Prepare yourselves to enter streets that welcome chaos. In honor of the upcoming 4th of July, Universal Pictures has released a new poster and featurette for James DeMonaco’s upcoming thriller The Purge: Anarchy. We have hereby been granted more access to an unprotected perspective on a new American tradition.

Last year’s release of DeMonaco’s The Purge provoked an avalanche of discussion surrounding the possibilities and implications of the fictional holiday portrayed in the movie.  It grossed a shocking $34.1 million at the box office in its first weekend, making a sequel practically mandatory.  DeMonaco quickly wrote and directed a new version, this time told from the point of view of those out in the streets rather than at home.

As detailed previously by mxdwn Movies, in the world of the movie, the government permits an annual day without laws, in an effort to keep the crime rate below one percent for the rest of the year.  At the sound of a siren, all crime – including murder – is perfectly legal. The emergency systems are suspended for 12 hours and the citizens are free to break all rules with impunity.

The featurette (below) shows Frank Grillo (The Grey), Kiele Sanchez (A Perfect Getaway), Zach Gilford (TV’s Friday Night Lights), Zoe Soul (Prisoners), and Carmen Ejogo (Alex Cross) discussing the objectives of their characters in The Purge: Anarchy.  E va (Ejoho) and Cali (Soul) explain that their characters are too poor to protect themselves from danger.  Liz (Sanchez) and Shane (Gilford) attempt to wait out the purge at a lockdown, but their car breaks down at the worst possible time.  Leo’s (Grillo) morality is tested as he is swayed by revenge, in response to his dead son.

The Purge: Anarchy hits theaters on July 18th.