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HorroRated archive entry

The Purge: Election Year

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HorroRated verdict
Recommended
2010sDystopianAction HorrorSurvival HorrorUrban Horror
Directed by
James DeMonaco
Written by
James DeMonaco
Produced by
Andrew Form, Sébastien K. Lemercier, Michael Bay, Jason Blum, Brad Fuller, Couper Samuelson, Luc Etienne, Jeanette Volturno

Why it’s HorroRated

Subtlety is not on the ballot this time, and the movie is better for owning that. Mykelti Williamson steals scene after scene as a deli owner priced out of his Purge insurance, Betty Gabriel brings real grit, and Grillo's weary bodyguard gives the chaos a steady center. Building the story around a presidential race sharpens the series' satire of American spectacle, with costumed Purgers turning the capital's avenues into a lurid carnival. The speeches can sound like campaign ads and the villains are cartoons, but anyone who wants their horror angry, loud and tuned to the headlines will have a good time.

Synopsis

Washington, D.C., becomes the battleground in The Purge: Election Year (2016), James DeMonaco's third Purge film as writer and director, set in 2040 during a presidential race that could end the annual night of legal killing. Elizabeth Mitchell plays Senator Charlie Roan, the candidate pledging to abolish it, and Frank Grillo returns as Leo Barnes, now in charge of her protection. Mykelti Williamson, J. J. Soria and Betty Gabriel play a shopkeeper, his employee and an emergency medic whose paths cross with theirs. Shot largely in Rhode Island, which stood in for the capital, it is a political action thriller wearing horror-movie masks.

Filed under

Where to watch The Purge: Election Year

Subscription
Prime Video · Peacock
Rent or buy
Prime Video · Apple TV · YouTube · Google Play · Fandango at Home

Streaming in the US changes often. Listings from JustWatch via TMDB, checked October 27, 2026.See every option

Quick facts

Release date
June 29, 2016
Runtime
1 hour 49 mins
Country
France, Japan, United States of America
Language
English
Content rating
R
Entry type
Movie

Content notes

  • Gunfights and brutal killings
  • Strong language

Tags

The Purge: Election Year trailer