The Wildest Sigma Male Horror Finally Slashes Its Way to Netflix
"I'm into murders and executions, mostly."
Stories about deranged men on their way to seize power and prove themselves are nothing new in cinema history. You can recall such classic gems as Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971) or Martin Scorcese’s Taxi Driver (1976) in this respect.
These days, in the era of TikTok, these plots refer to so-called sigma male grindset films and are regarded as the typical movie buff’s favorites. There is a horror that is, presumably, the most notorious and most viral sigma flick of all time, as well as its lead.
The film’s plot revolves around a handsome investment banker living a successful life in New York City. He has it all, but wants more and more, and that’s why by night he leads a double life as a merciless serial killer, staying uncaught and still insatiable.
If you are a cinema lover or simply were online at least once over the past few years, you have already guessed we’re talking about American Psycho (2000), Christian Bale ’s iconic satirical film that mixes horror elements with high-class black comedy.
Despite the main leitmotif about a man who gradually transforms into a monster, it’s not really about killing and mental disorders. Through Bale’s character, Patric Batemen, this cross-genre gem explores the issues of yuppie culture of the 1980s and consumerism.
On today’s Internet, however, American Psycho is recognized as the loudest anthem of all sigma males, with many young boys calling Bateman (both as a joke and seriously) ‘literally me’. It may come as a surprise for them that it was written and directed by a woman, the filmmaker Mary Harron.
It is claimed that Bale delivers the best performance of his entire career here, as his antagonist is indeed very memorable and, of course, memable. We bet you have seen all these edits and pictures of his character’s elaborate morning routine and so on.
Apart from brilliant Bale, the film’s all-star cast assembles Willem Dafoe as the detective who is hunting for the murderer, Reese Witherspoon as Bateman's despised fiancée, and also Jared Leto, Chloë Sevigny, Justin Theroux and Samantha Mathis.
“I quite enjoyed it as comedy, as caricature: from the start the protagonist is clearly living in a hyper-reality far removed from my own life,” concludes Redditor @stereoroid.
It’d be quite curious to revise this movie in the light of today’s memes as a witty comedy flick, not a horror one, or to finally watch it if you still haven’t seen it for some reason.
Luckily, American Psycho will be available on Netflix already on July 1.