“I’m into, oh murders and executions mostly. It depends.”
Ever since its first release in 1991 and on the back of its 2000 Mary Harron adaptation starring Christian Bale, American Psycho has been established as one of the most iconic pieces of horror fiction. Known for its black comedy and use of subversion, its satirical approach to New York yuppie culture has gone down as a scathing commentary on cultural consumerism that remains just as relevant, if not more so, in contemporary society. It’s a tale that can be studied endlessly and its enduring popularity online continues to inspire writers worldwide. Join us at What We Reading as we pay homage to Ellis’ work with the best horror books like American Psycho!
Glamorama – Bret Easton Ellis
Where better to kick off this list of the best books like American Psycho than with another acclaimed work from the author himself? In Glamorama, Ellis tackles society’s current obsession with celebrity culture. Victor Ward is a gorgeous male model in 1990s Manhatten who is friends with all the right people and photographed at all the right places.
Or so he thinks. Presented with the same satirical approach that has made American Psycho so iconic, Glamorama peels away at Victor’s sanity, revealing a world where fame, glamour, terror and mayhem all collide in an eerily relatable manner.
A History Of Fear – Luke Dumas
Grayson Hale is the most infamous murderer in Scottish history, and better known by his alternative name: ‘The Devil’s Advocate’. The 25-year-old American grad student shot to infamy when he confessed to the murder of his classmate, claiming that the devil had made him do it. But, when Grayson is found having committed suicide in his prison cell, a manuscript is found promising to answer all of the nation’s questions. Was Hale a murderer?
Following a young atheist as he attempts to uncover the truth behind Hale and his crimes, Luke Dumas’ A History of Fear is a nerve-shredding tale that combines a dread-inducing atmosphere with a fascinating dive into the darkness of the human psyche.
Haunted – Chuck Palahniuk
No list of books like American Psycho would be complete without mentioning Chuck Palahniuk’s Haunted. Like Ellis’ work, Haunted explores themes of sexuality, social distastefulness, artistic creditability and existentialism, all through a snappy and satirical commentary on reality television.
A collection of twenty-three short contemporary horror tales, Haunted follows artists who have all answered an ad claiming: ‘Artists Retreat: Abandon your life for three months’. Going off-grid for three months is supposedly the key to them unearthing their next great work, however, all of them soon encounter all is not as it seems in this old and ornate theatre.
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Tampa – Alissa Nutting
Celeste Price is a smouldering 26-year-old middle school teacher in Florida, as well as a cold-blooded psychopath. Like American Psycho, Alissa Nutting’s Tampa is told from the perspective of Celeste as she recounts her determined seduction of 14-year-old student Jack Patrick. Laced with black humour and satire, Tampa exposes the troubling relationship with female beauty, offering an enthralling insight into Celeste’s unrepentant and guiltless mind.
Everybody Knows – Jordan Harper
Jordan Harper whisks readers into the underbelly of Los Angeles in his noir crime thriller, Everybody Knows. Mae works as a ‘black bag publicist’ for one of the city’s most powerful law firms, working to protect the rich and powerful by any means necessary. However, when her boss is gunned down in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel, she takes it upon herself to get to the truth behind this seemingly random attack.
In an epic investigation filled with countless twists and turns, readers ride along with Mae as she encounters crooked cops, sprawling homeless camps, grand mansions and glamorous influencers, casting an entirely new illumination on the City of Angels in the modern age.
Tender Is The Flesh – Agustina Bazterrica
Tender is the Flesh is an unsettling dystopian book exploring how capable humans justify horrific acts. Marcos works at a processing plant slaughtering humans, though no one calls them that anymore. With his father suffering from dementia and his wife having just walked out on him, he prefers to stick to his job at hand. It began with a virus making all animal meat poisonous to humans.
The government then initiated the ‘transition’, making the consumption of human aka. ‘Special’ meat legal. But, when Marcos is gifted with a live specimen, he initiates a forbidden and intimate relationship that will see him become obsessed by what he has lost, and what he might still be able to save.
Blood Meridian – Cormac McCarthy
One of the all-time classic Western novels, Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian is a striking exploration of the violence and brutality that followed the United States’ expansion westward. Dispelling a number of the traditional tropes associated with this era of history and the mythology of the Wild West, the book chronicles the life and times of Kid, a 14-year-old Tennessee native who stumbles upon a depraved world where Indians are being murdered.
Based on real history, the novel is exhaustingly brutal at times but, like American Psycho, it offers a stark illumination of the dark deeds that occur under the surface of society.
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You – Caroline Kepnes
Author Caroline Kepnes claimed that American Psycho played a heavy role in influencing her You series, so it’s only fair we include it in our list. The New York Times bestseller follows a young man named Joe Goldberg who will go to any length necessary in the pursuit of love, even if it means murdering others to manipulate her into loving him back.
Told from the perspective of Joe, You offers a captivatingly intimate insight into his psyche, motivations and justifications for his dark and brutal acts. As well as being a potent reminder about the dangers of social media and having an online presence, You matches American Psycho with its snappy humour, unreliable narrator and ability to present a villain so charming and enigmatic some readers may find themselves rooting for.
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
