American Psycho director doesn't understand why people idolise Patrick Bateman

All memes aside, Patrick Bateman is a pretty messed up dude. Even if you follow the theory that implies he never kills any of the women in the film, and it's all in his own twisted head, he's not got the best outlook on life. Still, that doesn't stop a certain group from treating him like an idol, something that perplexes the film's director Mary Harron to this day.

Speaking to Letterboxd Journal to celebrate American Psycho turning 25, Harron said she's "mystified" by the love people have for Bateman. "I'm always so mystified by it. don't think that [co-writer Guinevere Turner] and I ever expected it to be embraced by Wall Street bros, at all...I'm not sure why [it happened], because Christian's very clearly making fun of them... But, people read the Bible and decide that they should go and kill a lot of people. People read The Catcher in the Rye and decide to shoot the president."

"There's [Bateman] being handsome and wearing good suits and having money and power. But at the same time, he's played as somebody dorky and ridiculous," Harron continued. "When he's in a nightclub and he's trying to speak to somebody about hip hop — it's so embarrassing when he's trying to be cool."

There's part of the subculture that knows Bateman isn't a model citizen, and have an ironic appreciation for the character, remaining aware of how dorky he can be, too. Harron still finds the love for Bateman entertaining, especially when she considers how the original American Psycho novel was "a gay man's satire on masculinity." Still, unexpected appreciation for even evil characters can happen. It's just one of those things that occurs when an artist puts their creation out to the world.