Fantastic Fest 2026 – Maika Monroe has a knack for choosing films that are usually great additions to the horror canon. It Follows, Watcher, The Guest, Villains, and even Longlegs are all unique little horror moments that remind us Monroe is not attempting to be the new it girl. She seemingly wants to find the weird roles in odd movies, and that’s what her fanbase has come to expect. Which is why Victorian Psycho was such a hot ticket at Fantastic Fest this year.
Victorian Psycho was adapted for the screen by Virginia Feito and based on her novel of the same name. This darkly comedic period horror film was directed by Zachary Wigon. The film, set in 1858 England, follows an unusual governess named Winifred Notty (Monroe). Winifred has taken a job at Ensor House and seems to have left a trail of bodies on her journey to work for this particular family. She promises herself this time will be different and tries not to raise any red flags. However, once the house staff begins to disappear, it becomes difficult for the owners not to be suspicious of this newcomer.
Mrs. Pounds (Ruth Wilson) and Mr. Pounds (Jason Isaacs) are fun characters who each cross the line with their staff in different ways. As the film is a bloody comedy of manners at its core, the two of them help set the tone and give the audience quite a few chuckles. They also stress to Winifred that their son Andrew (Jacobi Jupe) should receive most of her care and attention. Meanwhile, they are pretty indifferent about their daughter Drusilla (Evie Templeton). Mr. Pounds also clearly wants to sleep with Winifred and is willing to look past her eccentricities to get what he wants. He also reads into everything she says as an invitation even when she is clearly giving him life-changing news.
This gothic tale is gorgeous to look at even when if it does feel like it’s dragging at times. Production designer Jeremy Reed and costume designer Allison Byrne fully snapped while crafting this dark and dangerous playground for the actors. Watching Winifred move about the cold manor in her black dresses like a satanic nun in an evil church results in so many pretty pictures that deserve to live in the MoMA. It’s really excellent work on display here, and hopefully people remember that when award season rolls around.
Monroe is at her most charming, chilling, and cool. Winifred is a fun little thing who cannot help her true nature. She also seems to enjoy scaring Andrew (although that comes naturally for this character), which we love to see. In fact, one of the things working in Victorian Psycho’s favor is that it can’t care less about the children involved. We go from traumatizing Andrew to killing a couple of youngsters, and ultimately learning to fear another child who was mistreated.
Another thing working for the film is that it feels so modern despite the period it’s set in. Wilson’s Mrs. Pounds and the women in her orbit specifically drive this feeling home. They are like wine moms in corsets that happen to speak in Old English. I love this stylistically because too many filmmakers get lost and allow a period aesthetic to wear them instead of the other way around. This bizarre world is fascinating enough even if it’s not always my cup of tea. Victorian Psycho has just enough bite to keep it from becoming another 1800s set horror movie that we will all move from quickly. However, it’s not fully engaging enough to be the horror moment many genre kids were hoping it would be.
Don’t get me wrong, when the bodies start dropping and the film truly finds its footing, we get plenty of good stuff. Fun kills, bloody predicaments, and an unexpected (but justifiable) alliance are fun bits floating in this soup. More importantly, we rarely get to see Monroe having fun on screen, and that in itself is a good time.
If you’re reading this, you obviously support women’s rights and women’s wrongs. This movie is filled with moments that are hard to fit into either category, but are delicious and decadent enough to make you feel like this ride is worth your time. You’ll have to give up on what you expected and take it for what it is. It’s a film with a wicked lead, fun side characters, and a few violent moments trying to hold together a macabre tale that doesn’t completely live up it’s full potential.
