Dexter actor Michael C. Hall revealed how much the story of American Psycho and Patrick Bateman resonated with his serial killer character. The world has a fascination with serial killers, for better or worse, and it has infested pop culture. Of course, there’s famous cinema characters like Hannibal Lector, Patrick Bateman, and the various horror slasher icons like Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees. One of the first notable television serial killers was Dexter Morgan and he was a controversial figure at first. Instead of making him the big bad villain that protagonists had to run from, he was the protagonist and the show asked audiences to follow him on his killing spree.
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Now, 20 years later and three shows later, Dexter Morgan returns in Dexter: Resurrection, a new sequel series planned to run for multiple seasons. The new show picks up ten weeks after Dexter: New Blood and has Dexter awakening from his coma, discovering that his past is catching up to him. He rushes to New York City to try and reconnect with his son while also being investigated by Angel Batista and combatting new threats. It’s a thrilling new season and one that is being praised by critics so far.
Dexter: Resurrection Star Michael C. Hall Talks American Psycho‘s Influence on Dexter
Dexter: Resurrection is also bursting at the seams with callbacks and cameos. The first episode begins with Dexter being haunted by some of his most notable villains via a dream sequence. However, one callback that longtime fans will have noticed is an American Psycho Easter egg. In the original show, it is revealed that Dexter uses the alias of Dr. Patrick Bateman to discretely order the tranquilizer he uses on his victims, M99. In Dexter: Original Sin, we see him with a copy of the book itself, showing an early fascination with the story.
In Resurrection, Dexter orders more M99 with the alias, serving as an important and fun continuation of the continuity.. It’s a common throughline across all versions of the show. Michael C. Hall sat down with ComicBook.com’s Chris Killian and was asked about the effect that American Psycho might have had on Dexter.
“I don’t know if he’s better or worse, I think the die was cast and I don’t know whether or not encountering that book shaped him,” said Hall. “I think maybe it’s a cautionary tale, reinforcing a sense of the kind of person he could be if he weren’t given a code. Maybe created some sort of quintessential victim for him, like a prototypical victim. It seems like Dexter has a bit of a sense of humor about himself that I think the show does well when the whimsical side kind of bubbles through and him choosing that as an alias is one of those instances.”
Dexter: Resurrection has already aired its first two episodes and will premiere its third this Friday. Although the first episode was front loaded with cameos, there will be more. Actor Desmond Harrington who plays Joey Quinn recently confirmed on Instagram that he will appear in Dexter: Resurrection, but it’s unclear how significant his role will be.
ComicBook gave Dexter: Resurrection a 4 out of 5 in its review, praising it for being a suspenseful, dramatic, and thrilling return to form that combines the old tropes of Dexter with the tone and aesthetic of a more modern series like New Blood. Fans seem to be loving the show so far, but the endings have always been the hurdle the writers must overcome. Only time will tell if this season and the rest of the series stick the landing.
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