First released in 1991 as a novel by Bret Easton Ellis, the film adaptation of American Psycho was directed by Mary Herron. The film follows the derailing consciousness of sadistic, misogynistic, yuppie businessman, Patrick Bateman, who’s played by Christian Bale (The Dark Knight Batman franchise).
Time- 6
American Psycho was released in 2000, existing within the world of cinematic horror for a little over two decades now. It has a decent score on Rotten Tomatoes and seems to be pretty beloved by the majority of fans. Additionally, the film is just under an hour and 45 minutes and is paced pretty well.
Rewatchability- 7
I really enjoy rewatching this film every so often because of how absolutely bizarre it is, without being extremely gory. I also like showing this film to people who’ve never seen it because it makes you think pretty deeply about what’s actually going on and what level of reality is altered by the main character’s poor mental health.
Cinematography/Editing- 6
The camera often focuses on the most materialistic or vain portion of the scene, mirroring Patrick Bateman’s narcissism. For example, there are many close-ups that glorify material objects like Bateman’s skin care products and his co-workers’ business cards.
Additionally, as the film goes on, the long tracking shots that follow Bateman’s psychotic breakdowns become increasingly cut less, building more tension on the character and scene in general and giving more information and detail for the audience to cling onto.
Plot- 9
The title, American Psycho, refers to the society that Patrick Bateman is a part of, not the man himself. The business he works for supports the 1980s yuppie ideal, where young men devote their lives to financial success and materialism.
This outlook helps drive the point of the storyline, focusing on how society’s ideals can push you to become the worst version of yourself. Bateman’s insanity fits in well into the upper-class, fine dining reservation-wielding, business card enthusiast society he finds himself a part of.
However, because the story follows the perspective of Patrick Bateman, many details of the actual reality that is taking place become a bit lost due to Bateman’s psychosis. We really don’t know whether he really is a serial killer, but we do know that he has absurd fantasies about murder.
Acting- 8
The cast of American Psycho is loaded with notable actors. Most films with a stacked cast lose a lot of the potential for audience immersion, but each known actor in this film only brings in a new sense of insanity to Bateman’s world. The actors’ chemistry gave the perfect sense that being included in the world of materialism pushes the narrative of intense unification and lost individuality.
Costume Design/Special Effects- 9
Going off of the previous statement about adding to lost individuality, the costume design in this film adds to this idea even further. Every businessman is dressed similarly; some even visit the same barber and wear the same glasses. This effect even leads to certain characters mixing up their co-workers’ names and likenesses. With the majority of murders happening off-screen, the special effects of this film are very minimal. However, the use of blood splatters with many of Bateman’s kills adds to his sense of unhinged bloodlust.
Gruesome Factor- 2
Most of the kills in American Psycho happen off-screen and aren’t very horrifying as they’re shown. It becomes scary and metaphorically gross with the idea of Bateman’s motive for his murder spree being misogyny, jealousy and pure insanity.
Shock Value- 9
This film is pretty shocking for the first few watches because Bateman’s insanity and horrific acts really often cause double takes. Even the story of its rating is a bit unbelievable. Due to the scene with Bateman and the escorts where the two women seemed to be forced into the act, this film was nearly rated NC-17. But after cutting about 15 seconds of the scene, the film earned an R rating.
Believability- 6
This section is probably the hardest to rate because the film is supposed to be ambiguous. The story really is believable because the audience is forced to mainly follow Bateman’s perspective. But to know that it could all be in his head and just as likely could be happening in his world makes it challenging to know what to believe. However, I suppose the ambiguity lends to the believability because both are just as likely and understandable when backed with the right arguments.
Ending- 7
Like I said before, the ending of American Psycho is meant to be ambiguous. The audience hears that Paul Allen, one of Bateman’s first victims, is still alive. But this could also be due to the immense lack of individuality and Paul could’ve been mixed up with someone else. I find ambiguities in film very difficult to wrap my head around most of the time, but I do enjoy the idea that Bateman could simply just be crazy.
Points Total: 69% out of 100%
I really enjoy American Psycho overall. I think the film is inspired by so many subgenres of horror and other films throughout the history of the genre that translates really well into this movie. There’s been a rise in the film’s popularity since 2021, when the metalcore band, Ice Nine Kills released their song “Hip To Be Scared”, which is based on the film and even included Bateman’s iconic line, “Hey Paul!”