Episode 42: American Psycho 2 (2002)

“You know how some babysitters take you to the movies or rollerblading in the park? Mine brought me along on a date with a serial killer.”

Welcome back, B-movie fanatics!

As I so often say, I feel like I’m the only person in the world who actually enjoys some of the titles I select. In the case of American Psycho 2, that definitely rings true. Not only do most horror fans dislike this cash-in sequel, they despise and downright loathe it. The popular opinion doesn’t stop with genre devotees, either. Even the star herself has expressed her disdain for the project. That’s right, That ‘70s Show alum and Hollywood starlet Mila Kunis would like more than anything to see this, one of her very first leads, wiped from her filmography.

I won’t say I don’t understand all the vitriol hurled toward this particular piece of celluloid (although I wouldn’t be surprised if I did say something to that effect during the commentary itself). It’s not at all like its predocessor (probably because the original script was never meant to be a sequel to the Bret Easton Ellis adaptation) and, as I’ve come to find, many genre devotees hate when horror and comedy are blended together, which is the primary reason movies like Dr. Giggles never had much of a following. There’s even an audience who look down their noses at the sequels in franchises like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Child’s Play, and Sleepaway Camp. Said fans insist these series’ went a little too far off the rails, focusing more on laughs and less on scares (although, I will agree that Seed of Chucky is pretty damn bad). But then again there’s the Saw franchise, which stayed true to form for seven films and I don’t think this did anything to satisfy those who found the original to be a genuinely well-made and, most of all, terrifying film.

When it comes to straight-to-video sequels, I think American Psycho 2 is exactly what one would—or at least ought to—expect. True, it doesn’t possess anything remotely close to the depth, not to mention scares, of the Mary Harron endeavor, but that’s probably because this isn’t the Mary Harron endeavor. It’s a totally different movie and if you disassociate it from the title,, I think it’s easy to enjoy it purely on a fun, campy, nothing cerebral here level, which is exactly what many of the movies I do commentaries for are.

I used to say this at the beginning of every episode, but I stopped, assuming listeners would have the sense to know. Just in case you don’t, be sure to start the commentary at the precise moment you start the film. That is, of course, if you choose to watch along. If that’s the case, your best bet is the Lions Gate Blu ray edition, running at 1:28:29 which was my source for this episode