The Purge franchise has been around since 2013, and a portion of its fans have been misinterpreting it for just as long. Of course, any piece of media is open for interpretation, but James DeMonaco, for one, cannot stand to see certain audience members project their views onto his work.
Speaking with We Got This Covered, the franchise’s creator, writer, and director opened up about some of the worst aspects of his own legacy. In particular, DeMonaco expressed the difficulty, as a filmmaker, to witness his art be misinterpreted and used by some to live out their fantasies through the screen:
“It’s terrifying, man. It’s very scary. I hate that. Listen, I believe the metaphor: the right audience sees. This is what’s so hard about being a filmmaker or any kind of person creating any kind of art, I would say, or book/TV show/movie where something could be misinterpreted from the original intent.
The intent of the piece was something I was writing as a treatise or a reflection of the lack of gun control laws in America. Also, the treatment of the disenfranchised in America. And some people actually look at the The Purge movie, as wish fulfillment, like they would love to be able to Purge!”
The Purge franchise has always been about much more than action and horror, which go hand in hand with the movies’ political and socio-economic commentary. Given this, it’s hard to understand how some are able to take away such wild interpretations, especially when, in every installment, the viewer is forced to see the world through the eyes of the terrified, the defenseless, the ones having to fight tooth and nail to survive the night. But as is the case with everything in life, some folks will always see what they want to see.
While saddened by the way some choose to interact with his art, DeMonaco is also able to look on the bright side and recognizes that, fortunately, the point didn’t fly over everyone’s heads:
“But I’d say a good portion of society – it does make me happy – sees the movies for the original intent, which is like I said a moment ago, which is the lack of gun control laws, and the treatment of the disenfranchised, and the current state of political discord. You know, we can’t be worried about interpretation, but yes, it makes me sad that people think that The Purge could be a very natural extension of the current climate.”
Currently, a sixth Purge film is in the works, despite DeMonaco’s update on it raising concerns. For the filmmaker’s sake, let’s hope it hits the mark with the right audience.