10 Movie Endings You Definitely Misunderstood The First Time

10. American Psycho

American Psycho's twisted ending seemingly leaves audiences to consider whether yuppie psychopath Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) actually killed everyone throughout the movie, or it was merely an elaborate delusion in his twisted mind.

After all, the third act of the movie becomes increasingly outlandish, to the point that the audience may understandably surmise we're watching the unreliable fantasy of a psychotic individual.

But throughout the years, director Mary Harron and the novel's author Bret Easton Ellis have both reiterated that the ending isn't nearly as tricky as many like to think it is.

According to them, Patrick's murderous actions did indeed happen, but the more surreal affectations in the film - such as the ATM instructing him to feed it a stray cat - are heightened exaggerations in his mind.

Co-writer Guinevere Turner stated in a 2020 interview with Moviemaker that she and Harron made a conscious effort to avoid an "it was all in his head" ending.

As such, while the prism through which we experience the movie is an increasingly surreal one, the particulars of Bateman's killing spree are very real.