At San Diego Comic-Con in 2018, we brought USA Network’s TV series The Purge to life with Purge City, a pop-up store where fans could prepare for Purge Night as though it were an actual national holiday. This wasn’t just a branded party store; it was a carefully crafted world where reality and horror collided.
In world-building, power lies in the small details that anchor an experience in reality. Purge City was stocked with seemingly mundane products—cleaning supplies, greeting cards, candles—that took on dark, new meanings in the context of Purge Night. Fans could buy “Purge Away” stain remover (for bloodstains, of course), or browse greeting cards that celebrated the chaos of Purge Night. Every product felt disturbingly real, enhancing the immersive quality of the experience.
What made Purge City so effective was how it blurred the lines between everyday life and horror. By turning familiar items into something sinister, we created a world that felt unsettlingly believable. Fans weren’t just observing the world of The Purge—they were living in it.
One of the keys to successful world-building is giving participants artifacts they can take with them, extending the narrative beyond the immediate experience. In Purge City, items like “Purge Away” and emergency candles became narrative tools, allowing fans to continue the story on their own. These objects were more than just memorabilia—they were pieces of the fictional world, crafted with enough authenticity to make participants feel as though they had stepped out of Purge City with a piece of that universe in hand.
