'American Psycho' luxury London property ad is pulled after barage of criticism
Redrow London admits 'maybe we didn’t get it quite right with this one'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A London property firm has pulled its advert for luxury apartments just days after it emerged online, when critics likened it to psychological slasher flick, American Psycho.
Reactions to the advert ranged from ridicule, to spoof, to cries of class warfare, as an actor – in yuppie, Patrick Bateman-esque suit, using a retro mobile phone – stalked about his flat and executive offices making profound statements like: "They say nothing comes easy. But if it was easy, then it wouldn’t feel as good."
Yes, really.
A Redrow London spokesperson told The Independent: “We tried to do something a bit new and different from the typical property videos out there, but we accept that maybe we didn’t get it quite right with this one.”
Over the weekend architect Sam Jacob uploaded a hilarious (or should that be chilling?) mash-up of the advert and scenes from American Psycho, while elsewhere it drew comparisons with Fight Club and even the apocalypse.
On a more serious note (although it obviously doesn’t get much more serious than Bret Easton Ellis), the advert also sparked anger at its apparent glorification of wealth and acquisition, viewed as insensitive at a time of increasing hardship for regular renters and home-owners in the city.
In one scene, the 'hero' of the piece stands looking (literally) down his nose at the rest of London, presumably happy to be elevated above it, and its residents.
Dan Hancox, author of The Village Against the World, the story of a Communist town in Spain, journalist on the housing crisis and vocal critic of UK gentrification, said on Twitter: “Oh my. This is a bold, terrifying new dawn in promo videos for luxury flats.
Sam Jacob described the ad to The Guardian as: “A totally clear expression of the psychotic nature of housing in London.
“It plunges us back into the ultimate yuppie fantasy – the fact that the individual only exists in relation to the brands that they own, the things that they’ve bought.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments