5 Reasons There Will Never be a Movie as Darkly Twisted as American Psycho
American Psycho is one of Christian Bale’s most famous movies. This movie is the perfect blend of satire and horror. Over the past two decades, it has gained a cult following. Released in 2000, the psychological horror follows the life of a New York City investment banker Patrick Bateman who goes on a killing spree, or at least so it seems as the lines between reality and imagination are blurred throughout the film.
Ever since American Psycho‘s release, hundreds of horror movies have been released but none of them have managed to match its level of dark comedy. Despite being known as a horror, the movie certainly cannot be labeled by a single genre as every new analysis finds a new generic element in it. Here are 5 reasons why no movie has managed to be as dark as American Psycho and perhaps, never will be.
Unusual Amount of Graphic Violence
American Psycho is a screen adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 novel of the same name, and initially, the author was concerned that the novel could never be made into a film due to the controversial nature of the novel owing to the huge amount of graphic depictions of violence. Director Mary Harron took a leap of faith with this movie because most filmmakers would be unwilling to incorporate this much gore out of fear of backlash from the viewers.
Use of Violence To Depict Human Nature
The movie has quite a few underlying messages which are depicted through the elements in it. Christian Bale is known for doing roles that explore human nature. Patrick Bateman is as thirsty for blood as his colleagues’ greed for money. They do not mind axing others’ finances for their own benefit similar to how Bateman does not mind killing others due to his impulsive nature.
Perfect Balance of Humor and Horror
Bateman hardly uses any colors in his day-to-day life and the occasional use of a red tie or suspenders doesn’t go unnoticed as the red color stands for horror elements blood and death. There is an abundance of dark humor in the movie which helps in satirizing the superficial and materialistic nature of the 1980’s yuppie culture.
American Psycho‘s Ambiguous Ending
American Psycho has an ending that leaves viewers confused as it blurs the line between what’s real and what is possibly a product of Patrick’s imagination. This psychological complexity makes it even more difficult for other movies to replicate the twisted nature of the movie. A lot of the audience believes that the movie has a dream trope which the director has consistently denied.
Employment of Irony To Create Humor
Irony plays a great role in making the humor in the movie stand out. One of the most common examples is the use of pop music while Bateman kills someone. He casually labels Whitney Houston’s The Greatest Love of All as one of the best songs and then proceeds to murder two women.
In conclusion, American Psycho is one of the greatest movies of all that will be considered a masterpiece for decades to come. Christian Bale’s phenomenal performance as Patrick Bateman and Mary Harron’s masterful filmmaking make the movie stand out from the sea of millions of horror movies.
