is a good parent to her.
** [[spoiler:The neighbors could qualify too. They detest the Sandins because they feel like the Sandins are flaunting their wealth by adding an addition to their house. Never mind the fact that the large majority of said wealth was the result of the neighbors buying high-tech security systems from Jack Sandin, which are essentially the only thing keeping their families from being brutally murdered.]]

''The Purge'' is a 2013 dystopian SlasherMovie directed and written by James [=DeMonaco=] and starring Creator/EthanHawke and Creator/LenaHeadey. It is the first entry (but second chronologically) and namer of the ''Film/ThePurge'' franchise.

* CampUnsafeIsntSafeAnymore: The Sandins think themselves safe when the gang threatens to invade, but James is forced to admit that the system was never designed to ward off such determined invaders and goes on to rattle off a series of vulnerabilities the security system has. Then the gang just rips the metal plating off using trucks. Several vulnerabilities indeed.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: All three films have examples of Purgers [[IdiotBall becoming so obsessed with their own theatricality that they end up ignoring their surroundings.]]

* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler: Henry's]] attempt at using the Purge to "[[MurderTheHypotenuse remove]]" his lover's disapproving father from the equation. If he's successful, does he really think his girlfriend will forgive such a thing? Or that her mother will allow him to walk away unharmed after killing her husband? Did he intend on killing her too if she interfered? Or that her brother would just stand there and allow his parent/s to be killed? Would he have killed her brother too? There's basically no way he remains her boyfriend if he goes through with this. [[spoiler: Henry also fails to consider her father would be armed and worse still, willingly forgoes the element of surprise. His spectacular failure ends with him killed by his intended target.]] Bizarrely, when things do go south, [[spoiler:Zoey seems more concerned with his welfare than that of her father]].

* MurderTheHypotenuse: Well, sorta. [[spoiler:Henry decides to murder James during the Purge, as James is quite opposed to Henry dating his daughter on account of being older than her (he's said to be 18).]]

* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler: Henry]] is shot in self-defense, after warning his intended victim. Trying to kill him in the first place was pretty idiotic.

* SurpriseCreepy: The trailer goes for this effect. It starts happy and idyllic, but then it shows why that is, and the reason is not a pretty sight.

* DeathBySex: [[spoiler: Henry]] is implied to have had sex with [[spoiler: Zoey]] at the start of the Purge. After this, he wants to meet her father to discuss the relationship. [[spoiler:It turns out that he actually wanted to kill his girlfriend's father. And it epically backfires so hard on Henry at the cost of his life.]]

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: When James explains to the gang leader that his that young son was the one who gave the man they were chasing shelter, he's seen chuckling over the story.

* FreeRangeChildren: The kids are allowed to roam free through the house despite the purge is on, instead of spending the evening in a family game night, say playing TabletopGame/{{Monopoly}}. This doesn't turn out well. Even after it is discovered that someone made it inside the house after lockdown, they are still free to wander.

* AnAxeToGrind:
** The invaders brought a fair number of axes with them. Later, James uses an ax to kill one of the invaders.

* FictionalPoliticalParty: The annual "Purge Night" holiday was established after the rise of a political party calling itself "The New Founders of America", or NFA for short.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The movie [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-kim/rethink-review-emthe-purg_b_3401505.html turns certain elements of libertarian/modern conservative ideology]] UpToEleven (particularly the 'every man for himself' aspects) and see what the consequences would be if they were actually applied. The fact that the main bad guys are a gang of preppy Young Republican types and their victim is a homeless black war veteran can't be an accident. Also [[spoiler: the neighbors want to kill the Sandins for being richer than them]]. WordOfGod says it ''is'' intentional.

* AdultFear: The Sandin parents have a lot to be worried about because they're trying to set a good example for their kids by doing nothing bad during the Purge (while simultaneously reassuring them that the Purge is a good thing and that they ''could'' participate if they wished to). That doesn't even touch on the fact that one of their kids lets in a stranger because he looked like he needed help or that a psychopathic gang is quite willing to launch a home invasion and kill everyone in it...

* {{Foreshadowing}}: When James is looking at the cameras, he sees the Ferrins having a party that they weren't invited to and says "Just thank God we weren't invited". [[spoiler:Guess what the neighbors try to do to them later on]]?

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Charlie tinkers with unusual gadgets, spends his time in crawl spaces, and checks his vitals at the dinner table. These behaviors are never explained.

* CloudCuckoolander: Charlie tinkers with unusual gadgets, spends his time in crawl spaces, and checks his vitals at the dinner table. These behaviors are never explained.