Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author and screenwriter. Ellis was one of the literary Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique as a writer is the expression of extreme acts and opinions in an affectless style. His novels commonly share recurring characters. When Ellis was 21, his first novel, the controversial bestseller Less than Zero (1985), was published by Simon & Schuster. His third novel, American Psycho (1991), was his most successful. Upon its release, the literary establishment widely condemned it as overly violent and misogynistic. Though many petitions to ban the book saw Ellis dropped by Simon & Schuster, the resounding controversy convinced Alfred A. Knopf to release it as a paperback later that year. Ellis's novels have become increasingly metafictional. Lunar Park (2005), a pseudo-memoir and ghost story, received positive reviews. Imperial Bedrooms (2010), marketed as a sequel to Less than Zero, continues in this vein. The Shards (2023) is a fictionalized memoir of Ellis's final year of high school in 1981 in Los Angeles. Four of Ellis's works have been made into films. Less than Zero was adapted in 1987 as a film of the same name, but the film bore little resemblance to the novel. Mary Harron's adaptation of American Psycho was released in 2000. Roger Avary's adaptation of The Rules of Attraction was released in 2002. The Informers, co-written by Ellis and based on his collection of short stories, was released in 2008. Ellis also wrote the screenplay for the 2013 film The Canyons. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bret Easton Ellis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 7, 1964 (62)
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Writer, actor and producer
- 9 on MovieCove · 30 credits in all
What are Bret Easton Ellis' films like?
Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 3 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 7
Grounded 5 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 1
Gentle 1 · Charged 6 · Intense 4
Steady 2 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0
Casual 1 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 2
A split, not a type: Easy watch 5 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 2
Resolved 3 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 3
Moods and endings
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous11
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Bret Easton Ellis' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hulu (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Bret Easton Ellis' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
30 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page; 8 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Shards(2026)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all shows
The End of the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Smiley Face Killers(2020)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Kill, Kobek... Kill! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
The Loser (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
The Arrangement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Less than Zero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
The Deleted (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Figaro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all filmsOrpheus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Glamorama (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Placebo: Loud Like Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
The Canyons(2013)
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films
Placebo: Too Many Friends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Behind the Scenes of All That Glitters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Inspired by Bret Easton Ellis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
The Replacement Child (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
The Informers(2008)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
The Rules of Attraction(2002)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films
Fernanda Pivano: A Farewell to Beat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
American Psycho(2000)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
This Is Not an Exit: The Fictional World of Bret Easton Ellis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Central Park West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Less Than Zero(1987)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
American Psycho (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Bait (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Relapse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Follower (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 29 titles, 25 of them dated from 1987 to 2026.
Biggest box office
American Psycho (2000)
Highest rated
American Psycho (2000)
Most popular right now
The Shards (2026)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Bret Easton Ellis' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 9th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th2
- Below 25th6
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 9 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed6
Reviewers score the dialogue 39/100 and the plot and story 33/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Bret Easton Ellis' work okay for kids?
Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Bret Easton Ellis work with?
People who share at least 2 of Bret Easton Ellis' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Brian Young shares the most, 2.
Producers
- Brian YoungShared titles: The Shards (2026), The Informers (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Brian Young
- Braxton PopeShared titles: Smiley Face Killers (2020), The Canyons (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Braxton Pope
- Kurt KittlesonShared titles: Smiley Face Killers (2020), The Canyons (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Kurt Kittleson
- Chris HanleyShared titles: American Psycho II: All American Girl (2002), American Psycho (2000)See all 2 shared titles with Chris Hanley
Mixed roles
- Guinevere TurnerShared titles: Tueur, trader et psychopathe - L'Amérique de Bret Easton Ellis (2021), American Psycho (2000)See all 2 shared titles with Guinevere Turner
