Podcasts
[Horror Queers Podcast] The Enduring Satire of Mary Harron’s ‘American Psycho
“Asshole” Isn’t Sexy
After a few weeks of horror comedies (Vamp) and slashers (April Fool’s Day), Trace and I, along with The Perfection screenwriter Eric Charmelo, combine slashers and comedy by revisiting Mary Harron‘s American Psycho, the film adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel, on its 20th anniversary.
The late 80s-set critique of masculinity, capitalism and white privilege follows Wall Street yuppie Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) as he mingles with co-workers (Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Justin Theroux) and beds conquests (Reese Witherspoon, Samantha Mathis) – all while moonlighting as a prolific serial killer of homeless people, sex workers and casual coke-snorting acquaintances. But is Patrick actually committing these murders, or is he just a narcissist who is slowly going crazy?
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Episode 68 – American Psycho (2000)
Grab your clear raincoat, your overnight bag and your reservation at Dorsia! The boys, along with special guest Eric Charmelo (co-creator/showrunner of The CW’s Ringer and co-screenwriter of The Perfection) time travel back to the 80s to revisit Mary Harron’s masterful satire of Wall Street capitalism and sociopathy just in time for its 20th anniversary.
The threesome collectively lose our memory recall (who is the star of this movie? What is the name of the film Bale and Mathis co-starred in later? What is Eric’s social media handle?), but find plenty of praise for Bale, Witherspoon, the soundtrack and Harron’s writing/direction. Also: debates about why certain characters survive, whether Bateman is homophobic (or just a control freak) and a book vs film comparison of the notorious threesome murder sequence.
Plus: Rabbit hole tangents about food porn, the benefits of charcoal, gunkata and why you shouldn’t use the word “asshole” during sex.
Cross out American Psycho!
Coming up next Wednesday: in anticipation of the (un)official day of celebration for everyone who enjoys a good smoke or toke, we’re passing the blunt to the 2005 Showtime musical, Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical.
P.S. Be sure to check out our editorial on 1981’s Roadgames before the next one – on Michael Crichton’s Looker – comes out. You can find all of the old articles here.
P.P.S. If you subscribe to our Patreon you can listen to a full length episode on Mike Flanagan’s Hush (2016) and our Audio Commentary on Simon Barrett & Adam Wingard’s You’re Next (2011).
Coming Soon & Now Showing is a monthly series on Halloweenies that catches up on the latest horror headlines and round robins capsule reviews of new and old horrors.
This month, Michael Roffman and Justin Gerber discuss the blockbuster weekend involving Backrooms and Obsession. They also brush on some franchise news and dust off oldies for the first time: 1987’s Dead of Winter and 1977’s False Face.
Stream the episode below. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and RSS. New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, The Evil Dead, Chucky, Alien, and the Universal Monsters.This year? Hellraiser!
You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind, for hilariously irreverent commentaries (e.g. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Re-Animator, Darkman), one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (e.g. Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Manhunter, ), and even spinoffs like their recent run Fortune & Glory: An Indiana Jones Podcast.