While I've not gotten around to watching The Purge yet (its on my to do list though), if it did feature real killings I'd have thought that would have caused a bit a few headlines. Couldn't find anything about it online though, all the headlines I could find all seemed to refer to either fake stories about purges really happening or threats of them being carried out.
The Purge Opening SceneI want to say I've seen some of it before on the news. But I'm not 100% sure on that. What I'm thinking I've seen though is some of the riot footage.
I think they showed riots and people being legit injured. But I am not sure about legit killings. I am sure if not head lines being made their would off been legal issues showing that footage without the permission off those in the footage or... Their friends and family.
So obviously they would off needed to ask permission. And possibly for the sake off these individual they would not off outright said "Hey look, people getting killed here!"
I mean we know how controversial faces off death still is to this day, decades latter. And the director still gets threatened and sued a lot, by the friends and family members off the people in those movies were killed. However, the creators off faces off death did outright announce "Real Deaths, Real people" etc. The Purge have obviously not outright said. "the start has real deaths" So they would get away with it.
However if true I got take my hat off to them. That was a very genius way off making their point about human nature being violent. In a way hinting that the Purge could happen.