I remember sitting in the movie theater back in February with one of my friends watching the coming attractions when Purge: Election Year's trailer popped on the screen. At the time, I felt slightly unsettled at the fact that the creators of the series had involved a fictitious presidential election in their latest installment; however, I didn't think much of it at the time. As the year has moved forward, my feelings changed from unsettled to completely disturbed due to the amount of violence that our country has seen in the last couple of months, even weeks. Part of me is shocked that the movie was still released, the other part was not surprised one bit.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the plot line of The Purge movies, set in an America in the not so distant future (the first movie is set in 2022), the government abolishes crime except for one day per year for a 12 hour period. Ultimately, the United States keeps crime and unemployment low by administering this tactic. During this 12 hour period, all crime is legal including murder. As per horror movie standards, the murders are gut wrenching, especially in this most recent movie.
To prevent myself from writing an article out of ignorance, I actually went to see the Purge: Election Year. I definitely would not recommend the movie due to the amount of unnecessary violence and the idea that the only way to fix our country is to have a political uprising. I won't give away any surprises for those of you looking to see the movie in the future, but I will say this: behind the blood, murder, and horror, there is a definite political undertone and if you are really looking for it, behind the killing machines disguised as humans, there might be a broader, more positive message NOT having to do with death or violence.
What is it about horror movies that draws us in? Why are Americans drawn in as a culture to be so intrigued by violence and being scared? Why do we crave it? Is it that we are bored with our own lives, so we feel like we need to live through these movies to experience situations we would never otherwise be in?
In 2015, nearly $340 million was made off of 24 horror movies. This lands the 6/14 in genres at the box office. It's safe to say it is a relatively popular choice for movie goers. It is also likely that it could be higher up in the rankings if more scary movies were released.
Furthermore, studies have shown that violence in entertainment does affect the brain. A study at the Indiana University School of Medicine found that after only one week of playing violent video games, the activation portion of prefrontal cortex and the amygdala of the brain was significantly altered. This part of the brain is responsible for concentration, self-control, and decision making. The amygdala is the "emotion center" of the brain. However, this does not necessarily mean anything. The University of Alabama and Virginia Tech found that watching violent movies makes people more hostile and that it sticks with people for quite some time. Finally, Macquarie University discovered that children are more likely to view the world as an unsympathetic, malicious, and scary place if they watch violent films. It also stimulates violent, aggressive behavior and desensitizes them. When their brain scans were compared with children who acted out violently, they looked very similar.
Has the violence we are exposed to every day through television, movies and gaming systems affected us a society? It's highly likely. Could this be why there is has been a spike in violence in America in recent years? I wouldn't shoot the idea down, especially since violence is prevalent and unavoidable in society today.
