As various over-hyped, high-concept block busters raid theaters, it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling to see modestly budgeted horror films received with the same anticipation.
I am referring, of course, to 'The Purge; Election Year' -- the third in the series of science fiction/horror hybrids.
The new entry features a female senator out to change governmental policy that allows citizens to let off steam and essentially go berserk with impunity for one day out of the year. Masked savages depicted in the trailers apparently don't want their right to frenzy infringed upon. Is their motto "don't tread on me" or "Trump 2016" I wonder?
I won't go into my own views on the current election year, but the slant of the film seems obvious at a glance. And what has this to do with zombie films?
One of the more entertaining aspects of the films is figuring out what social or political ills the dead are standing in for (excessive militarism, environmental concerns, neo-nazism, etc.). The Purge films wear their social concerns on their sleeve, feature siege scenarios and offer antagonists that could teach zombies a thing or two about impulsive behavior.
Maybe the current campaign season, the gun control debate or the "Brexit" will provide low-budget filmmakers with fodder for more apocalyptic visions.
