What actually happens
Business cards at dawn
In 1987, Patrick Bateman is an investment banker in New York City who maintains a very tidy public image. He eats at fashionable restaurants, fusses over his appearance, and spends time with a group of wealthy coworkers he privately despises. He is engaged to Evelyn Williams. At a business meeting, the men compare the designs of their business cards, and Bateman is furious that his colleague Paul Allen's card looks better than his. Bateman's envy of Allen drives much of what follows.
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The alley scene, defused
Later, Bateman runs into a man living on the street, with his dog, in an alley. He first offers to help, then insults the man and brutally kills him. He kills the dog too. This is the scene viewers dread most. It comes early in the film, shortly after the business card meeting, so you can see it coming and be ready for it. The rest of the plot moves on to other targets, and the dog does not come up again.
The Dorsia problem and an axe
Bateman's jealousy of Allen grows. Allen can get a table at Dorsia, a restaurant Bateman cannot get into. At a Christmas party Bateman arranges a dinner with Allen, who thinks Bateman is a different coworker, Marcus Halberstram. Allen's condescension at dinner makes things worse. Bateman gets him drunk, brings him back to his apartment, and attacks him with an axe, which ends Allen's life. He gets rid of the body, uses Allen's keys to get into his apartment, and leaves a message on Allen's answering machine saying he has gone to London. Private investigator Donald Kimball starts asking questions, mentioning that Allen has been seen in London. Bateman gets through the interview. Next, he hires two women, Christie and Sabrina, and is cruel to them. He tries to strangle his coworker Luis Carruthers in a restaurant restroom, but Carruthers thinks it is a pass, and Bateman flees. He also considers hurting his secretary, Jean, and warns her he might lose control.
Everything comes apart
Kimball tells Bateman that a colleague says he had dinner with Allen on the night Allen disappeared, which backs up Bateman's alibi. Bateman is relieved, though still rattled. He then hires Christie again and brings Elizabeth to his apartment for an evening that ends in violence. Christie finds bodies there while trying to leave and is killed on the stairs with a chainsaw. After breaking his engagement with Evelyn, Bateman starts to unravel. An ATM tells him to feed it a stray cat, and he nearly shoots a kitten but shoots a woman who steps in instead. Police chase him, he shoots an officer, blows up a patrol car for no clear reason, kills more bystanders, and hides in his office. There he leaves a voicemail for his lawyer, Harold Carnes, confessing to about forty murders.
The ending, explained
The next day Bateman goes to Allen's apartment, which is empty and for sale. A realtor is suspicious of his dust mask, insists the place has nothing to do with Allen, and tells him to leave. Jean finds his journal full of sketches of murders and is alarmed. Over lunch, Carnes takes Bateman for somebody else, treats the confession as a joke, and says he recently had dinner with Allen in London. Bateman is no longer sure what really happened and what he imagined. As his friends talk about where to eat, he says in voiceover that his pain will never end and that he wants to pass it on to others. He decides that nothing will free or punish him, and that his confession meant nothing. The film leaves it open whether any of the murders happened.
The post-credits ruling
There is no post-credits scene. You can leave when the credits start.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: not fine. It happens early, in an alley.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is American Psycho scary?
American Psycho is a 6 out of 10 with medium dread. It has no jump scares. The fear comes from Bateman's behavior, some graphic violence, and an early scene with a dog.
How does American Psycho end?
Bateman confesses to about forty murders in a voicemail, then finds out that his lawyer thinks it was a joke and says he dined with Allen recently. The film never confirms whether the murders happened.
Does the dog die in American Psycho?
Yes, the dog dies in American Psycho. Bateman kills a homeless man's dog in an alley early in the film. Bateman also nearly kills a kitten later, but he does not go through with it.
Is there a post-credits scene in American Psycho?
No. American Psycho has no post-credits scene, so you can leave when the credits start.
Did Patrick Bateman really commit the murders in American Psycho?
The film does not say. Bateman confesses to around forty murders, but his lawyer laughs it off and claims to have dined with Allen in London, so the audience cannot tell if the murders really happened.
