Maika Monroe’s Unhinged Victorian Slasher Masterpiece Will Have You Rooting for the Killer

There’s really nothing like a Maika Monroe horror movie. From It Follows to Longlegs, Monroe has become one of the best scream queens of the last decade. Victorian Psycho drops Monroe into the Yorkshire moors in 1858 and lets her run wild. Based on Virginia Feito‘s novel of the same name (Feito also penned the screenplay), director Zachary Wigon takes a stab at black comedy in a slasher where the protagonist is the one wielding the blade. With a talented ensemble cast to boot, Victorian Psycho is a vivid, violent, and dangerously funny win for Monroe, Feito, and Wigon.

‘Victorian Psycho’ Is a Gleeful Slasher That Is Far More Than Just an Homage

With a title like Victorian Psycho and a deranged protagonist like Monroe’s Winifred Notty, you might assume that the film draws a lot of inspiration from American Psycho, except instead of an investment banker douchebag from New York, you have a crazed serial killer governess from Yorkshire. But diluting Victorian Psycho down to just being an homage to the Mary Harron movie would be a mistake. Victorian Pyscho follows Winifred, a governess who has had some suspiciously bad luck with her past charges, as she arrives at Ensor House. The wealthy and pretentious Mr. and Mrs. Pounds (Jason Isaacs and Ruth Wilson, respectively) have hired Winifred as a governess for their two children, Andrew (Jacobi Jupe) and Drusilla (Evie Templeton).

Almost instantly, it’s clear that Winifred is not the most stable of people. Not long after she arrives at Ensor house, she unpacks her clothes, and a severed human ear drops to the ground. Instead of being grossed out by it, she kicks it under the bed before quickly retrieving it and eating it. Yes, you read that right… she eats it. Her internal monologue acts as a narration for the viewers and gives us a look into her off-kilter pysche to prove that she doesn’t really think there’s anything wrong with what she’s doing.

Feito translates her story from page to screen with aplomb, retaining a storybook structure by separating the film into six chapters while still embracing the new medium. Monroe’s delivery of Winifred’s narration is one of the most entertaining aspects of the film as we see the contrast between her restrained actions and her deviant thoughts. It’s a manic sort of storytelling that works perfectly for the unique presentation of the film.

‘Victorian Psycho’ Leans Into Period-Accurate Detail and an Experimental Perspective

As a perfect compliment to the weirdness of Winifred’s personality, the camera experiments with unconventional angles. Cinematographer Nico Aguilar, who was an additional photography DOP on Killers of the Flower Moon, moves the camera organically with the narrative. The film starts with the camera intentionally tilted as Winifred announces to us that she’s the sanest person she knows — a not-so-subtle teasing nod to our protagonist’s mental state. As the camera twists and turns throughout the film, it becomes as unpredictable as Winifred’s actions.

As it’s set in the Victorian era, the costuming and set design add a perfect touch to the era. While Monroe is typically swathed in the somber dark colors of a governess, Wilson gets to don some gorgeous dresses as Mrs. Pounds. Additionally, while the interiors of the house are beautiful, it’s the nature around the house where the world is still wild and uncontained that the film leans into the eeriness of the moors. One location in particular — the kennels where the Pounds keep their dogs — is ghoulishly ominous and is where a major turning point in the film is set.

Maika Monroe Leads a Talented Cast in ‘Victorian Psycho’

Image via Cover Images

What ultimately makes Victorian Psycho a winner is Monroe. Her narration adds a perfect touch to the film, allowing us into her psyche, which is a nice way of side-stepping internal dialogue that might only be hidden in book prose. There are moments where Monroe is downright terrifying, as Winifred always seems like she’s one bad day from cracking completely. An impulsive killer and a ruthless one at that, it’s still hard for the audience to fully hate her. Sure, she’s travelling through the countryside with a valise full of trophies from her kills, but what’s so wrong with that if the people she’s encountering are like the Pounds family?

It’s entertaining watching her try to formulate a new friendship with the nurse, Ms. Lamb (Thomasin McKenzie). These are probably the moments we get the most honest version of Winifred, but they never last for long lest the audience get too comfortable with her. Her best scenes are opposite Wilson’s Mrs. Pounds and one major scene with Isaac’s Mr. Pounds. Wilson is equal parts cutting and insecure as Mrs. Pounds, a fickle woman with far too much power over her servants. With Isaacs, Monroe shows some true fragility and reveals one of the sources of Winifred’s instability. It’s a masterful and funny twist that manages to put together all the separate pieces of the movie into one cohesive image. Aside from Monroe and Wilson, the film also proves that Templeton should be one to watch. After her memorable role in the most recent season of Wednesday, it seems that Templeton might well be on her way to walking the same path that Monroe has in her quiet role as Drusilla.

Full of blood and murder and Gothic flair, what makes Victorian Psycho so good is that it doesn’t need to pretend to be artsy or take itself too seriously. There are a few anachronisms here and there that enhance the humor, and, while we’d never say that Winifred is a feminist icon, there is always something slightly satisfying in watching a scream queen like Monroe take on a house full of snobby elites. It’s hard to imagine Margaret Qualley, who was originally cast as Winifred, adopting the role with the same level of unhinged wildness. Wigon, who previously directed the darkly funny Sanctuary, proves that he can not only find the perfect balance between gore and giggles, but also elevates Feito’s exciting story with a keen eye for detail and talent.

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Release Date

September 25, 2026

Runtime

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90 minutes

Director

Zachary Wigon

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Writers

Virginia Feito

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Producers

Sebastien Raybaud, Nick Shumaker, Dan Kagan, Zachary Wigon, Elizabeth Siegal

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Pros & Cons

• Maika Monroe is perfectly cast as Winifred Notty, evoking the exact type of mania and weirdness required for the role.
• Virginia Feito does a fantastic job of translating her prose into an engaging and funny script.
• Zachary Wigon’s direction delivers a story that is scary, clever, and deeply entertaining without verging into pretentious or dull.

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