'Victorian Psycho' Review
Release Date: 11/13/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Horror. Thriller.
MPAA: Rated R.
Distributor: Bleecker Street.
The Verdict: A Must-See
Author Virginia Fieto adapts her dark, whimsical tale of 1900s class-conscious strife, Victorian Psycho, for the screen, directed by Zachary Wilson.
Winifred Notty is hired as the new Governess for the Pounds family. Her new charges, Drusilla and Andrew, soon find that Miss Notty is a bit odd. Having been a Governess before, Winifred knows how to blend in with the household staff, despite being quite disliked by them. She soon gains an ally in the children’s nurse, Miss Lamb. As time goes on, Winifred faces events that seem to tickle the voice inside her head, driving her intrusive thoughts to take over and leading to unsavory, mysterious behavior.
Fieto’s script condenses quite a few key scenes from her book, reworking them to capture the core of the text while creating many new, exciting moments for the screen. With fabulous production design, cutthroat editing, a killer cast, and an insatiable score, Victorian Psycho easily ranks in my top five films of the year.
As a fan of the book, I found myself belly laughing at things I'd merely giggled at while reading, and connecting more deeply with scenes that went right over my head in the book. Overall, I found this to be one of the most satisfying book-to-screen adaptations in a long time. While some interesting sequences needed to be cut for the sake of a screenplay, it never took away from the story, and I can live with it.
Maika Monroe takes the role of Winifred by the horns and tosses it up far beyond the moon. Maika's performance exceeded everything I pictured about Winifred in the book. The way she contorts into every character she plays is scary. The book relies heavily on Winifred’s inner monologue, and Maika’s masterful emoting will keep you on the edge of your seat.
If you haven't yet, I would highly recommend reading the book, either before or after seeing the film. The order doesn’t matter; know they serve as wonderful companion pieces that tell the story of a woman's descent into madness.
Where to Watch:
