‘Victorian Psycho’ Review: A Governess Who Is Far Too Pleased With Herself

‘Victorian Psycho‘ drops us into 1858 as a governess named Winifred Notty, played by Maika Monroe, arrives at Ensor House, a remote manor on the Yorkshire Moors. The Pounds family has hired her to look after their two children, and the house is every bit as gloomy as you would hope. Zachary Wigon directs from a script by Virginia Feito, who adapted her own novel of the same name.

The film runs a brisk 90 minutes and reaches theaters through Bleecker Street after premiering at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section. It also plays with a casting expectation, since Monroe has built her name as the woman running from the horror. Here she is the horror, and she knows it.

That reversal is the best thing about the movie, and it is not close. Monroe gives Winifred a smile that never reaches her eyes and a body that twitches as though something is trying to claw its way out. Her accent wanders around England without a fixed address, but the commitment behind it is total.

Jason Isaacs and Ruth Wilson clearly relish playing the Pounds parents as flamboyant, oblivious aristocrats who notice the danger long after it has moved into the house. Thomasin McKenzie, Evie Templeton and Jacobi Jupe round out a household that exists largely to be menaced. The supporting turns are fun, though none of them tries to compete with Monroe.

The craft around her deserves real credit. The costumes and sets feel made with love, Nico Aguilar’s cinematography gives the manor a handsome chill, and Ariel Marx’s music keeps the dark humor humming underneath. Everything is built to give Monroe the best possible runway, and she takes full advantage of it.

Where the film stumbles is in how much it wants to be. The satire sharpens in places and goes blunt in others, and the gore never settles on a level. Some scenes deliver the nasty, bloody payoff the title promises, while others only hint at carnage and expect suggestion to do the work.

Winifred’s habit of winking at the audience is a delight at first and a little tired by the final stretch. The story begins to circle once the novelty settles, and the ending opts for a light, switch-your-brain-off sort of finish rather than a sting. It is the kind of movie that is more fun in the moment than in the memory.

Still, I had a very good time with ‘Victorian Psycho’, and I am happy to forgive its thinner moments for the sheer pleasure of watching Monroe go feral in a corset. It is not the sharpest period horror I have seen, but it is wicked, funny and gorgeously dressed, and it leaves its lead with a showpiece role she was born to play. I give it 7.5 out of 10.

Do you think Maika Monroe’s turn as the villain makes ‘Victorian Psycho’ worth the ticket, or did the film hold back too much, so tell me in the comments whether you agree with my verdict.