12 Best Disturbing Movies Like American Psycho

Satire or slasher? That depends on which lens you view Mary Harron’s “American Psycho” through. Investment banker Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) lives a double life, embracing the yuppie dream as a member of high society but also giving in to his depraved and violent tendencies. The ending of “American Psycho,” though, leaves it open to interpretation if Bateman’s crimes were ever real, or just sick fantasies in his head.

Based on Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 novel of the same name, Harron’s film operates as a satire of toxic masculinity. Even though Bateman has more than the average person, it’s never enough for him, and he reacts angrily when he doesn’t get what he wants. For heaven’s sake, he freaks out over someone else’s business card being better than his — talk about next-level petty! Ultimately, his entire personality can be summed up by his own quote: “My pain is constant and sharp, and I do not hope for a better world for anyone. In fact, I want my pain to be inflicted on others. I want no one to escape.”

For those in the mood for a darker night in, let’s check out the 12 best disturbing movies like “American Psycho.” Some of them tackle the exact theme about masculinity, while others showcase the duality of man. Look, it also needs to be said: these dudes aren’t heroes nor “alphas,” so let’s avoid putting them up on any pedestals. Please and thank you.

It isn’t too difficult to imagine David Fincher’s “Fight Club” taking place in the same universe as “American Psycho.” Essentially, both films critique masculinity and consumerism in their own fashion. In the case of “Fight Club,” the narrator (Edward Norton) finds himself disillusioned with his ordinary life until he meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). As brothers in arms, they enlist hordes of disenfranchised men, start a club where they beat the snot out of each other, then form a highly coordinated network known as Project Mayhem where the master plan is to collapse the world’s financial systems.

Like Patrick Bateman in “American Psycho,” the narrator of “Fight Club” proves to be unreliable, thanks to a big twist in the final act, but no spoilers here — just in case you pulled a Rip Van Winkle and slept on this movie. The films lead the viewer down a road, imagining the unfolding events in a brutal, harrowing way, then hit the audience with a reality check about what’s really happening on screen. 

Violence is seen as the outlet to rediscover masculinity for the narrator and Bateman; however, this embodiment of alpha male culture is something that both movies poke fun at and turn into satire. Yet, this still went over the head of a certain segment of the audience who saw the films as a rallying call for men to discover their primal instinct, or whatever.

When it comes to a case of mistaken identity, con artist Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) uses it to his full advantage in Anthony Minghella’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” After the wealthy tycoon Herbert Greenleaf (James Rebhorn) mistakenly believes Ripley went to Princeton with his son, Dickie (Jude Law), Herbert gives Ripley money to head out to Italy and convince Dickie to come back home. What follows is a weaving story packed to the absolute brim with deceit, betrayal, and murder, as the sociopathic Ripley tastes the good life and protects it at any and all cost.

While “The Talented Mr. Ripley” doesn’t have the psychological weight of “American Psycho,” it explores how greed corrupts and holds the potential to lead people to extremes. In Ripley’s case, there are several moments when he can take the cash he received and walk away from it all, but he doesn’t. He wants more. He becomes consumed with the lifestyle of the rich and famous, clinging onto it by any means necessary as the end of “The Talented Mr. Ripley” demonstrates. This is no different from Patrick Bateman, who refuses to be satisfied with what he has. He wants it all, and then more.

After watching “American Psycho,” a viewer is never sure if Patrick Bateman commits every crime we see on screen. Is it all a story inside his head, or is the line between fiction and reality intentionally blurred here? Tom Ford’s “Nocturnal Animals” plays a similar game. In the neo-noir film, Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) receives a brand-new manuscript from her ex-husband Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal) titled “Nocturnal Animals.” The novel follows family man Tony Hastings (Gyllenhaal) whose vehicle is forced off the road by a dangerous gang. Tony can’t stop the gang from kidnapping his wife and daughter, but are they doomed from the moment they’re taken?

Susan becomes consumed with reading the book, believing that the poignant subject matter is Edward’s way of communicating his feelings to her and utilizing allegories for what happened in their relationship. In turn, this opens up old wounds for her. “Nocturnal Animals” is visceral and violent, as Tony and Edward’s stories intersect. Both Tony and Edward aren’t afraid to admit and display their vulnerability to the viewer, though, as they avoid falling into the overly macho archetype of revenge tales. When all is said and done, “Nocturnal Animals” forces the audience to ponder the lesson of what they watched, which is something that could also be said about “American Psycho.”

“American Psycho” paints Patrick Bateman as the wannabe serial killer sitting right under everybody’s nose. If he did do all the things he imagined and said, there’s a good chance he would have got away with it, because people would struggle to believe he’s a suspect. He’s a charming and good-looking man with a terrific job and influence. He’s what societal norms say you should strive to be, so why would he commit such atrocities if he has everything? A real-life serial killer who also had everyone puzzled was Ted Bundy. After all, he was young, good-looking, and highly educated, so like Bateman, why would he need to sink to such depths of depravity?

Joe Berlinger’s “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” explores the life of Bundy (Zac Efron), especially how his crimes affect his relationship with Liz Kendall (Lily Collins), who initially stands by him after the mounting accusations. Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Bundy comes across as highly convincing in his proclamations of innocence, demonstrating his ability to manipulate people into believing what he wants them to think. In fact, researching and playing Ted Bundy took a toll on Zac Efron too.

What “American Psycho” and “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” showcase is how evil doesn’t discriminate; it comes in all forms. Just because someone is attractive, charismatic, and educated doesn’t automatically make them incapable of sadistic crimes.

Kevin Costner’s Earl Brooks is the future Patrick Bateman. In Bruce A. Evans’ “Mr. Brooks,” Brooks leads a life as a hugely successful businessman, but he also harbors another deep, dark secret: he’s addicted to killing. When his id — called Marshall (William Hurt) — takes over, Brooks answers the call. He’s exceptionally good at covering his tracks, so no one suspects him of any misdeeds. His life takes an unexpected turn, though, when he’s blackmailed by Mr. Smith (Dane Cook), who wants to learn the tricks of the murder trade from the serial killer.

Yeah, “Mr. Brooks” throws a lot of bolts and spanners into the narrative works here, sometimes taking away from what should have been a focused character-driven study of a man living two radically different lives. However, don’t let that distract from the fact that Brooks is what Patrick Bateman will become if his behavior goes unchecked. In “American Psycho,” Bateman murders people, though it’s uncertain if he actually commits a single one or it’s all fantasy. Having said that, what happens once he gets his first taste of the kill? Like Brooks says in the movie: killing can become addictive.

When looking at the most disturbing movies like “American Psycho,” it’s tough to ignore David Koepp’s “Secret Window.” In the former, no secret is made that we’re viewing the story through Patrick Bateman’s eyes. What he sees, feels, and says are all down to who he is as a person — which is despicably rotten, but that’s a story for another day.

“Secret Window” doesn’t reveal all its cards straight away, but there’s a whole lot of similarity by the end of the movie. In this psychological thriller, novelist Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp) moves to a cabin to clear his head from personal events. Like every writer before their first cup of coffee in the morning, Mort develops writer’s block, but this isn’t the worst of his problems, as an angry man named John Shooter (John Turturro) accuses him of plagiarizing his story. Shooter demands justice, wrecking Mort’s life in the process.

In “American Psycho” and “Secret Window,” both protagonists stumble upon important revelations in the third act. For Bateman, he realizes that the crimes he thought he committed may not be real. In Mort’s case, his perception of events also changes, as well as the audience’s. Let’s say that the word “Shooter” is an extremely important clue to the overall story.

If you’re looking for a deliciously wicked satire of the elite, look no further than Emerald Fennell’s 2023 film “Saltburn.” The story sees Barry Keoghan’s Oliver Quick spend the summer at Saltburn, the luxury estate belonging to Felix Catton’s (Jacob Elordi) wealthy family. Oliver begins to demonstrate peculiar behavior, but is it out of love for Felix, or is there something far more devious that he craves from Saltburn and the Cattons?

Akin to “American Psycho,” the R-rated “Saltburn” shines an honest mirror on the sociopathic tendencies found among many of the disgustingly rich and those who want to reach that upper echelon of wealth and status. While money enables them to buy material things (and other people’s loyalty and affection), morals and decency seem to be just outside of their budget. Also, let’s say that Oliver could give Patrick Bateman a run for his money in terms of the lengths he’s willing to go to in order to get what he wants. His deviousness is turned up to 11 — to the point in which the viewer has to say, “Darn! That dude is nasty, but he’s smart.”

On the surface level, it doesn’t appear like Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” has much in common with “American Psycho.” One is a mystery movie, and the other is a satirical horror. Yet, when you get to the meat of the matter at the end of “Shutter Island,” that’s where the similarities start to show. For this specific example, spoilers need to be discussed, so skip ahead if you haven’t watched it yet.

“Shutter Island” introduces U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), as they head to Ashecliffe Hospital on Shutter Island to explore the disappearance of Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer/Patricia Clarkson). The mystery deepens, as Teddy and Chuck investigate Shutter Island. Ultimately, though, this is all revealed to be a roleplay experiment for Teddy, who is actually Andrew Laeddis. After his wife drowned their children, Andrew murdered her, and the resulting guilt caused him to create the personality of Teddy as a coping mechanism.

This isn’t too far from what happens in “American Psycho” when you think about it. In a scene, Patrick Bateman declares, “There’s an idea of a Patrick Bateman.” For him, he projects what the world wants to see, but that isn’t the real person. Essentially, this is a secondary personality created for his own intentions. It’s a facade to hide what’s beneath the surface.

Martin Scorsese’s 1976 classic “Taxi Driver” remains a heavily debated motion picture to this day. Some see Robert De Niro’s Travis Bickle as a heroic vigilante, others view him as a man in need of assistance because of his mental health issues, and a few even consider him a dangerous criminal. Whichever way, it’s clear that this story about a military veteran turned cab driver who grows more agitated as he watches New York City succumb to crime stirs up various emotions among the viewers.

“Taxi Driver” doesn’t hide that Travis has unresolved anger and mental health issues. Instead of receiving the necessary treatment, he stews and develops violent fantasies about enacting revenge on everything that he despises around him. Eventually, he acts on these impulses, targeting bad guys and a senator.

While both Patrick Bateman and Travis have anger issues and fall into the trap of toxic masculinity, it’s difficult to compare their personalities otherwise. As a matter of fact, the biggest similarity between “Taxi Driver” and “American Psycho” is how the protagonist and antagonist of the story are the same person in both films.

“American Psycho” boasts a subtle but powerful theme about the pitfalls of capitalism. As seen through the behavior of Patrick Bateman and his friends, there’s an insatiable hunger for more. Even when you reach the top, you wonder how much further you can go. At the same time, it always comes at the cost of someone else. For someone to rise, someone else must fall.

Dan Gilroy’s “Nightcrawler” turns the camera to the side and looks at it from another angle: What do the desperate do to survive in a capitalist society? The answer is anything. In the film, Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) discovers there’s money to be made if a reporter gets to a crime scene first and sells the footage to news organizations. Lou, though, doesn’t have a strong moral compass, so he does everything he can to ensure he gets the footage before anyone else does.

“Nightcrawler” evolves into a bloody and stinging criticism of capitalism, especially in terms of how sensationalism trumps ethics to turn a buck faster than another person. When people are driven by the desire to make as much money as possible, they cut corners and backstab each other to get ahead. Bateman and Lou stand out as the poster children of what happens when capitalism goes wrong.

Todd Phillips’ “Joker” provides its own origin story to the man who goes on to become Batman’s greatest villain. In it, Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck establishes himself as one of the best on-screen Jokers, putting on an Oscar-winning performance and dancing his way to the billion-dollar club. At its core, “Joker” is a story about the haves and have nots, as the film explores how society often fails its most vulnerable, leading to greater socioeconomic challenges.

Arthur has a neurological disorder that requires treatment — not ridicule — but the system fails him. As Gotham City starts to crumble, Arthur grows tired of being mocked and ignored, so he embraces the moniker of Joker and becomes the symbol of a violent revolution.

Like “American Psycho,” however, Arthur is anything but a reliable narrator of events. Sometimes what he believes to be real is only the fantasies he desires, such as adulation and love. Resultantly, it’s difficult to pinpoint how much of this story actually exists, since the viewer sees it from Arthur’s perspective. It isn’t such a departure from the comics, however, since the Joker from Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s “Batman: The Killing Joke” admits that he prefers his past to be multiple choice — and that tracks here as well.

The twist in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Trap” gets out of the way quickly: the serial killer known as the Butcher is the main character Cooper Abbott (Josh Hartnett). The film sees Cooper take his daughter to a concert. However, when he sees the escalating police presence and discovers they’re looking for the Butcher, he realizes he needs to plot his escape.

Cooper presents himself as a doting father and family man. After all, he brings his little girl to a concert so she can watch her favorite pop star Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan) in action. Cooper uses this to his advantage, as everyone instantly trusts him because of what he represents — never once believing he could be the Butcher — and they inadvertently help him.

Much like Patrick Bateman from “American Psycho,” Cooper leads a secret life and utilizes a persona to avoid suspicion. In fact, it’s somewhat impressive to see how cool and calm Cooper remains in a high-pressure situation, and how he fools people so easily. He’s the true embodiment of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.