The Purge 2: Watch the nerve-wracking new trailer

Last year's surprise hit The Purge arrived in theaters with an intriguingly pulpy premise: What would happen if all crime — including murder, as the government inexplicably advertises — was made legal for 24 hours? Unfortunately, that premise was immediately squandered by the decision to set the vast majority of The Purge in a single mansion, turning what could have been a Twilight Zone-esque exploration of human nature into a by-the-numbers home invasion thriller.

Fortunately, the box-office success of The Purge gives the filmmakers a mulligan: The chance to make the movie they probably should have made the first time. The Purge: Anarchy wisely strands its protagonists in the middle of the city, opening up a wide range of storytelling possibilities. As the vast majority of Americans lock themselves inside their homes to wait out the madness, gangs of roving anarchists take to the streets to enjoy their night of consequence-free mayhem.

It's hard to tell exactly what's going on in this first trailer for The Purge: Anarchy, but you'll get the general idea: Arson, theft, murder, and a dude who looks suspiciously similar to The Dark Knight's Joker. Will audiences who were burned by the blandness of The Purge turn up for this wilder, woolier sequel? We'll find out when The Purge: Anarchy hits theaters in June.

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