American Psycho is, undeniably, a classic. The movie, based on Bret Easton Ellis's novel of the same name, was a production that managed to get past all the polemic attached to the story and the book, making its mark on fans' memories even 20 years later. If you open your Twitter, TikTok, or any other social media, it is likely that you'll end up finding a meme or a mention of Patrick Bateman.
But what most people don't know - and the one that does try to forget - is that Mary Harron's classic had a sequel. American Psycho II: All American Girl was the 2002 sequel directed by Morgan J. Freeman that failed to please both critics and fans. From poor writing to only one (highly disrespectful) reference to the first movie, the failure of American Psycho 2 serves as a cautionary tale for filmmakers. It reminds us that some stories are better left alone.
It Ruins the Ending of the Previous Movie
Patrick Bateman is a wealthy businessman working for Pierce & Pierce on Wall Street. While in the day, he supposedly does merges and acquisitions, at night, he is more into murders and executions. With its identical looks, consumerism takes, misogynistic values, and superficial attitudes, American Psycho works terrifically as a satire of the yuppie culture established in the '80s. As we follow Bateman's killing frenzy and violent acts, the plot evolves, and the movie ends, we are left with a question. Did those murders happen, or was it just on Patrick's head?
This has certainly been the cause of discussion in many film forums and lefts you to interpret the movie by yourself. But American Psycho II settles this discussion very simply. The only scene that connects both movies, the movie's opening, starts with Bateman killing another victim - notice that he was recast, now played by Michael Kremko. At this time, his date was a babysitter, and weirdly enough, even for Bateman's standards, the kid was brought along, and a 12-year-old girl was bound, probably next for murder. With surprising luck or skill, she could break free and stab Bateman with an ice pick. That's when the narrator of the movie switches, and the story starts.
Hollywood's Sequel Frenzy
Looking back to the source material, there is no second book for American Psycho. Neither the movie's production left loose ends nor had a sequel in mind while shooting Bale's film. But back at the beginning of the 2000s, movie studios were looking for cheap sequences that they could shoot quickly and release for DVD, and movies produced with this idea now are known as DTV (Direct-to-Video) sequels. For American Psycho, there went looking for scripts that could be used to continue the story.
The script chosen was titled The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die and had no connections with Bateman's story apart from the fact that it had murders. The scene where he appears or any further mentions of Patrick Bateman throughout the narration of the movie was added later so that it could be used as a sequel and maybe capitalized over the success of its predecessor. This is one of the practices studios have not stopped using, sometimes starting sequels and productions to stories that don't need such a thing. It usually leads to a disaster and a failure in theaters.
The Premise is Weak
Instead of using its opening to explore the trauma and repercussions it had on the main character's life, played by Mila Kunis, the 2002 movie shows a girl looking to stop psychos. Rachel is a criminology student hoping to become a teacher’s assistant for professor Robert Starkman. The reason she wants this position is to get an FBI career, and she’s willing to do anything to get it – including killing her classmates.
With the tagline 'Angrier. Deadlier. Sexier.' the movie had nothing of what it promised. The main character has no charm, and her victims are poorly chosen. It doesn't replicate the coolness and emptiness of character that Bateman possesses, and it fails to portray a dangerous serial killer. With careless murders and actions that don't make much sense, the movie lost that environment where people used to get confused recognizing each other since all they cared about and had was the same.
The sequel has no criticism, underlying themes, and a weak plot. There is no ambiguity to her actions or a twist in her character that makes even one person in the audience root for her. This time, instead of making you wonder whether the murders happened, it makes you question the decision to watch the sequel. Some may say it is a satire of the original or even a slasher that takes the comedic turn to make Rachel's action less questionable. Even so, it doesn't take too long around the internet to see that it is a consensus that American Psycho 2 was irrefutably a monumental failure.