Victorian Psycho reviews split: dull bore at A.V. Club, bloody fun at Screen Rant
Reviews of Victorian Psycho, a period slasher starring Maika Monroe, opening 13 November 2026, divide over whether its playful gore works. Both praise Monroe and criticise its thin plot.
1 / 3
The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Victorian Psycho is a mid-1800s horror-comedy directed by Zachary Wigon, with a screenplay by Virginia Feito adapting her own novel, and it opens in theaters on 13 November 2026. The A.V. ClubLC “Director: Zachary Wigon Writer: Virginia Feito Starring: Maika Monroe, Thomasin McKenzie, Ruth Wilson, Jason Isaacs Release Date: November 13, 2026” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Screen RantN “Victorian Psycho releases in theaters on Friday, November 13.” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Mixed · 2Maika Monroe plays Winifred Notty, a governess who arrives at Ensor House to look after the children of Mr. Pounds (Jason Isaacs) and Mrs. Pounds (Ruth Wilson), played by Jacobi Jupe and Evie Templeton, while Thomasin McKenzie plays the maid Ms. Lamb. The A.V. ClubLC “the governess, who arrives at the expansive Ensor House to care for the children of Mr. (Jason Isaacs) and Mrs. Pounds (Ruth Wilson)” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Screen RantN “she's arriving at Ensor House, the country manor of the Pounds family, to be the new governess of their two children, Drusilla (Evie Templeton) and Andrew (Jacobi Jupe).” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Left · 1The A.V. Club's Jacob Oller gives a negative verdict, calling the film a "painful bore" whose zany gore is neither clever nor gruesome enough to shock, and arguing that Monroe, though committed, is left stranded. The A.V. ClubLC “goes for zany gore but the result is only a painful bore.”“is neither clever nor gruesome enough to shock or titillate, despite its lead performer seizing the rare opportunity for villainy.” Read at The A.V. Club ↗
Left · 1Oller faults the constant voiceover, the chapter structure and Wigon's repeated stylistic flourishes for undercutting tension and carnage, and says the film lacks rhythm and intensity. The A.V. ClubLC “Winifred Notty (Monroe) simply cannot shut up.”“trips up the tension and neuters the carnage” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Centre · 1Screen Rant's Alex Harrison is positive, calling it "Bloody Fun" and praising its unsettling set pieces, its cast having fun with the period trappings, and Monroe, whom Harrison calls "the movie's best special effect". Screen RantN “Victorian Psycho is at its best as a collection of horror movie moments, with the unsettling set pieces pairing nicely with a talented cast”“Monroe is the movie's best special effect.” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Mixed · 2Both reviewers say the film hints at larger themes without developing them: Oller calls them "whispers of ideas", while Harrison says it "politely declines to latch onto" them. The A.V. ClubLC “In its place are whispers of ideas” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Screen RantN “politely declines to latch onto any of them” Read at Screen Rant ↗
Centre · 1Harrison also says the film is weaker as a narrative and would have benefited from a more structured plot, and that it is more indebted to Mary Harron's American Psycho than to Hitchcock's Psycho but lacks that film's satirical commitment. Screen RantN “The film is weaker as a narrative, however, and would have been better served as a thrill ride by a more structured, involving plot.”“without the former's commitment to its satirical edge” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Mixed · 2The reviews compare the film to different touchstones: the A.V. Club to Yorgos Lanthimos and Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights, Screen Rant to Jane Eyre and The Turn of the Screw. The A.V. ClubLC “chasing the kind of dissonant friction Yorgos Lanthimos revels in” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Screen RantN “lineage of texts like Jane Eyre and The Turn of the Screw” Read at Screen Rant ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- A negative review that leads with the film being a bore and unfavourably compares it to Patrick Bateman and American Psycho.
- Emphasis
- Weak tension, overused style, constant voiceover, and a performance wasted on a thin script.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Gives little credit to the supporting cast or the unsettling set pieces Screen Rant highlights.
- Charged language
- “painful bore”“neuters the carnage”
- For example
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“goes for zany gore but the result is only a painful bore.” — The A.V. Club
“trips up the tension and neuters the carnage” — The A.V. Club
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- A broadly positive review that treats the film as playful entertainment and a showcase for Monroe, with reservations about story.
- Emphasis
- Fun set pieces, Monroe's performance, and the cast; notes weaker narrative and a concern about Jacobi Jupe's casting in the tonal shift.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not dwell on pacing or the repetitiveness of the voiceover that the A.V. Club criticises.
- Charged language
- “Bloody Fun”“the movie's best special effect”
- For example
-
“this playful period horror movie is creepy, funny, and a showcase for Maika Monroe.” — Screen Rant
“Victorian Psycho deserves a lot of credit for not taking itself very seriously.” — Screen Rant
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Maika Monroe stars as governess Winifred Notty, with Ruth Wilson, Jason Isaacs, Thomasin McKenzie and Jacobi Jupe in the cast.
- Zachary Wigon directs a script by Virginia Feito, adapted from her novel.
- The film opens in theaters on 13 November 2026.
- Monroe's performance is a focus of both reviews, and both find the film's bigger ideas underdeveloped.
Where accounts differ
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Whether the film succeeds as horror-comedy
- Left
- The A.V. Club says it is a bore that lacks the horror and comedy a horror-comedy needs, with telegraphed murders that aren't shocking.
- Centre
- Screen Rant says it is creepy, funny and "Bloody Fun", at its best as a collection of horror moments.
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Whether Monroe's performance carries the film
- Left
- Her dedicated goofiness can only take the film so far and she is left stranded without atmosphere or arc.
- Centre
- She is a lot of fun and "the movie's best special effect".
-
Whether Wigon's stylistic choices work
- Left
- Overused flourishes and the chapter structure trip up tension.
- Centre
- The camera and sound design are creative and effective moment to moment, though the approach has drawbacks.
Maika Monroe person
Reviewers agree Monroe commits fully to playing the killer; the A.V. Club says the script leaves her stranded, while Screen Rant calls her the film's best asset.
“Monroe's unself-conscious performance (she jams her whole hand in her mouth like a demented Winnie-The-Pooh) is left stranded” — The A.V. Club
“she is a lot of fun in this role” — Screen Rant
Victorian Psycho other
The film is presented as a playful period slasher; critics split on whether its gore and humour land, and agree its plot and themes are thin.
“the film lacks rhythm or intensity” — The A.V. Club
“Still, Victorian Psycho has more than enough to recommend it to audiences who like their horror with a playful spark.” — Screen Rant
Left2 articles
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The A.V. ClubLC · · Opinion
Maika Monroe's Victorian Psycho would put Patrick Bateman to sleep
Critical Dismisses the film as a dull, under-gory slasher that wastes Monroe's villain turn.
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IndieWireLC · · Opinion
‘Victorian Psycho’ Review: Maika Monroe Scares Up a Very Different Kind of Final Girl
Centre1 article
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Screen RantN · · Opinion
Victorian Psycho Review: Maika Monroe's Costume Slasher Is Bloody Fun
Mixed Recommends the film as playful, bloody fun and a Monroe showcase while noting its weak narrative.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 9 Nov 15:00 First The A.V. ClubLC Maika Monroe's Victorian Psycho would put Patrick Bateman to sleep Opinion
- 10 Nov 14:00 +23h Screen RantN Victorian Psycho Review: Maika Monroe's Costume Slasher Is Bloody Fun Opinion
- 10 Nov 16:30 +25h 30m IndieWireLC ‘Victorian Psycho’ Review: Maika Monroe Scares Up a Very Different Kind of Final Girl Opinion
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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