What is the best order to watch The Purge movies?

In an alternate reality, where crime has been virtually eradicated, American citizens take part in Purge Night – an annual event whereby for a 12-hour period, every person is allowed to take part in murder, theft, and rape. That is the premise of The Purge – a series of violent horror movies that have been scaring audiences with their brutal approach to law and order.

But how many Purge movies are there and in what order should they be watched? If those are the questions you are asking, then I have the answers.

Put down the hockey mask, and abandon your plans, there’s some information you need to know…

__________

The Purge movie order

The first Purge movie – titled The Purge – was released in 2013. The film – which starred Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey – was a house invasion thriller, about a gang of Purgers trying to get into the home of an affluent family.

The Purge was dark and violent, with a compelling premise, and it struck a chord with audiences, becoming a big success for Universal Pictures. The film grossed almost $90 million from a budget of $3 million and led the studio to quickly green light a sequel, which arrived in 2014.

The Purge: Anarchy starred Frank Grillo and James DeMonaco and told a much broader story, taking the film out of a domestic setting and demonstrating the effects Purge Night has on a city. Once again, the movie proved a hit at the box office, paving the way for a third entry in 2016 – The Purge: Election Year.

Election Year did big business at the box office and this ushered in a fourth film, The First Purge, which hit cinema screens in 2018, and the fifth, The Forever Purge scheduled for 2021.

If you wish to watch The Purge movies in production order, the films are as follows:

• The Purge (2013)
• The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
• The Purge: Election Year (2016)
• The First Purge (2018)
• The Forever Purge (2021)

__________

The Purge timeline

While The Purge films listed above share the same continuity and a couple of the same characters, the movies aren’t in chronological order. The fourth movie on the list, The First Purge is actually a prequel to the first three entries in the series.

So, if you wish to watch The Purge in timeline order, adjust the list as follows:

• The First Purge (2018)
• The Purge (2013)
• The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
• The Purge: Election Year (2016)
• The Forever Purge (2021)

__________

The Purge TV series

In addition to a collection of films, The Purge has also been adapted for television. The show – simply titled The Purge – made its debut in 2018.

The series is not directly linked to the films, and instead introduces new characters and presents new stories based around a similar premise to the movies. Should you wish to add the show to you ‘watch list’ then simply look out for:

• The Purge – TV show (2018)

__

If you’re a fan of The Purge movies, and looking for another horror series to sink your teeth into, then you may wish to know that there are many classic horror movie series available on Blu-ray, including the Paranormal Activity movies.

The Paranormal Activity: 6-Movie Collection Blu-ray release includes Paranormal Activity, Paranormal Activity 2, Paranormal Activity 3, Paranormal Activity 4, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, and Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension.

The Paranormal Activity Blu-ray is available from all good entertainment stockists, including Amazon US and Amazon UK.

__

Between the movies and the TV show there is a lot of Purge content out there. If you decide to watch it all, just try to remember it’s not real (and hopefully never will be).

Happy purging, folks!

Read more:

Disclaimer: I earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.