Quentin Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction' Has a Secret Connection to FX's Newest Thriller

Published Jul 31, 2026, 8:45 PM EDT The Shards, Ryan Murphy's new over-the-top thriller series, comes to FX and Hulu on August 5. The show's premise — a group of wealthy, beautiful teens in 1980s Los Angeles are being stalked by a masked murderer — might not be new territory for the uber-producer, but the background of the show's creation is: it's his first collaboration with novelist Bret Easton Ellis, who is famous for similarly gore-and-glamour-infused tales. Though Ellis might be best known for writing the novel American Psycho, which served as inspiration for the 2000 film, another of his novels was adapted into a film around the same time — one that hits very closely on The Shards' themes of privilege and social decay. And it just so happened to be the last major film directed by Roger Avary, Quentin Tarantino's screenwriting collaborator on Pulp Fiction. Released in 2002, The Rules of Attraction presented the late James Van Der Beek as you’ve never seen him before, in a twisted tale of affluent excess and romantic entanglement. It was a shocking revelation at the time, but has gained cult status over the years for its subversion of familiar tropes and depiction of youth culture tipped over the edge. James Van Der Beek Goes Dark in a Story with Links to ‘American Psycho’ Image Via Lionsgate Films The Rules of Attraction is set at New Hampshire's fictional Camden College, and centers around three affluent students – Sean Bateman (Van Der Beek), Lauren Hynde (Shannyn Sossamon), and Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder). Sean is pursuing Lauren, after receiving anonymous love letters that he believes are from her, while Lauren is saving herself for her boyfriend, who is currently abroad. Paul, Lauren’s bisexual ex-boyfriend, becomes infatuated with Sean, and mistakes his coldness for connection. All three spiral into the dark abyss of their college life, searching for feeling and only finding temptation. The story is linked to Ellis’ other famous work, American Psycho, as Sean is the brother of that film’s lead, Patrick Bateman (played in the 2000 film by Christian Bale). The scathing critique of performative excess sees director Avary blur morals, timelines, and expectations to deliver the bratty outcast of literary adaptations. ‘The Rules of Attraction’ is Definitely Not Just Another Teen Movie At that time of the film’s release, high school and college movies were all the rage in Hollywood. Bawdy comedy, romantic subplots, and lunchroom cliques made hits out of movies like American Pie, 10 Things I Hate About You, Road Trip and more. The Rules of Attraction presented something that stood out from the crowd – darker, and more cynical than its commercially friendly cohorts. Instead of optimistic characters chasing friendship, discovery, or belonging, we meet students who are numb from the excesses of their lives. A non-linear structure is the first sign that this film wasn’t obeying the rules of the genre — a fact that was made clearer when it defied expectations of character growth and redemption. It even put actors known for their wholesomeness in roles that stripped all of that away. Van Der Beek was America’s sweetheart thanks to Dawson’s Creek, but as Sean, he is manipulative, selfish, and withdrawn. His charm is a weapon, a mask that frequently slips, revealing a dark soul inside. Similarly, Jessica Biel, who was best known at the time as the wholesome star of TV's 7th Heaven, played against type as a substance-addled fellow student. Notably, Fred Savage has a small role in the film as a disheveled drug addict who owes Sean money. The actor is best known as the child star of the nostalgic series The Wonder Years, as well as the sick child who is read to by his grandfather in The Princess Bride. Having him pop up as an adult in this role is a wrecking ball to our perception of innocence, and a reminder that nothing in this world is what you expect. The Film is the Only Bret Easton Ellis-Approved Adaptation Many films based on books draw criticism from the original authors, even if they are considered cinematic classics. Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining was disowned by Stephen King; Lothar-Günther Buchheim disliked the beloved adaptation of Das Boot; and Ellis himself has many times talked about why he felt American Psycho didn’t reflect what he wrote in the book. However, The Rules of Attraction was blessed with a thumbs up by the author, who would hold that opinion for years after its release. In a 2010 talk at a college in Atlanta, Ellis called The Rules of Attraction his favorite of the four movies based on his work (the others being American Psycho, The Informers, and Less Than Zero). “I thought it was the only one that captured the sensibility of the novel in a cinematic way,” he explained. “I know I’m sounding like a film critic on that, but I’m talking about that in an emotional — as the writer of the novel. I watched that movie and thought they got it in a way that Mary Harron [director of American Psycho] didn’t and Less Than Zero didn’t.” The Rules of Attraction didn’t enjoy significant box office success, nor did it wow critics, but perhaps it simply needed to wait for its audience. As time went on and more cerebral analyses of teenage and early-adult life arrived, the film gained a cult following and appeared to contain a kind of prescience for post-Millennial malaise. It remains a relatively little-known film, certainly compared to American Psycho, but absolutely deserves to be sought out.The Rules of Attraction is streaming for free on Tubi and Pluto TV. Release Date October 11, 2002 Runtime 110 Minutes Director Roger Avary Writers Roger Avary