10 Movies You Didn't Know Were Connected
3. The Rules Of Attraction And American Psycho
Both the 2000 gorefest American Psycho and 2002 black comedy The Rules of Attraction are based on books by the author Bret Easton-Ellis.
Don't worry, that's not the end of the entry. There is more.
Sexy serial killer Patrick Bateman (played Christian Bale) is the main character and star attraction of American Psycho. Bale's brilliantly detached performance as the gristly murderer launched his movie career and it has had a lasting effect on pop culture.
As for the protagonist of The Rules of Attraction, well, he might be a little jealous about his brother hogging all the glory.
James Van Der Beek's character in the movie is, indeed, called Sean Bateman and he is canonically the younger brother of American Psycho's titular psycho. Patrick was even set to make an appearance in The Rules of Attraction, this time played by Casper Van Dien, but those scenes were cut.
Fans of Ellis should not be surprised by this revelation, as Patrick Bateman crops up in many of his works. However, knowing that one of the most recognisable and captivating murderers in all of cinema could have appeared in a different movie is a pretty big deal.