Maika Monroe’s Murderous Governess Gets a Bloody Final ‘Victorian Psycho’ Trailer
Gothic horror has a long tradition of putting a stranger in a creaky manor and letting the secrets spill out. Few recent films have twisted that formula quite as gleefully as ‘Victorian Psycho’, a period shocker with a mean streak and a very dark sense of humor. The film has also had an eventful road to theaters, which makes its arrival all the more intriguing for horror fans.
Maika Monroe, who built her scream-queen reputation with ‘It Follows’ and ‘Longlegs’, stars as Winifred Notty, a governess who arrives at a remote gothic estate called Ensor House in 1858. She is hired to teach the children of Mr. and Mrs. Pounds, played by Jason Isaacs and Ruth Wilson, but she is hiding her own psychopathic tendencies. When staff members start disappearing, the owners begin to wonder whether their new governess is not what she seems.
Now the final trailer for the film is here, and it arrives just in time for the big opening. ‘Victorian Psycho‘ hits theaters on Friday, November 13, from Bleecker Street, and the new footage leans into the carnage. The clip is also reportedly packed with spoilers, including some of the film’s biggest moments, so anyone who wants to go in fresh may want to skip it.
New trailer for ‘VICTORIAN PSYCHO’ starring Maika Monroe, Thomasin McKenzie, Jason Isaacs and Ruth Wilson. 🎥 In theaters on November 13. https://t.co/2kU2jytEFN
— Film Crave (@_filmcrave) November 4, 2026
The story comes from Virginia Feito’s 2025 novel of the same name, and Feito also wrote the screenplay herself. Zachary Wigon, who directed ‘Sanctuary’, is behind the camera. The cast also includes Thomasin McKenzie as Ms. Lamb, along with Evie Templeton and Jacobi Jupe.
The project did not follow a straight line. Margaret Qualley was originally attached to play Winifred, and the film was initially set up at A24 before Bleecker Street acquired the U.S. rights as production began in Ireland. The release date also moved, shifting from September 25 to November 13, a slot that Bloody Disgusting described as a better fit for a story in which meals and holidays play a prominent role.
Monroe has clearly gone all in on the role. She underwent a distinct physical transformation, wearing a wig and artificial teeth and adopting a subtle Northern English accent. The earlier trailers also showed Winifred breaking the fourth wall with her narration, giving the character a mischievous, direct line to the audience.
Monroe has also said she drew inspiration from Jack Nicholson’s performance in ‘The Shining’, according to a featurette released ahead of the opening. That may help explain the manic energy on display, as the film blends gothic horror, dark comedy and psychological thriller elements. The first teaser even paired Winifred’s polite facade with an anachronistic punk needle drop.
The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on May 21, the same day the first teaser arrived. Critics have largely focused on Monroe’s work. Dread Central’s Cannes review praised her performance as a career best, while JoBlo called the film more of a satire than a full-blown horror movie with a highly amusing, gonzo style.
The response was not unanimous. One Cannes review from The Upcoming argued that the film wears its influences so openly that the title alone feels like a punchline, and that Winifred’s inner monologue, lifted heavily from the novel, does not always work on screen. A review on Rotten Tomatoes described it as more of a silly and twisted gothic romp than a truly haunting bloodbath, which will probably appeal to some audiences more than others.
Opening on Friday the 13th is a playful choice for a movie about a governess with a body count. The poster’s tagline, “The new governess is all the rage,” sets the tone nicely, showing Monroe’s screaming face filling the frame.
Between the festival buzz, the star’s unhinged performance and a final trailer that apparently holds nothing back, the film is shaping up to be one of the more talked-about genre releases of the season. Bloody Disgusting and Bleecker Street even hosted free early screenings in October, giving horror fans a chance to visit Ensor House ahead of the wide release.
Are you excited to see Maika Monroe as a murderous governess in Victorian Psycho?
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