Bret Easton Ellis

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.

Works

The Deleted

When escapees from a mysterious cult start disappearing, the survivors are driven to find each other for protection. Damaged by their dark pasts and hunted by the cult leaders who followed them to Los Angeles, they'll do anything to be free.

Release Date2016-12-04

DepartmentProduction

JobExecutive Producer

Charactersd Interviewer (voice)

Episode Count8

Vote Count15

Fernanda Pivano: A Farewell to Beat

Release Date2001-10-22

Charactersd Se stesso

Vote Count3

Behind the Scenes of All That Glitters

A sneak peek behind the scenes of the new CW show, All That Glitters, from acclaimed writer of "American Psycho", Bret Easton Ellis. All That Glitters takes us into the lives of the hot, young, sexy and rich crowd that struggles with everyday life.

Release Date2010-09-25

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Charactersd Author

Vote Count3

Kill, Kobek... Kill!

Radical left-wing author Jarett Kobek's last novel was a massive commercial failure. As he sees it, the only hope left for his career is to promote his newest book, Only Americans Burn in Hell, by debating prominent conservatives on right-wing media. But can America's last dissident author save his career while democracy dies around him?

Release Date2020-05-01

Charactersd Bret Easton Ellis

The Loser

A horribly failed interview. A meeting of great minds. David Shields, Bret Easton Ellis and some loser.

Release Date2019-05-03

Charactersd Him

Vote Count1

Placebo: Too Many Friends

Official music video for Placebo 'Too Many Friends'

Release Date2013-07-12

Charactersd Voice

Placebo: Loud Like Love

Official music video for Placebo 'Loud Like Love'

Release Date2014-03-14

Charactersd Voice

Real Time with Bill Maher

Each week Bill Maher surrounds himself with a panel of guests which include politicians, actors, comedians, musicians and the like to discuss what's going on in the world.

Release Date2003-02-21

Charactersd Self

Episode Count1

Vote Count243

Tout le monde en parle

Host Guy A. Lepage brings together six to eight personalities from different milieus—sports, politics, stage productions and more—that are the subject of everyone’s conversations and/or are important figures in recent events. Participants are invited to speak freely, voicing their opinions on headline news or on a subject that is near and dear to them. 

Release Date2004-09-12

Charactersd Self

Episode Count1

Vote Count11

BRATS

In the 1980s, Andrew McCarthy was part of a young generation of actors who were set to take over Hollywood after a string of successful teen movies. However, when the New York magazine cover story in 1985 dubs them the Brat Pack, stars in the making suddenly find themselves losing control over the trajectory of their careers. Now, almost forty years later, McCarthy looks to reconnect with peers and co-stars so that together they can reflect on their respective legacies.

Release Date2024-06-07

Charactersd Self

Vote Count56

Sebastian

Max is a 25-year-old freelance writer and aspiring novelist who seems well on his way to success in London’s cultural spheres. Yet by night, he finds a different kind of exhilaration as a sex worker with the pseudonym Sebastian, meeting men via an escorting platform. Max uses his experiences as Sebastian to fuel his stories and the worthy debut novel that he has been longing to write, finally seems within reach.

Release Date2024-08-02

Charactersd Self (Archive Footage)

Vote Count51

78/52

The most famous murder scene in movie history comprises 78 camera settings and 52 cuts: the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. 78/52 tells the story of the man behind the curtain and his greatest obsession.

Release Date2017-10-13

Charactersd Self

Vote Count148

Her: Love in the Modern Age

Her: Love In The Modern Age chronicles reactions to Spike Jonze's Oscar-nominated film, "Her." The documentary, directed by Lance Bangs, features stories and reflections from writers, musicians, actors and contemporary culture experts, including Olivia Wilde, James Murphy and Bret Easton Ellis, on the film "Her," and their thoughts on love in the modern age.

Release Date2014-01-17

Charactersd Self

Vote Count7

Generation Wealth

Over the past 25 years, Lauren Greenfield's documentary photography and film projects have explored youth culture, gender, body image, and affluence. Underscoring the ever-increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots, portraits reveal a focus on cultivating image over substance, where subjects unable to attain actual wealth instead settle for its trappings, no matter their ability to pay for it.

Release Date2018-07-20

Charactersd Self

Vote Count103

Killer, Trader and Psychopath: The America of Bret Easton Ellis

In 1991, American Psycho, the third novel by controversial writer Bret Easton Ellis, provoked heated discussions among critics and readers alike; an extraordinarily disturbing book that transported its readers into the mind of Patrick Bateman, a cynical mergers and acquisitions executive obsessed with brands, inconsequential details, pop culture and brutal murder.

Release Date2021-09-15

Charactersd Self - Writer

Vote Count9

American Psycho

A wealthy New York investment banking executive hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he escalates deeper into his illogical, gratuitous fantasies.

Release Date2000-04-13

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Vote Count12379

The Shards

The Shards

Set in Los Angeles in 1981, the story follows a 17-year-old version of Bret Easton Ellis during his final year at the elite Buckley prep school. Upending his world is the arrival of a mysterious new student, Robert Mallory, whose unsettling presence coincides with the activities of a serial killer known as The Trawler.

Release Date2026-08-05

DepartmentProduction

JobExecutive Producer

Episode Count8

The Informers

A collection of intersecting short stories set in early 1980s Los Angeles, depicts a week in the lives of an assortment of socially alienated, mainly well-off characters who numb their sense of emptiness with casual sex, violence, and drugs.

Release Date2008-11-05

DepartmentWriting

JobScreenplay

Vote Count255

The Rules of Attraction

The incredibly spoiled and overprivileged students of Camden College are a backdrop for an unusual love triangle between a drug dealer, a virgin and a bisexual classmate.

Release Date2002-10-11

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Vote Count613

Less Than Zero

A college freshman returns to Los Angeles for Christmas at his ex-girlfriend's request, but discovers that his former best friend has an out-of-control drug habit.

Release Date1987-11-06

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

Vote Count305

The Canyons

The discovery of an illicit love affair leads two young Angelenos on a violent, sexually charged tour through the dark side of human nature.

Release Date2013-08-02

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Vote Count282

Bait

An employee at a high-end resort leads a handful of students into shark infested waters after he's beaten and humiliated by one of the guys in the group.

DepartmentWriting

JobScreenplay

American Psycho

A reimagined adaption of the novel in the fast-paced modern era. Plot TBA.

DepartmentWriting

JobNovel

The Arrangement

The Arrangement is the third incarnation of the international art enterprise, SELF—curated by Saint Laurent’s creative director, In this film about jealousy and romantic obsession, two young men vie for the attention of a woman whose affection seemingly swings between the suitors. “The Windmills of Your Mind,”as covered by Petula Clark, acts as both the soundtrack and narrative to this tale of alternating passions. “The windmills of your mind are the things you project onto a neutral reality when you are trapped within the throes of desire. The short movie explores this idea by juxtaposing the dreamy, elegant surroundings of the characters’ world with the reality of their emotional turmoil. “Infatuation can often make the tactile world seem fictional.

Release Date2019-04-10

DepartmentWriting

JobScreenplay

Smiley Face Killers

Handsome young soccer player Jake Graham believes he is going insane, unable to shake the feeling of being stalked by something, by someone.

Release Date2021-02-04

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Vote Count24

The Curse of Downers Grove

The town of Downers Grove looks like your average suburban neighborhood -- but Downers Grove has a disturbing secret.... For the past eight years, one senior from every high school graduating class has met a bizarre death right before graduation day. And this year, Chrissie Swanson has a terrible feeling that she is going to be the one to die. Can Chrissie survive the curse of Downers Grove or will she, like those seniors before her, fall prey to the town's deadly secret?

Release Date2015-08-21

DepartmentWriting

JobScreenplay

Vote Count74

Less than Zero

A college freshman returns to L.A. for the holidays at his ex-girlfriend's request, but discovers that his former best friend has an out-of-control drug habit.

Release Date2019-01-01

DepartmentProduction

JobExecutive Producer

Vote Count2

Figaro

"Figaro" is a comedic film inspired by the music of The Barber of Sevilla. An opera singer loses his voice during rehearsal and goes through a night of debauchery, before coming back and being able to sing.

Release Date2016-02-25

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

The Replacement Child

After spending a year in a juvenile center for beating up his stepfather, Todd Turnbull returns to his backwoods hometown a repentant, deeply religious boy. When he finds his best friend, Michael, withering away without any medical attention due to the family's spiritual beliefs, Todd must make a choice: let his friend die; or break his oath of non-violence and take matters into his own hands.

Release Date2008-11-09

DepartmentCrew

JobThanks

Vote Count1

The Follower

The Follower

DepartmentCreator

JobCreator

Orpheus

The myth of Orpheus, set in the music industry, in a hellish version of Los Angeles.

Release Date2015-04-20

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count1

Inspired by Bret Easton Ellis

Commissioned by Random House and Bret Easton Ellis.

Release Date2010-06-14

DepartmentWriting

JobCharacters

Vote Count2

Relapse

Matt Cullen is checked into rehab after witnessing a horrific death during a drugged-up party. Three months later, he is set to get his life back together, staying at his parents' mansion in the hills of Los Angeles. But things have changed around Matt and everything seems off balance. Fueled by his unstable personality and the invading power of social media, Matt’s paranoia grows, messing up with his rehabilitation program. As he starts using again, a mysterious presence starts growing around Matt, and a monster that has been haunting him since he was a teenager reveals itself. His therapist tries to help, convinced that the monster is actually in Matt’s head.

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Glamorama

Experimental short film with Barbie dolls based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis.

Release Date2015-03-09

DepartmentWriting

JobOriginal Story

This Is Not an Exit: The Fictional World of Bret Easton Ellis

When "American Psycho" was released early in 2000 it reaffirmed author Bret Easton Ellis as the controversial "bad boy" of contemporary American Fiction. "This Is Not an Exit" reveals the world inhabited by Ellis.

Release Date1998-08-23

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Vote Count8

Central Park West

The glamorous and exciting life for the staff of trendy magazine 'Communique', owned by Allen Rush, "the Darth Vader of publishing".

Release Date1995-09-13

Episode Count1

Vote Count7

The End of the World

What was going on at Bennington College in the 1980s? Matthew Tyrnauer reveals the not-so-secret history of a small (enrollment: 700) liberal arts school that nurtured a shocking amount of genius. Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho), Donna Tartt (The Goldfinch), and Jonathan Lethem (The Fortress of Solitude) were standouts amongst many young creatives, who found plenty of inspiration and material within the messy realities of this collegiate petri dish.

Release Date2022-09-02