In the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic, there have been jokes and memes about The Purge. The series of Purge films are all about a 12 hour period where all crime is legal. No emergency or medical services are available, so people stalk the streets and break into homes looking for trouble. The premise of the films struck fear in some fans that one day life will imitate art, and Arcadia, Louisiana residents thought their time had come.
According to Deadline, the town’s citizens have been under lockdown right along with the remainder of the United States. As people were under quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Arcadia officials implemented a 9:00 p.m. curfew for all residents. In order to alert the public that the curfew was in effect, police officers drove around town sounding the distinctive Purge alarm.
A resident was able to catch the creepy moment on film and wrote in a caption to his video, “As if things aren’t bad enough, the Crowley Louisiana police department played The Purge siren to notify its citizens of the evening curfew.” When authorities were notified about their siren and the fear it struck in the public, they reportedly vowed to never use it again. Officials claimed they were aware that the sound was associated with a horror film.
