‘The Forever Purge’ Trailer: Horror Franchise Goes Out in Violent Fashion

Universal Pictures has released the first trailer for “The Forever Purge,” the fifth installment in the blockbuster horror franchise. The dystopian horror saga began in 2013 with “The Purge,” which starred Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey as a wealthy family who find themselves hunted during the annual Purge, the one night in which all crime, including murder, is temporarily legal. The franchise was created by James DeMonaco, who wrote the screenplays for all five films and directed the first three.

A direct sequel to 2016’s “The Purge: Election Year,” “The Forever Purge” follows a Mexican couple on the run from a drug cartel who become stranded on a Texas ranch. Though the presidential elections eliminated the Purge, the couple find themselves hunted by a group of outsiders who plan to continue the tradition despite it being outlawed. The premise shifts the saga away from its usual urban setting, while still promising to deal with issues of race and class as the previous films did (via THR).

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“The Forever Purge” stars Ana de la Reguera (“Goliath,” “Twin Peaks”) and Tenoch Huerta (“Sin Nombre,” “Narcos: Mexico”) as the beleaguered couple. The cast also includes Leven Rambin, who starred in the second season of HBO’s “True Detective,” alongside Will Patton (“Minari”) and Cassidy Freeman (“Smallville”). The movie was directed by Everardo Gout, who caught the attention of Blumhouse after helming several episodes of Nat Geo’s “Mars.”

“The Forever Purge” hails from the same producers as all previous installments. They include Blumhouse boss Jason Blum alongside Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form. DeMonaco and Sebastien K. Lemercier are also producing via their Man in a Tree shingle.

The next chapter is as close thing to a box office slam dunk that exists in Hollywood these days. The “Purge” movies have made over $450 million worldwide on a combined budget of around $35 million. The last release, “The First Purge,” was the highest-grossing episode in the horror franchise so far. The series also spawned a TV series, which recently wrapped its second season on USA Network.

Universal will release “The Forever Purge” in theaters on July 2. Check out the frightening first trailer below.

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