Overview

The thesis of Cohen’s “fear of monsters is really a desire” is that our fear of monsters is actually a manifestation of our deep-seated desires and impulses. In other words, the monsters that we fear are symbols of the things that we desire but are too afraid to admit or act on. This idea can be connected to the movie “The Purge” in which a society allows people to act on their most violent and aggressive impulses for one night a year, essentially creating a “monster” within themselves. In this way, the fear of monsters in the movie can be seen as a manifestation of the characters’ underlying desires for aggression and violence.

Infographic

Essay

Sirens blaring, commotion throughout the city, and throughout the whole city the same broadcast is playing, “This is not a test. This is your emergency broadcast system announcing the commencement of the Annual Purge sanctioned by the U.S. Government. Weapons of class 4 and lower have been authorized for use during the Purge. All other weapons are restricted. Government officials of ranking 10 have been granted immunity from the Purge and shall not be harmed. Commencing at the siren, any and all crime, including murder, will be legal for 12 continuous hours. Police, fire, and emergency medical services will be unavailable until tomorrow morning until 7 a.m., when The Purge concludes. Blessed be our New Founding Fathers and America, a nation reborn. May God be with you all.”  In the essay “The Monster Theory: Reading Culture,” cultural critic Jeffrey Cohen proposes the idea that our fear of monsters is actually a manifestation of our desires. The monsters in this series are not traditional, mythical creatures, but rather the people who take advantage of the Purge to satisfy their darkest desire. The fear of lawlessness is really a desire for it.

Although some may argue against that, according to “The Purge”, there is a scene where people from other countries come to the United States to purge during those twelve hours. They are labeled as “murder tourists”. This shows that people are willing to travel hundreds of miles just to purge showing how much they desire lawlessness. The purge is arguably one of the greatest concepts for a movie in our current decade. It shows the primal desires that we have as a human. This desire we have hidden for lawlessness. Cohen’s thesis suggests that the fear that the characters in The Purge feel towards these monsters is not just a fear of being killed, but a fear of their own potential to become monsters themselves. The Purge allows people to act on their violent impulses, and the fear of becoming a monster is a reflection of the fear of losing control and succumbing to these impulses.

The first installment of  “The Purge” showed the premise of purging, which allowed people to release the anger and hatred they had retained all year. Someone watching this movie can create a dark fantasy and start thinking “what would I do if this movie would become reality?”  With asking that question a person can take action and feel the desire of lawlessness.

Going back to Cohen’s thesis that the fear of monsters is really a desire really correlates with this film because it really dives into human desire for lawlessness but also shows the fear that comes with it. The government is paying the poor to participate in it and rich people are taking advantage.  In the film character James sells security systems that are designed to be purge proof which he sold to all his neighbors in his neighborhood, and it happens to be a high-end neighborhood. The reason for the security system is very simple. Having a security system all around the house will help a lot during this horrific event, having eyes everywhere will help to prevent any unforeseen dangers. This kind of security isn’t available to poor communities due to the fact that they cannot afford it. The New Founding Fathers of America created the purge as a way for people to release all that anger that they have one day out of the year, but this only really affects the poor. In purging poor people, it saves the government a lot of money since the poor are the ones who are the most likely to depend on them for aid.

            In the later installments of the films “The First Purge”  talks about how there are problems in the United States and nor could the democrats or republicans solve them. This is where the New Founding Fathers of America introduced a solution called purging. It was an experiment placed in a controlled setting and volunteers were compensated for staying in the experiment and were promised money if they participated in purging. Problem that this solution was going to solve was the high rates of unemployment and homelessness throughout the country, effectively targeting minorities and un contributing members of society which all

happen to be poor. This creating that desire for lawlessness got this new political party voted in which in doing so let the people tap into that carnal sin while also helping NFFAs agenda.

            After the tragic death of Gorge Floyd, where a 46-year-old black man was killed by the police for possibly using a fake $20 bill. Police were called, and Floyd resisted going inside the cop car saying he was claustrophobic. Officers pulled him from the car and pinned him to the ground with his knee on Floy’s neck for nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds. This caused a lot of anger and protests were made throughout different cities in the United State. A lot of the protests that occurred protesting against police brutality and racial injustices turned violent. The riot that happened during the protest was like a scene from the purge, stores were being looted, cars were set on fire and buildings were being vandalized. Throughout all social media videos and images were being posted showing hundreds of rioters committing these acts. Some may argue and say that people were against these rioters and did not support nor condone these acts, but shockingly the comment sections of these videos were promoting these acts, some even saying they wish they could partake in these acts so they can release their anger and loot stores. This fear of lawlessness is surpassed by this desire of being able to riot with no fear of getting any punishment for it.

            These films show that people enjoy these movies since they not only made 4 different films but also a T.V show that ran for 2 series. It wasn’t canceled due to a lack of viewers but because the network airing the show changed the type of content, they wanted to provide their viewers. This shows a desire for lawlessness to be able to imagine how one would purge themselves if given the opportunity to do so. As we saw as well, people are willing to do these acts in real life shown by the rioters and looters that looted and vandalized stores and buildings. All these ties back to Cohen’s thesis arguing that the fear of monsters is really a desire. Furthermore, the monsters in The Purge also serve as a way for society to confront and deal with the things that they find unacceptable. The Purge allows people to indulge in their worst impulses, but it also serves as a release valve for the tension and aggression that builds up in society over the course of the year. By giving people a way to let out their aggression, the government can maintain control and prevent rebellion.

Work Cited

Directed by James DeMonaco et al., Original, Blumhouse Productions, 2013.

The Purge: Anarchy. Directed by James DeMonaco, Original, Blumhouse Productions, 2014.

The First Purge. Directed by Gerard McMurray, Original, Blumhouse Productions, 2018.

nytimes.com. 27 Oct. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/10/27/magazine/the-purge-movies.html.

“The Head-Spinning Politics of the ‘Purge’ Franchise.” POLITICO, 11 July 2021, www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/07/11/the-purge-movies-politics-499029.

Carter, Mike, et al. “How a Year of Protests Changed Seattle.” The Seattle Times, The Seattle Times Company, 29 Dec. 2020, https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/how-a-year-of-protests-changed-seattle/.