Is American Psycho Based On a True Story? American Psycho Review And Ending Explained

What is American Psycho?

American Psycho is a horror film directed by Mary Harron in the early 2000s, who co-wrote the screenplay with Guinevere Turner. The lead role of Patrick Bateman was played by Christian Bale, who is a New York City investment banking employee who leads a double life as a serial killer. It is rated NC-17  since it has a threesome scene between Patrick Bateman and two prostitutes. Later in 2002, a sequel to American Psycho was released which is considered to be a flop.

Is American Psycho Based On a True Story?

Many people are eagerly waiting to know if American Psycho is a film based on a true story or not. Though it may be a surprise to fans, American Psycho is not based on a True Story. It was based on the” American” Psycho novel by Bret Easton Ellis in 1991. Ellis considered his novel to be unfilmable, but the producer Edward R. Pressman was very determined to adapt it and bought the rights for filming in 1992.

American Psycho Review

Everyone wants to know if the film was reviewed positively before watching it to make sure they are valuing their time. Though the sequel was a major flop, American Psycho was a popular hit at that period of time. The film received mostly positive reviews. The praise was mostly for Bale’s performance and the script. The movie grossed over $34 million at the box office with a low budget of $7 million.

American Psycho Ending Explained

The movie American Psycho was designed to keep the ending open to the viewer’s interpretation. It has two common interpretations of the ending. One of the interpretations is that everything in the movie happened. Bateman did murder all of these people.  Bateman represents the smart upper class that can get away with murdering people. Another interpretation is that Bateman is the strange person that everyone thinks he is, and that the murders in the film were just his violent fantasies that are in his head and were presented to the viewers. 

American Psycho Ending According to Director

When the director Mary Harron was asked directly She clarified that the ending is not meant to imply that the events of the movie all occurred in Patrick Bateman’s head as some have theorized. Instead, she and co-writer Guinevere Turner have confirmed that Bateman is a serial killer, who won’t be prosecuted in any way for his actions. This is part of the reason why the “it was all a dream”  metaphor took place. It is difficult for believing that someone could commit such wicked crimes without any punishment whatsoever seems so unrealistic and unbelievable to the viewers.

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