American Psycho

2009reaction imageclassic

Published August 15, 2026

American Psycho is a set of memes based on the 2000 Christian Bale film and 1991 Bret Easton Ellis novel about Manhattan investment banker turned serial killer Patrick Bateman. Meme uses of the film started around 2009, and a second wave in the late 2010s and 2020s recast Bateman as a sigma male, Chad, and 'based' character across YouTube and TikTok edits.

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Overview

American Psycho is a set of memes drawn from the 2000 psychological thriller directed by Mary Harron and the 1991 Bret Easton Ellis novel that inspired it1. Christian Bale plays Patrick Bateman, a wealthy Manhattan investment banker who moonlights as a serial killer, and screengrabs of Bale's slicked-back stare, the axe-in-raincoat scene, and the business card comparison sequence turned into reusable image macros, video edits, and reaction shots across image boards and social media1.

Meme uses of the film cover a wide tonal range, from straight horror-comedy reaction material to aspirational fan edits. Urban Dictionary entries pushed back against readings of the film as pure drama, calling it 'freaking hilarious' and pointing readers to the Huey Lewis and the News monologue as the top quote source6. The film's satirical framing left Bateman open to reinterpretation, and successive waves of internet users have pulled him into new contexts: dating advice, gym culture, fashion mood boards, and self-improvement lifestyle content.

Origin & Background

Platform
Image boards / Tumblr (early meme spread), YouTube & TikTok (sigma resurgence)
Date
2009

Bret Easton Ellis published American Psycho in 1991 through Vintage Books after Simon & Schuster withdrew from the project over its graphic content, and Germany later classified the book as 'harmful to minors'; a direct-to-video stand-alone sequel, American Psycho II: All American Girl, followed in 20023. The novel tracks Patrick Bateman, a 26-year-old Manhattan investment banker whose grip on reality slips as he preys on colleagues, sex workers, and strangers over a short period in his life.

The film adaptation opened on April 14, 2000, co-written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Mary Harron with Christian Bale in the lead role1. Rotten Tomatoes described it as a blend of 'horror and humor' anchored by Bale's 'fittingly creepy performance,' even while judging it a step below the sharper satire of Ellis's novel1.

How It Spread

Multiple memes based on the film started circulating around 2009, with image macros pulling from the axe scene, the business card comparison, and Bateman's obsessive morning routine3. Uses stayed steady across image boards, forums, and Tumblr through the early 2010s, treating Bateman clips as reusable reaction content and quote captions.

Bateman's second meme wave came in the late 2010s and early 2020s, when the character was retroactively adopted as a sigma male, Chad, and 'based' figure on YouTube and TikTok3. Slowed-down clips of Bale's blank stare, often paired with phonk instrumentals, presented his status obsessions and gym habits as ironic self-improvement content. Urban Dictionary entries pointing users to the Huey Lewis monologue and the Paul Allen murder scene captured the same tone shift, treating the film as comedy rather than horror6.

Reddit threads and X quote accounts kept the film in rotation by pulling recyclable one-liners from Bateman's dialogue, especially the Huey Lewis speech and the 'I have to return some video tapes' scene. The business card comparison sequence in particular turned into a template for side-by-side product comparisons, memed across tech, gaming, and fandom communities.

How to Use This Meme

Common Bateman formats include the axe-in-raincoat still overlaid with menacing captions, side-by-side business card comparisons where users swap Bateman's colleagues' cards for product logos, tier lists, or competing brands, and morning-routine reaction videos punctuated with quotes like 'I have to return some video tapes.' Sigma-edit compilations pair slowed-down clips with phonk music and glow effects, framing Bateman's fitness and grooming as ideals rather than warnings. Quote captions on X and Reddit often pull directly from the Huey Lewis monologue, especially 'Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes' and the axe-swing line 'TRY GETTING A RESERVATION AT DORSIA NOW YOU FUCKING STUPID BASTARD'6.

Cultural Impact

American Psycho's reach extended into pop music through several high-profile references. Kanye West told MTV News that the 2008 'Love Lockdown' music video was directly inspired by the film's stark Manhattan apartment aesthetic and Bale's controlled affect2. In 2014, Billboard compared Adam Levine's stalker character in Maroon 5's 'Animals' music video to Bateman, calling out Levine's 'serial-killer glasses' and 'happy-scary facial expressions'4. Fall Out Boy released the album American Beauty/American Psycho in January 2015, borrowing the film's name outright for a mainstream rock crossover5.

Fun Facts

Kanye West's 2008 'Love Lockdown' music video was directly inspired by American Psycho, according to Kanye himself2.

Fall Out Boy titled their January 2015 album American Beauty/American Psycho, pairing the film's title with Sam Mendes's 1999 drama5.

Billboard compared Adam Levine's role in Maroon 5's 2014 'Animals' video to Patrick Bateman, pointing to Levine's 'serial-killer glasses'4.

Rotten Tomatoes summed up the film's appeal as a mix of 'horror and humor,' credited largely to Christian Bale's performance1.

Urban Dictionary described the film as 'freaking hilarious,' pushing back against readings that treat it as pure drama6.

Derivatives & Variations

Rock album that welded the film's title to Sam Mendes's 1999 American Beauty for a mainstream release[5].

Kanye told MTV News the film was the direct visual inspiration for the video's minimalist Manhattan apartment scenes[2].

Frequently Asked Questions