Set in Victorian England, Victorian Psycho sees an eccentric governess arrive at a remote gothic manor. While quaint sounding on the surface, strange things start happening. And suspicion mounts that she might not be what she seems.
Based on the book of the same name by Virginia Feito, this psychological horror stars Maika Monroe as Winifred Notty. Fans might recognize her from horror films like The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and Watcher. But she broke out in It Follows and stole the show in Longlegs.
From the teaser trailer for Victoria Psycho, Monroe is presented as a woman on the edge. And she struggles with her violent compulsions while fulfilling her duties as a governess. Oh also people have started going missing at the estate… which totally has nothing to do with her…
MORE: Did you know Maika Monroe was in a queer fairy tale about resistance? Read our review for 100 Nights of Hero.
Margaret Qualley was originally slatted to play Winifred. And when she departed, so did A24, who was previously connected to the project. That’s when Monroe stepped in. Around the time of the recast, director Zachary Wigon told Deadline that, “Maika’s intense screen presence has resonated with me over and over again throughout her history of complex performances. I’m absolutely thrilled for her to bring her unique style of psychological portraiture to the fascinatingly bizarre Winifred Notty.”
From the perspective of a horror movie fan, Victorian Psycho feels like the right amount of twisted. It doesn’t shy away from Winifred’s more unhinged tendencies just because she’s a woman. Instead, she’s allowed to revel in it. And it’s a refreshing turn of events considered that when it comes to period pieces, women are still put in a box. Winifred isn’t in a box. And looks like she’s going to spill blood and not regret a second of it.
Watch the official trailer for Victorian Psycho below:
Victorian Psycho premieres this fall in theaters and it made its world premiere at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
