Greetings, and welcome back to October Horror Fest! Today, we take a look at a movie that is CONSTANTLY memed, and honestly, for good reason. While I was rewatching this film again for Day 27, I was CONSTANTLY laughing. But, behind the laughs and jokes hides a story of pain, corruption, insanity, and of course, blood. (Also, happy two year anniversary to the FNAF movie today!) Get ready, readers, and begin counting down the days to Halloween, as we venture into one of our final films. Without further ado, sit back, relax, turn off the lights, grab some Candy and Popcorn, and let’s review…

American Psycho

Our film begins in the hustle and bustle of 1987 New York City, and, of course, the iconic opening monologue from the man himself, Patrick Bateman. Let’s get a little exposition out of the way, shall we? Patrick is a New York Stockbroker who is UTTERLY insane, but we will get into this in time. Patrick has two VERY distinct sides, which is the main plot point of the entire film. For most of the beginning of the movie, Patrick just goes about his day to day, always needing dinner reservations, and always needing to drink more or do more drugs. We learn the most about Patrick through his iconic monologue, where he literally introduces the building he lives in before giving his name. Patrick is detached from humanity, and he (and the movie itself) serve as a PERFECT critique and ironic piece on the 1980s “yuppie” culture. Patrick wants to fit in, and OBSESSES over maintaining a perfect mask over his humanity, and his looks. He ESPECIALLY cares about what other people think of him, all while despising everyone in his circle. He is also engaged to this woman named Evelyn, who he does NOT want to marry, hilariously saying he “can’t take the time off work” to get a wedding. She is JUST as superficial as he is. (This article is going to be structured a lot like this, because American Psycho is so good at portraying the “meaninglessness” of Patrick’s life, and it does this through making most scenes feel the exact same way in the BEST way possible). Got it? Got it.

After Patrick goes through a few days (where he listens to music to keep up his visage of sanity), we finally get to one of the most beloved scenes in the entire movie. You know exactly what I’m talking about, too. Of course, it’s the card scene. Patrick walks into his break room at work and sees all of his fellow businessmen (all of them look and talk and are exactly the same person, which is a major plot point, so I really don’t have to use their names too much). However, in the break room is the ONE important man (besides Patrick), in the entire movie. That man is, of course, Paul Allen. Patrick pulls out his new business card to show to his group, and everyone goes through their own. All the cards look exactly the same, but Patrick begins to sweat and feel like he has been beaten by everyone. Finally, we get to Paul Allen’s card, and when he shows it to the group, Patrick literally has a visceral reaction, sweating on command and dropping his glasses. (UGH there are so many metaphors and so much irony I LOVE this movie).

That night, still enraged and emasculated by Paul Allen, Patrick stumbles across a homeless man in an alley. Although I could say that this movie is a horror film because of its themes and messages (which it is,), it has one thing any good horror film has. Blood. Patrick, after promising to help the man, BRUTUALLY stabs him to death, even stepping on the man’s dog and killing it as well. After this, we transition into the defining couple of scenes of this movie, and the consequences of this scene follow Patrick throughout the entire runtime. The next day, Patrick’s aggression towards Paul is only growing, ESPECIALLY after Paul is able to land reservations to the exclusive Dorsia, a restaurant that all of the financiers DESPERATELY want to get in to. We see Patrick at a Christmas Party (where he expresses disgust at a pet pig Evelyn got), and is actually able to arrange a dinner meeting with Paul, as Paul mistakes Bateman for Marcus Halberstram, who also works at the company, and probably doesn’t even have that that much of a resemblance to Bateman, but every one of their lives are so similar.

At dinner, Paul is incredibly disrespectful towards Bateman, but he takes it, wanting to “fit in”. In a HILAROUS scene, Allen actually insults Patrick, not knowing that the man he’s insulting is standing right next to him. However, at this point, Patrick has a plan. Our man Patrick is able to get Paul incredibly drunk, and take him back to his apartment. Once there, in ANOTHER iconic scene, Christian Bale turns his acting up to eleven and waltzes around the apartment talking about Huey Lewis and the News’ album “Fore”. As Paul’s monologue continues, he grabs an axe, and before Paul can expect it, BRUTALLY murders the man. Patrick SCREAMS at Paul’s dead body, “TRY GETTING A RESERVATION AT DORSIA NOW!”. After this, Patrick’s entire face is covered in blood, and he packs up Paul’s body into a bag to take it downstairs. HOWEVER, when walking downstairs, there is a blood trail in one shot, and none in the other, as he walks outside. (very interesting…)

Patrick breaks into Paul’s apartment using his keys, and has a “moment of panic” when he sees that Paul’s apartment is much more expensive than his is. NOT GOOD FOR PATRICK’S EGO. Bateman packs a suitcase, and leaves a message on the answering machine, telling Paul’s girlfriend that he has been called away to London for a few days. However, the next day, everything comes crashing down. A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR named Donald Kimball arrives at Patrick’s office, and reveals he has been hired due to the disappearance of Paul Allen. Patrick, of course, has NO idea what to say to Kimble, who is played by the amazing Willem Dafoe (they actually stitched together three takes to make this scene as amazing as it could be. One where Kimble knows Patrick did it, the other where he has no idea, and the last one where he’s suspicious of Patrick). However, Kimble leaves soon after, having no real reason to suspect Patrick. BUT, Kimble says that there have been unconfirmed sightings of Paul in London. Very suspicious…

From this point on, Bateman continues to fall further and further into sanity and depravity. TO START IT OFF, Patrick hires two prostitutes, and although the events are not all shown (thank god), they leave with heavy injuries and bloodied. He even tries to strangle one of his fellow yuppies, which does NOT go to plan. Patrick’s spree continues, even after Kimble shows BACK UP at the office and asks him if he can pinpoint where he was on the day Paul Allen disappeared. However, Patrick can’t come up with an alibi on time, and Kimble sets a new meeting. Patrick just happens to literally be WALKING DOWN THE STREET one day, and is able to get a model to come back to the apartment with him. The next day, we see him twirling a lock of her hair in his hand (spoiler alert, we see her decapitated head in his fridge in like five minutes). At the office, Patrick’s actually nice secretary (who is a very deep and real person), has a huge crush on Bateman. Patrick actually notices this, and since this man is the biggest womanizer I have ever seen, he puts on his glasses, and asks her out on a date, calling Dorsia and laughing over their response of “we are totally booked”. Yeah, Bateman is interesting sometimes.

At the apartment, though, Bateman begins to ask her about her life. Her dreams, her ambitions, what she feels. However, as he does this, he prepares a nail gun, and puts it to the back of her head. BUT, when Patrick is distracted by a phone call, he does one of the rarest things in the entire movie, a moment that actually showcases the “humanity” of his inhuman mindset. He lets her go. Of course, Jean takes this information through the analogy of dating, but Patrick says that if she doesn’t leave, she may get hurt. He doesn’t think he can control himself. Jean leaves, and we get our first (and only) victim who managed to escape Bateman’s clutches. After Jean’s narrow escape, we get our third and final meeting with Kimball. At a dinner, in like the fifth incredibly iconic scene SO FAR, Kimball reveals that someone says that they had dinner with Paul on the night of the murder (a random suit), and that BATEMAN was actually at dinner with the rest of the guys that night. Of course, it wasn’t Patrick, as he was pretending to be Marcus. Kimball gets up to leave, not completely dismissing the idea of Paul being murdered, but preferring the idea that Paul actually went insane, going on some sort of drinking parade to London. 

(From this point on, American Psycho goes COMPLETELY off the rails. I’m talking completely.)

Bateman’s sanity and violence BOTH reach points of no return as he hires one of the prostitutes from earlier AGAIN, and brings her to Paul Allen’s apartment along with another one of his acquaintances, Elizabeth. Christie (the prostitute), is VERY uncomfortable, as Patrick gives drinks and drugs to everyone, including himself. He and Elizabeth get under the sheets (#1 rule of Horror Fest incoming), as Patrick STABS HER TO DEATH. Christie books it, only to find PILES UPON PILES of bodies in every single room of the apartment. A naked Patrick absolutely SOAKED in blood exits the room, a crazed look on his face. Christie, in a last ditch effort, begins descending the multiple flights of stairs as fast as she can, ONLY FOR PATRICK TO DROP A CHAINSAW FROM THE TOP, KILLING HER. YEAH. We cut to a restaurant, where Patrick is drawing the image of Christie’s dead body on the table with crayons, where he BREAKS UP WITH EVELYN. She begins to cry and sob, to which she tells Patrick that he is inhuman. In one of my personal favorite lines in the entire film, Patrick responds by saying “I’m in touch with humanity”. He leaves, using his iconic line of returning some videotapes.

Here. We. Go. In a five minute RAMPAGE, Bateman goes to an ATM, only for the ATM to show the words “FEED ME A STRAY CAT”. Bateman then picks up a cat he saw, and PREPARES TO SHOOT IT. A woman walks by and comforts him, only for Patrick to shoot her point black. Our man BOLTS, running past police and bystanders, and even getting into a fight with police, where one bullet from his gun blows up an ENTIRE patrol car. Patrick keeps running, on the verge of absolutely losing it (if that line hasn’t been crossed already), and finds himself in his office. Tears streaming down his face and laughing maniacally, he makes a frantic call to his lawyer, where Bateman confesses to FORTY MURDERS, including the act of cannibalism. YEAH.

Now, my friends, we approach our final scene. It’s now the next day, and Patrick goes to Allen’s apartment to clean up the bodies. BUT, when he gets there, the entire apartment is white. It has been repainted, cleaned, and there are even realtors there. A realtor there (who has been theorized to be a seasoned killer), knows something is up with Patrick, and tells him to leave, denying the apartment has ever had any connection with Paul Allen. Patrick tries to make a call to Jean, but is entirely crazed, and Jean begins to panic. She goes to Patrick’s desk, and in one of the most chilling moments in the entire film, begins flipping through his journal. The pages are field with grotesque drawings of torture and death, and Jean keeps flipping through the pages like they will never end. Patrick shows up to lunch with his “friends”, and is still crazed. He sees his lawyer, and goes to talk to him, saying that he confessed to the murders. BUT, the lawyer, of course, confuses Patrick for someone else, laughing off the confession. However, when Bateman becomes more alarmed, the lawyer becomes serious. He said that he had dinner twice with PAUL ALLEN in London only ten days ago, and leaves Patrick standing there, completely unaware of what is real.

Patrick sits down, and the camera focuses in on his emotionless face, as he begins to say one of the most iconic monologues in film history. I will copy and paste it here, just so I don’t take away from its genius. “There are no more barriers to cross. All I have in common with the uncontrollable and the insane, the vicious and the evil, all the mayhem I have caused and my utter indifference toward it I have now surpassed. My pain is constant and sharp and I do not hope for a better world for anyone. In fact, I want my pain to be inflicted on others. I want no one to escape, but even after admitting this, there is no catharsis. My punishment continues to elude me and I gain no deeper knowledge of myself. No new knowledge can be extracted from my telling. This confession has meant nothing.” Patrick has no idea if his crimes happened or didn’t happen, and the same goes for us, the viewers. We still, to this day, have no clear answer. Patrick craves liberation, or punishment, or ANYTHING, but he will not have it. His hollow existence, just like his confession, means nothing. Behind him, a door has a sign on it, with five words. These five words just so happen to be the last words of the original American Psycho novel. “This is not an exit…”

THERE WE HAVE IT! Guys, I LOVE LOVE LOVE American Psycho. Besides all the memes we have on Bateman, which I obviously adore, the movie itself is such a dark commentary that even when Patrick goes on insane, bloody murder sprees (even the ones that are obviously hallucinations like the ATM spree), they are not the true horror. The true horror of this film is Patrick’s existence itself. Even if someone found out about his crimes, he wouldn’t be punished. He is that insignificant. (also, it was so hard to choose a headline quote for this film because there are SO many iconic ones) And THAT, dear readers, is what I love about this film. ONLY FOUR DAYS REMAIN, and you best be ready. I hope you all enjoyed it! And, always remember, be careful next time you try to “fit in”. You never know if someone like Patrick is there, just waiting for his mask of sanity to slip…