Thriller film opening

1. Thriller Film Opening Sequence
Textual Analysis
‘‘American PsychoAmerican Psycho’’

2. LOCATION
Apartment
Set in a normal location, IE an
apartment. Using normal and
everyday settings in a thriller is
common, the idea of something
‘extraordinary’ happening in an
ordinary situation is to scare the
audience into believing it is possible
to happen to them.
It represents his wealth and
suggests that perhaps he is
well educated.
LIGHTING
The lighting is neutral
It suggests he lives in a calm
environment which contrasts
with his potentially dangerous
personality.
COSTUME
He is naked/wearing underwear
Shows that he is superficial
and cares about himself very
much.
PROPS
He uses everyday objects
like face wash and
aftershave.
It shows us he is careful to
maintain his youthful
appearance.
BODY LANGUAGE
His body language is very self-
assured, he seems like he is
extremely confident in himself.
He is a confident
character who is
charismatic but
seems to have a
narcissist side.

3. CAMERA SHOTS
Introduces the setting
of his apartment and
shows a little more of
his personal life.
Long shots of Bateman walking
around his apartment
Close up of his face
He looks sinister as the
camera comes close up,
suggesting he has a darker
side.
PACE
The pace is slow to introduce different
elements of the character’s life to the
viewers.
SOUND
Voiceover
He does the voiceover,
almost like an internal
monologue. He tells us
about his daily routine, it
implies he is a normal young
man with normal tendencies
“There is an idea of a
Patrick Bateman,
some kind of
abstraction but there
is no real me.”
Suggests that there
are two sides to him,
as if he is fake in a
way.