Directed by Mary Harron and co-written with Guinevere Turner, this 2000 psychological horror film adapts Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel. Christian Bale stars as Patrick Bateman, a successful New York investment banker with a chilling double life as a serial killer. The film also features Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Chloë Sevigny, Samantha Mathis, Cara Seymour, Justin Theroux, and Reese Witherspoon in supporting roles.

Blending black comedy with psychological horror, the film offers a darkly satirical look at 1980s yuppie culture and consumerism. Amid Manhattan’s glittering skyscrapers, Bateman’s polished exterior masks a ruthless obsession with status, materialism, and his own violent urges. A seemingly trivial rivalry over a colleague’s business card escalates into a horrifying killing spree, exposing the monstrous underside of capitalism.

As the film celebrates its 25th anniversary, we examine the factors that transform a man into a monster and why Bale, hailing from Haverfordwest, delivers a chillingly convincing performance. Harron and Turner’s adaptation brings Bret Easton Ellis’s once “unfilmable” novel vividly to life, crafting a timeless critique of greed, vanity, and moral emptiness.

Venue: Chapter Cinema