It’s been 25 years since American Psycho sharpened its satire for the big screen, but according to director Mary Harron, many still miss the point — especially the "Wall Street bros" who now worship Patrick Bateman.
"I’m always so mystified by it," Harron recently told Letterboxd. "We never expected it to be embraced by Wall Street bros. That was not our intention."
For Harron and co-writer Guinevere Turner, Ellis’ novel was a "satire on masculinity, mocking the obsession with status, power, and perfection. Yet Bateman, the serial-killing yuppie, has somehow been claimed as a role model — rather than a warning.
"There’s a clear critique," Harron said. "Not just of masculine behaviour — it’s of society, greed, consumption."
Once slammed for its violence, the film now enjoys cult status — particularly among young women, who Harron says truly understand its bite. So next time someone quotes Bateman unironically, maybe ask if they really got the joke.
American Psycho (2000) was based on Bret Easton Ellis’s controversial novel and starred a then-rising Christian Bale. The film blends psychological horror with biting social commentary — and became a pop culture phenomenon in the most unexpected ways.
