Ryan Murphy's 'The Shards' and 4 Other Bret Easton Ellis Adaptations, Ranked by IMDb

Bret Easton Ellis is a writer whose name has become synonymous with a dark, cynical, and piercing view of American reality. His novels, full of alienation, violence, and decadence, have inspired filmmakers for decades.

The most famous adaptation is American Psycho, starring Christian Bale, which has long enjoyed cult status, however, the story of adaptations doesn't end there.

5. 'The Informers', 2008

IMDb Score: 4.9/10

Los Angeles, 1983. Rich kids, hedonists, rockers, and school bullies run amok under the scorching California sun. Everyone in this city is slowly going crazy.

The Informers lacks a coherent narrative – it's merely an attempt to capture the mood of a half-crazy Los Angeles in the 80s, when pop stars rubbed shoulders with maniacs, politicians, and the gilded youth.

The idea of turning a collection of short stories into a movie was doomed to fail even before filming began. Although Ellis contributed to the script, reducing the number of stories from thirteen to seven forced him to discard nearly half of the intended plot arcs.

Unsurprisingly, Ellis' fans trashed the movie, and he quickly disowned it, blaming the director for its failure.

4. 'The Shards', 2026

IMDb Score: 5.8/10

17-year-old Bret is a student at the prestigious Buckley School in Hollywood. He shares his classroom with the children of movie stars and senators.

He enjoys the high life, spending day after day in the company of alcohol, drugs, and corrupt friends. One day, a mysterious student named Robert enrolls at the school, and his arrival coincides with a series of brutal murders.

The Shards is Ellis' most personal novel – the author calls this teen saga with elements of true crime a loose autobiography. Unfortunately, the novel didn't survive the adaptation – the story lacks irony, and the series itself resembles another detective story like Riverdale.

3. 'Less Than Zero', 1987

IMDb Score: 6.4/10

College student Clay returns to his hometown of Los Angeles for winter break. While he was away, his friends from school have become a group of outcasts obsessed with drugs and partying.

Clay's best friend, Julian, has deteriorated the most – the once promising young man has become a drug dealer doomed to an early death.

Director Marek Kanievska had to cut some of the most controversial scenes from the movie, yet it still captures the essence of the book – the struggle against the vicious hedonism that cost the writer many friends and loved ones.

2. 'The Rules of Attraction', 2002

IMDb Score: 6.6/10

Sean attends a prestigious university, but he doesn't think about studying. Every night, he and his friends get drunk and fantasize about the future. However, every party eventually ends – when romantic relationships between students become tangled, the indulgence turns to torture.

Ellis' experimental college novel features unbridled prose: the author cuts off chapters mid-sentence, disregards punctuation, and writes entire paragraphs in French.

Fortunately, The Rules of Attraction fell into the hands of an equally daring director, Roger Avary. The filmmaker uses all the forbidden techniques of modern cinema, including wild camera angles and crazy edits.

1. 'American Psycho', 2000

IMDb Score: 7.6/10

Patrick Bateman is at the top of the New York yuppie food chain. He wears luxurious suits, has a six-pack, and is in excellent physical condition. However, this veneer of well-being begins to crumble when his jealousy of his colleagues at the investment firm overtakes him.

Director Mary Harron perfectly cast the young Christian Bale and beautifully brought the world of corrupt New York financiers to life.

However, the book's moral was off the mark. Ellis insisted on the main character's ambivalence, refusing to tell readers whether Bateman was a serial killer. Harron attempted a similar trick in the finale, but it was far too unconvincing.