Once a year, for 12 hours, all forms of crime are allowed in a small American town.

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The introduction of the Purge has brought new life to American society, grounded as it once was by violence and hate. Once a year, for 12 hours, all forms of crime are allowed – a fact that has brought the crime rate down to an all-time low. Security expert James Sandin believes in the Purge: every year, he and his family lock up their fortress of a home and wait out the night. But when a victim of the Purge who's being chased by a mob seeks asylum in their home, the Sandin family becomes a target. Either they give the man up, or their home will be attacked.

The thriller genre has a constant innovation problem. The cheaply produced The Purge seems to have succeeded in taking up the challenge with this original initial idea. But in the end it's business as usual: it takes more than one good idea to make a good movie.