Media & Music: The Pleasures of Conformity in “American Psycho”
The director’s use of popular ’80s music in “American Psycho” both reinforces themes of fitting in and reveals secrets about the main character’s psyche.
In Media and Music, our writers take a deep dive into how movies use scores and songs to engage viewers, give new meaning and tone to some of our favorite scenes, and establish themes. It almost goes without saying, but there are spoilers abound.
Written by Rachel Green
Photos courtesy of Lionsgate Films
Content Warning: This article features mentions of murder, drugs, discrimination, and sexual abuse.
“Do you like Huey Lewis and The News?”
The film “American Psycho,” written and directed by Mary Herron, was released in 2000 to critical and box office acclaim. Nevertheless, audiences were reluctant to embrace such a blatant display of gore and perversion at first. Once the film was released to DVD in 2005, however, it gained a cult following that has lasted to the present day. Since its release, “American Psycho” has had a passionate following of watchers of all ages, particularly Gen Z.
There are many theories as to why young people have taken a strangely devoted liking to the film. A quick search of any social media site yields edits of the main character listening to viral songs on his headphones. In an article published earlier this year, writer Juanjo Villalba asserts that young men turned the jokes and edits of Patrick Bateman circulating the internet into a lifestyle. “Bateman’s main characteristics — his sexual insecurity, insensitivity, shallowness and obsession with money — connected with some of the obsessions of Generation Z,” writes Villalba. In this way, young people of today are fascinated and entertained by the main character in a way that has created a viral phenomenon.
“American Psycho” follows the story of Patrick Bateman, a 27-year-old Wall Street investment banker by day and serial killer by night. After he murders fellow investment banker Paul Allen, a detective begins to investigate Bateman, which sends the killer into a spiral of paranoia. He confesses to murdering dozens of people to his lawyer, who refuses to believe him, and the film concludes with Bateman questioning if his killing spree was real or all in his imagination.
The cult classic remains a spectacle for its commentary on conformity within the yuppie culture of 1980s Wall Street. Throughout the film, Bateman is often mistaken for his other colleagues. Paul Allen consistently mistakes him for a banker named Marcus Halberstram before Bateman kills him out of rageful competition. However, Allen isn’t the only one who can’t tell anyone apart; Bateman runs into his lawyer the day after he confesses to his crimes on the phone, but the lawyer mistakes him for someone else and then tells him Paul Allen was recently seen in Europe. This revelation, which is the final scene of the film, leaves both the protagonist and the audience confused about Bateman’s real identity. In addition to the script leaving Bateman’s identity open-ended, Herron’s careful music selection further reveals that the main character has no real personality, but rather has carefully constructed himself in order to be accepted by those around him.
Herron makes the theme of conforming to social standards most apparent in the scene where Bateman murders Paul Allen. After a dinner together, where the protagonist is once again confused for another investment banker, he takes Paul Allen back to his apartment. In one of the most iconic scenes of the movie, Bateman plays “Hip To Be Square” from Huey Lewis & The News’ Fore!, giving Allen a spiel about how the song is “about the pleasures of conformity, and the importance of trends,” and tells him that more people should listen to the lyrics: “I’m working out most everyday / And watchin’ what I eat / They tell me that it’s good for me.” All the while, Bateman puts on a raincoat and retrieves an ax as his Allen-ending weapon. The titular line “It’s hip to be square” repeats as Bateman murders Allen, further emphasizing the idea that Bateman is struggling between acceptance from his peers and accepting his sadistic urges.
In between scenes of gore and abuse, Bateman can be seen losing himself in the music playing over his headphones. It’s apparent that he is not interested in enjoying the music, but rather spends his time analyzing contemporary popular music in order to appear normal and fit in better with his peers. Herron’s usage of both classical music and popular ‘80s tunes — both diegetically and non-diegetically — reveals the two-sided nature of Bateman’s world and psyche. Within the story, the protagonist molds the music he listens to in order to shape his personality based on his surroundings, but the instrumental soundtrack songs reveal his true inner self.
In contrast to the pop tunes peppered throughout “American Psycho,” underscored classical music often accompanies scenes of Bateman in business meetings or at formal dinners. As the film progresses and Bateman spirals, the serene violin music used in these scenes intentionally unsettles the audience, evident even in the film’s first moments.
Right after the opening credits, upbeat violin strings play over Bateman and two of his colleagues having lunch, a sophisticated scene complete with shots of well-dressed patrons and aesthetically pleasing dishes. However, the music contrasts with the main conversation of the scene, which includes talk of doing cocaine, giving oral sex in exchange for restaurant reservations, and derogatory remarks about a coworker’s Jewish faith. While the music signals to the audience that the characters are high-class, their discussions reveal the rampant disrespect that plagues Wall Street business culture, creating a discordant tone for the rest of the film.
In the climax of the film, Bateman hires a sex worker named Christie to come back to his apartment with him and his current fling. Over the course of the night, he speaks about Whitney Houston’s discography, mimicking the earlier scene with Paul Allen. In order to distract them while he prepares to kill them, he focuses on appearing normal by showing his interest on a topic he thinks they can relate to. He then drugs his acquaintance and kills her while Christie attempts to escape. The violins return, this time twisted into an unsettling, fast-paced tune as Bateman chases down Christie with a chainsaw. The overall feeling created is that of a slasher film. The discordant strings, once used to signal formality, reveal that Bateman’s two sides have now converged: he devolved from a put-together banker with infrequent bouts of bloodlust to a full-fledged killer, as revealed by the eerie scoring played over a scene of him naked, covered in blood, and out to kill.
While the plot continues to be controversial, “American Psycho” remains relevant primarily because of the iconic use of popular music in the soundtrack. Mary Herron’s artful interpretation of “American Psycho” author Bret Easton Ellis’s music references, in combination with her use of otherwise “formal” instrumental music, highlights Bateman’s two-faced personality without the use of words, creating a more interesting and subtle look at his psychological decline. Without such a strong soundtrack, Herron’s film would not have had the lasting cultural impact seen today, as seen primarily with the song “Hip to Be Square.” “American Psycho” is the blueprint for innovative soundtrack use in film because of how seamlessly integrated each track is to Bateman’s journey of misplaced conformity.