By now, most people have figured out that the true inspiration behind the investment banker turned serial killer, Patrick Bateman, is Ted Bundy. The reference goes back to the book in which the film is based on. The book's author, Bret Easton Ellis, studied Ted Bundy and even read all his books.
He is the villain protagonist and unreliable narrator of Ellis's 1991 novel American Psycho and is portrayed by Christian Bale in the film adaption American Psycho (2000). Bateman is a wealthy and materialistic yuppie and Wall Street investment banker who, supposedly, leads a secret life as a serial killer.
Bundy was one of his influences but he borrows from a few different killers as well as yuppie culture in general. The author has also said that a lot of Bateman was based on his own younger self and his own issues when he was in a darker place.
The first time we see Paul Allen — and then for the remaining time he's in the movie — he mistakenly refers to Patrick Bateman as Marcus Halberstram, who Patrick tells us also works at P&P doing the same exact thing he does. They also dress similarly and go to the same barber.
And Norman Bates is the type of character that has intrigued readers and viewers for years, just like Patrick Bateman. Perhaps you're familiar with the story of Norman, a lonely man who lives alone with his mother and manages the Bates Motel.
ted bundy being INSUFFERABLE for 12 minutes straight
Who was Patrick Bateman inspired by?
Christian Bale's portrayal of American Psycho's Patrick Bateman wasn't inspired by a serial killer but by a Tom Cruise interview. Christian Bale's portrayal of the psychopathic murderer Patrick Bateman has become iconic.
He usually hangs out with his coworkers at P&P but secretly hates most of them. Bateman kills men and women, the latter for sadistic sexual pleasure and the former because they anger him and make him feel inferior.
This, combined with sex, violence, drugs, and other desires of the id, is how Bateman enacts his sociopathic violence in a superficial world. Bateman's episodes of schizophrenia also shows clear signs on how he copes with being an affluent person living in a superficial world, fashioned on consumerism.
It's made clear there is no "top" to Bateman. There is only becoming more successful than the previous day. Therefore, Bateman would be a Sigma in that regard. In American Psycho's first act, Bateman makes it known to his fiancée that he wishes to conform to society as best he can, unlike his other roles.
While it's true that Patrick is experiencing delusions and hallucinations, it doesn't mean that the murders are in his head. Turner blames the muddiness of the ending on the dichotomy between the fantasy world that Bateman is currently living in and the reality of the murderous situation at hand.
Ackland had pored over the lives of famous serial killers, but his decision to attack Miss McLeod with a hammer bore a striking resemblance to American murderer Bundy's modus operandi.
His mother, Louise Cowell, considered placing her baby up for adoption, but her father, Sam, apparently wanted the baby to join the family in Philadelphia. There, Bundy—then known as Theodore Cowell—began life thinking Louise was his sister, not his mother.
He displays a high functioning form of Asperger's syndrome, yet there are still symptoms present in Bateman of which even the highest functioning people with Asperger's syndrome cannot rid themselves. One of the key symptoms in Asperger's syndrome is the need for strict routine.
In Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho, the protagonist, Patrick Bateman, is apparently simply a psychopath. However, Bateman can be diagnosed with other mental illnesses such as Asperger's syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, narcissism, and antisocial personality disorder.
Patrick Bateman's crimes were not a dream, at least not all of them, instead, the real message that both Herron and Eston Ellis wanted to convey was that a man of such social status could literally get away with murder.
Toxic masculinity is depicted in American Psycho through its destructive aspects. In the movie, Patrick Bateman is the main character who portrays destructive aspects of toxic masculinity.
James Dean. Arguably one of the most iconic rebels of all time, James Dean was a Sigma Male before the term even existed. He was a talented actor who didn't conform to Hollywood norms.
What is a Sigma Male? A sigma male is a man who lives life based on his own rules, thriving for his passion, not distracted by societal norms or standards. He is his own boss, he doesn't need validation from anyone. By anyone, it means anyone literally, their ability to walk off from predefined and traditional norms.
American Psycho explores the inherent violence of corporate greed, using Patrick Bateman's sadistic acts as a metaphor for the callousness of Wall Street. The film's ambiguous ending signifies Bateman's moral awakening, as he tries to hold himself accountable for his actions while those around him remain indifferent.
Although Manhattan is a real place, American Psycho is a work of fiction and imaginary locations in the city are part of the story. An imaginary space is a space that is figurative, like a city in a book. To say that a space is imaginary is not to deny its relation to reality.
Patrick Bateman: I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust.
Whose head is in Patrick Bateman's fridge? The woman who he picked up in the previous scene at the club with Bryce, where he did the cocaine in the back room.
'Feed Me A Stray Cat' Scene | American Psycho - YouTube. Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) attempts to murder a cat after following the instructions of an ATM, which leads to more killings.
