Months after 'American Psycho' opened to mixed reviews in 2000, an announcement by Lions Gate raised everyone's eyebrows
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: When Lions Gate announced a sequel to their cinematic adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's novel 'American Psycho' in 2001, people weren't exactly thrilled, including Ellis himself.
'American Psycho 2', released two years after the original, attempted to establish a connection with the first film while also functioning as a standalone sequel.
Does 'American Psycho 2' follow the events of 'American Psycho'?
The original screenplay of the sequel had no association with the original but during the production stage, the script was later altered to connect to the 2000 release, exploring the connection between the lead characters of both films.
A flashback to the year 1993 shows a 12-year-old girl accompanying her babysitter on a date with Patrick Bateman (played by Michael Kremko, who replaced Christian Bale in the brief role).
After Bateman killed and began to dissect the babysitter, the young girl killed him with an ice pick.
The narrative then jumps forward six years to show the young girl, Rachael Newman, now a college student studying criminology at Washington University under Professor Starkman, a former FBI agent (played by William Shatner).
Rachael is a brutal killer hiding in plain sight, seeking to advance her career by murdering her classmates.
The sequel somehow killed the open interpretation and debate offered by the original in its thrilling climax.
By portraying that Bateman actually killed the babysitter, the sequel invalidated the idea that he was probably imagining all the crimes he did.
If this isn't the way to kill the legacy of a cult film, then what is?
'American Psycho 2' is a sequel nobody asked for!
While Christian Bale starrer still opened to mixed reviews, the sequel bombed upon its theatrical release, with a mere 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
"This stuck pig of a movie flails limply between bizarre comedy and pallid horror," BBC reviewed the film.
Ellis denounced the sequel saying, "If they're not careful they could end up with something like the Pink Panther movies. I've even heard that they were thinking about doing American Psycho In LA, American Psycho In Las Vegas, and making a whole franchise out of it," reported The Guardian.
In 2005, Kunis expressed embarrassment for being a part of 'American Psycho 2' while speaking against the idea of the film getting a third part.
She said to MTV, "Please—somebody stop this. Write a petition. When I did the second one, I didn't know it would be American Psycho II. It was supposed to be a different project, and it was re-edited, but, ooh … I don't know. Bad."
How to stream 'American Psycho'?
Christian Bale starrer 'American Psycho' is available for rent on Lionsgate and Amazon Prime Video. The film is also arriving on Netflix on July 1, 2024.
'American Psycho 2', starring William Shatner and Mila Kunis, is available to stream on Lionsgate Play and Peacock. You can also rent it on Prime Video.