Author: Bret Easton Ellis
Published: 1991
Genre: Psychological Horror / Satire
Summary
American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman, a wealthy Manhattan investment banker who also happens to be a sadistic serial killer. Set in the glitzy, materialistic world of 1980s Wall Street, the novel dives deep into consumerism, narcissism, and brutal violence.
Review
This book is infamous for a reason. Bret Easton Ellis doesn’t hold back on graphic detail—especially when describing Bateman’s sadistic crimes. What makes it more disturbing is how numb, repetitive, and bored Bateman seems with his surroundings. The violence is shocking, but so is the emptiness.
It’s not a book for the faint of heart. Between the brand-name dropping, cold nihilism, and scenes of jaw-dropping brutality (one involving a rat still makes readers gag), American Psycho feels like a descent into a marble-floored hell.
As an extreme horror archive entry, this one blurs the line between literary fiction and splatterpunk. It’s hated by many, misunderstood by more, and essential for any list of controversial horror books.
Extremity Rating:
- Violence: 💀💀💀💀💀
- Psychological Horror: 💀💀💀
- Disturbing Themes: 💀💀💀💀💀
- Gore: 💀💀💀💀
Fun Fact:
The book was so controversial that Ellis received death threats, and the original publisher dropped it. Feminist groups protested it heavily due to the graphic depiction of violence against women. Yet it remains one of the most cited horror novels in modern pop culture.