Movies
[Stanley Film Fest ’13 Review] ‘The Purge’ Thrives Off Twisted Conceit
While we weren’t able to attend the first annual Stanley Fest Film Festival, Bloody Disgusting reader Erik Myers was lucky enough to attend what sounded like one of the best horror events of the year.
The fest played host to the world premiere screening of The Purge, Uni’s collaboration with genre buffs Platinum Dunes and Blumhouse.
In theaters June 7 from director James DeMonaco, the pic takes place in an America wracked by crime, where the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity—including murder—is legal. Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder, Adelaide Kane, Edwin Hodge, Tony Oller and Rhys Wakefield all star.
Here’s Myers’ mixed-positive review.
There’s no denying that the United States has forged a unique, often cinematic relationship with violence over the past two centuries. From genocide to school shootings, this country has seen it all. It’s perhaps the biggest theme running through The Purge, a clever and exciting thriller with one hell of an elevator pitch for a plot: What would life in America be like if crime was legalized for one night a year?
Not so bad, it turns out. Especially not for James Sandin, played by Ethan Hawke. We follow him he returns to his home in a well-to-do suburban neighborhood, hours before the big night, which is referred to simply as the “Purge.” He’s made a mint in the high-end security business, turning homesteads into fortresses in advance of the big night. Hawke fills the role well, sounding so self-assured as he explains to his skeptical son Charlie how the “Purge” has more or less saved America from self-destruction. He’d sound smug if he weren’t so fatherly. But shortly after the evening begins, Charlie is unable to ignore the bedraggled stranger out on his street, begging for shelter. He lets him in, not quite anticipating the company who has targeted him.
The Purge ultimately is a home invasion film, but its twisted conceit puts some well-needed tweaks on the genre, some of which are surprising or at least interesting. The pace is great and the action is good, but above all The Purge is unsettling. There’s almost something masterful about the way DeMonaco references modern Americana all over the film, reflecting the ceremony that surrounds beloved events like Halloween or the Super Bowl. There’s also Rhys Wakefield as the film’s memorable antagonist, the polite leader of the band of masked marauders trying to break into the home. Smartly dressed and with plenty of charm, he’s a bit more nuanced and far more creepy than your average Patrick Bateman clone. Moreso than any other actor, Wakefield’s presence makes The Purge click.
Some will be disappointed that the film keeps the focus to the Sandin home, largely leaving the rest of America to our imaginations, but it’s a wise decision. There’s plenty of hints and allusions to chew over, and it’s kind of fun to ruminate on the possibilities of an evening without rules. Just don’t start whipping out the party favors. -Erik Myers
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
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