There are two home-invasion-thrillers on the way this summer, and first up is The Purge.  The movie takes place in a world where the government keeps the peace by sanctioning an annual 12-hour period where everything—including murder—becomes legal.  During this madness, a family inside a gated community fights to survive without turning into monsters themselves.  You’ll see a fair share of blockbusters this summer, but this is a movie that could be a hit from strong word-of-mouth.

I’m pleased to announce that we’re giving away ten admit-two passes to the Atlanta screening of The Purge.  Hit the jump to find out how you can see the film early and for free.  The film stars Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Adelaide Kane, and Max Burkholder.  The Purge opens June 7th.

Here is a slew of new release dates for the following films:

• Dracula – Universal’s Dracula origin story directed by Gary Shore and starring Luke Evans (The Raven) will open August 8, 2014.
• Transcendence – Cinematographer Wally Pfister’s directorial debut starring Johnny Depp and Morgan Freeman has been moved up one week to April 18, 2014.
• Blended – The tentatively-titled new rom-com with Adam Sandler and (possibly) Drew Barrymore will open May 23, 2014.
• The Purge – The violent speculative-thriller written and directed by James DeMonaco and starring Ethan Hawke (Sinister) and Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) will open June 7th.
• State 194 – Dan Setton’s documentary on Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will open May 17th.
• When the Game Stands Tall – Director Thomas Carter’s (Coach Carter) upcoming high school football drama starring James Caviezel (Person of Interest) and Michael Chiklis (The Shield) will open September 19, 2014.
• Heaven Is for Real – Director Randall Wallace’s novel adaptation starring Kelly Reilly and Greg Kinnear is set to open April 16, 2014

Hit the jump for more.

Universal has released the first trailer, poster, and images for The Purge starring Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey.  The “speculative thriller” takes place in a world where the government sanctions an annual 12-hour period where everything—including murder—becomes legal.  During this madness, a family inside a gated community fights to survive without turning into monsters themselves.  Even though I don’t quite follow the government’s logic on this one, perhaps there’s some sociopolitical commentary in the premise.  Perhaps the notion behind “the purge” is to let all the bad people kill each other, and then everything will be okay for the “good people” in their gated communities?  Also, what purpose do the masks serve if the action is legal?  I’m also curious to see how this film will be compared to the summer’s other masked-murderers-invade-a-home horror movie, You’re Next?

Hit the jump to check out the trailer, poster, and images.  The film also stars Adelaide Kane, and Max Burkholder.  The Purge opens May 31st.

I hadn’t heard anything about The Purge, but today the first synopsis has been released, and it sounds quite fascinating.  Presumably, this was the secret project “Vigilandia“ that we reported on back in January.  The “speculative thriller” takes place in a world where the government sanctions an annual 12-hour period where everything—including murder—becomes legal.  During this madness, a family inside a gated community fights to survive without turning into monsters themselves.  I can’t help but wonder if there’s an ounce of political commentary in the premise that a world without police, hospitals, and other basic services becomes a pure libertarian paradise.

Hit the jump to check out the synopsis.  The film stars Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey.  The Purge opens May 31, 2013.