Believe it or not, it’s already been 10 years since the release of James DeMonaco’s breakout hit, “The Purge.” The micro-budget horror film would go on to earn a massive box office and devoted fanbase, spawning four sequels and multi-season TV series. And in honor of the film’s 10th Anniversary, DeMonaco joins The Playlist Podcast to talk about his 2013 hit and how a fractured country inspired him to make a film about people killing each other for sport.

Continue reading ‘The Purge’ 10th Anniversary: James DeMonaco Talks The Franchise, The Political Message & Why The 6th Film Is In “Limbo” [The Playlist Podcast] at The Playlist.

Ladies and gentlemen, Joe Carnahan, Frank Grillo, & Gerard Bulter have returned to re-light the flame of old-school R-rated badass action with their new film “Copshop.” The film follows a con man (Grillo) who gets himself arrested to avoid dying at the hands of a frightful hitman (Butler). In true Carnahan fashion, blood, guts, and explosions occur, and the actors chew the hell out of the scenery.  

Continue reading Frank Grillo Returns To Talk ‘Copshop,’ ‘The Purge 6,’ ‘The Raid,’ Crossbones, & More [The Playlist Podcast] at The Playlist.

If you’re a fan of horror films, you know the name James DeMonaco. He’s the writer, director, and overall creative mastermind behind “The Purge” franchise. And over the past decade or so, the filmmaker has focused on his massively popular thriller franchise. However, his new film, “This is the Night,” is something completely different, but it also might be his most personal to date.

Continue reading James DeMonaco Talks His New Film ‘This Is The Night, Gives First Details About ‘Purge 6’ & More [The Playlist Podcast] at The Playlist.

Look, I know people might be surprised to hear this, but it’s true–I’m an avid fan of the ‘Purge’ franchise. Even though the films are often seen as micro-budget horror-thrillers that aren’t top-tier entertainment, I’ll defend them to my dying breath. I feel as if “The Purge” is a franchise that is one of the most thematically strong and creative that we’ve seen over the past decade, hands down.

Continue reading Frank Grillo Confirms He’s Returning For ‘Purge 6’ & There’s Already A Finished Script at The Playlist.

Blumhouse horror franchises (mostly) seem to be keen on mixing things up with subsequent films, often changing casts, settings, and stories. This is probably best seen in “The Purge” franchise, which has morphed from a home invasion thriller in the original to a large-scale action film series with serious messages about politics and society as a whole. And before the release of “The Forever Purge,” last week, it seemed as if filmmaker James DeMonaco was done with ‘Purge’ films, having put an ending on the franchise.

Continue reading ‘Purge’ Creator Has An Idea For A Sixth Film & Wants Frank Grillo To Return To The Franchise at The Playlist.

Unlike other hits to come from Blumhouse over the past decade, “The Purge” started as a simple, but clever horror franchise and morphed into a political satire that mixes over-the-top violence and imagery with a very serious message. And according to the director of the franchise’s finale, “The Forever Purge,” which arrives later this year, the final film in the ‘Purge’ series is going to wrap up the story and fully explain the satire that some people might have missed in earlier entries.

Continue reading ‘The Forever Purge’ Will “Set The Record Straight” About The Themes Of The Franchise As It Comes To An End at The Playlist.

One of the more interesting stories of the last year was the decision by Universal and Blumhouse to pull the controversial thriller, “The Hunt,” from the release schedule. The timing of the original release was unfortunate, as the mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso happened approximately a month before the violent film was expected to hit theaters. And with folks like President Donald Trump tweeting negative things about the film, the studio and production company agreed that it wasn’t right to release the film.

Continue reading Jason Blum Says ‘The Hunt’ Is A Satire That Is “No Different” Than ‘Joker’ Or ‘The Purge’ at The Playlist.

Jason Blum might be a superstar producer that is revolutionizing the horror genre with his microbudget hits, but one thing he isn’t is subtle. And with a couple of new photos on social media, it would appear that the man behind Blumhouse Productions is lining up a new project with Sylvester Stallone that is more than likely ‘Purge’-related.

A few months ago, Blum shared a picture with “Halloween” star Jamie Lee Curtis.

Continue reading Jason Blum Teases Sylvester Stallone Meeting That Seemingly Points To The Actor Coming To ‘The Purge’ Franchise at The Playlist.

Blumhouse Productions has never been a company to shy away from milking popular franchises for a series of sequels. However, that doesn’t mean they keep franchises going forever. Right now, one of the production company’s most profitable series is “The Purge,” but according to the creative mind behind it all, it looks like Blumhouse is ready to put an end to the action-horror series while its still on top.

Continue reading ‘The Purge’ Creator Says He Plans On Ending Franchise With Upcoming 5th Film at The Playlist.

An angry movie about our toxic political climate, class and economic disparity, and the maltreatment of minorities, “The First Purge” is incensed with the currently failing state of America. These inequities are all worth fury and indignation, which is a shame, because this latest film in this exploitation franchise—all about a sociopolitical experiment where crime is legal and allows citizens to release their violent demons in a 12-hour period— “The First Purge” has no clue what to do with its own pent-up rage.

Continue reading ‘The First Purge’ Is Angry, But Doesn’t Know What To Do With Its Rage [Review] at The Playlist.

Yep, that’s about right. Not sure what else I was expecting, but the first trailer for “The Purge” TV series, coming to USA Network, looks exactly like every other ‘Purge’ thing ever. Masks? Check. Wealthy people executing the less fortunate? Check. Political speech-like narration? Check. But somehow, even though I’m one of the few that will admit to like the franchise, it’s hard for me to get excited about this series.

Continue reading ‘The Purge’ TV Series Trailer: The Popular Murder-Filled Franchise Is Coming To TV Screens Later This Year at The Playlist.

In an era when it seems that laws are suspended or remade every minute or every day, a horror movie based around the premise where for just 12 hours justice is thrown out the window seems quaint. But Universal and Blumhouse Pictures are clearly hoping to push some buttons with the latest chapter in “The Purge” series, “The First Purge.”

Starring Y’Lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade, Luna Lauren Velez and Marisa Tomei, franchise creator and staple James DeMonaco sticks around as the screenwriter, but passes the director’s chair over to Gerard McMurray (producer of “Fruitvale Station,” director of “Burning Sands“).

Continue reading ‘The First Purge’ Trailer: Behind Every Tradition Lies A Revolution at The Playlist.

Since last fall, a TV series based on the hit horror film franchise “The Purge” has been in the works, and many have been wondering how a show will elaborate on a central premise that has people doing awful things to each other for 12 hours each year, consequence free. Well, the answer is that “The Purge” won’t really be about the The Purge at all.

NBCUniversal has their upfront television presentation today, where they unveil the slate of projects they have coming to the small screen, and the central premise of “The Purge” series has been revealed.

Continue reading ‘The Purge’ TV Show Will Be About Everything But The Purge at The Playlist.

With films like “Split” and “Get Out,” Blumhouse is having a great 2017 on the big screen. For the past decade, Jason Blum and his production company have made a name for themselves by financing micro-budget genre films that have gone on to become box office hits, spawning numerous horror franchises. Well, it looks like Blumhouse has their sights set on the small screen now, and they’re bringing one of their cash cow franchises along with them.

Continue reading Blumhouse Set To Adapt ‘The Purge’ As A TV Series at The Playlist.

Just because you’ve landed a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn’t mean your character will necessarily have a complex or enriching arc (just ask Natalie Portman). And while Crossbones is very cool on paper, he didn’t really do much across “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Captain America: Civil War.” And it looks like we won’t be seeing any more of him any future MCU efforts.

Continue reading Frank Grillo Turned Down Playing Crossbones Again For Marvel at The Playlist.

“The Purge” isn’t a franchise that’s ever going to see one of its movies make a billion dollars at the box office, but in terms of return on investment, I would venture it offers a mightier percentage than some much more expensive blockbuster films out there. The horror/thriller series is certainly in healthy shape, with this summer’s “The Purge: Election Year” the most successful yet, and the entire series so far earning over $315 million worldwide.

Continue reading ‘The Purge’ Will Bring More Mayhem In A TV Series at The Playlist.

How 5 Recent Horror Films Scared Up Big Success At The Box Office

Continue reading How 5 Recent Horror Films Scared Up Big Success At The Box Office at The Playlist.

The Worst Films Of 2013... So Far...

Continue reading The Worst Films Of 2013… So Far… at The Playlist.

The Completely Necessary 'The Purge 2' In The Works

Continue reading The Completely Necessary ‘The Purge 2’ In The Works at The Playlist.

Box Office: ‘The Purge’ Surges With $36 Million; ‘The Internship’ Doesn’t Get Hired

Continue reading Box Office: ‘The Purge’ Surges With $36 Million; ‘The Internship’ Doesn’t Get Hired at The Playlist.

What Are You Seeing This Weekend? 'Much Ado About Nothing' For 'The Internship;' 'Wish You Were Here' For 'The Purge'

Continue reading What Are You Seeing This Weekend? ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ For ‘The Internship;’ ‘Wish You Were Here’ For ‘The Purge’ at The Playlist.

Review: 'The Purge' Starring Ethan Hawke & Lena Headey

Continue reading Review: ‘The Purge’ Starring Ethan Hawke & Lena Headey at The Playlist.

Listen: Exclusive Track From Nathan Whitehead's Score For 'The Purge'

Continue reading Listen: Exclusive Track From Nathan Whitehead’s Score For ‘The Purge’ at The Playlist.

Watch: Crime Gets A Holiday In Trailer For Thriller 'The Purge' With Ethan Hawke

Continue reading Watch: Crime Gets A Holiday In Trailer For Thriller ‘The Purge’ With Ethan Hawke at The Playlist.

Joss Whedon's 'Much Ado About Nothing' & Ethan Hawke's 'Purge' Get Summer Release Dates

Continue reading Joss Whedon’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ & Ethan Hawke’s ‘Purge’ Get Summer Release Dates at The Playlist.