Grade: C
In Victorian Psycho, Maika Monroe (Reminders of Him, Longlegs) does a lot with her eyes and facial expressions. I often thought her face was about to, or was even beginning to, morph into something devilish. Monroe introduces herself in the first spoken line of the movie: “My name is Winifred Notty, and I’m the sanest person I’d ever met.” Interesting claim, not to mention usage of tense.
In this opening scene, Winifred is riding on a carriage to Ensor House to begin her position as the Pounds family’s new governess. Her head is tilted, but to us, it appears upright. The camera is oriented to accommodate the position of her head, making everything around her look slanted. Director Zachary Wigon employs this technique several times throughout the film. The pendulum of a clock stays stationary while all other parts of it sway back and forth. A rock appears to be held in place while something on the ground repeatedly rises to make contact with it.
Virginia Feito, the author of the 2025 novel on which this is based, has said that the title and premise are a direct wink to American Psycho, one of her favorite novels. That’s where the intentional connection ends. The two books are entirely separate works, though I’m sure readers will draw parallels between their protagonists, themes, and influences. The inherent problem with Victorian Psycho is that Winifred isn’t the only off-kilter character here. The Pounds family certainly has their issues that existed long before Winifred showed up. They all deserve each other and belong together as far as I’m concerned.
After an intriguing setup, it devolves into forced symbolism through imagery that might cause unintended laughter from the viewer. Wild animals on the wallpaper frequently haunt Winifred. How, you may ask? Their eyes get all glowy. Monroe is up to the task and understands the assignment. She is a talented performer and is obviously having fun. She and the director seem to be on the same wavelength. Thomasin McKenzie gets to have some nice comic relief as a gullible live-in nurse. Everyone else in the cast either doesn’t make an impression or struggles to get on the same page.
A twist near the end reveals why Winifred has a bone to pick at Ensor House. However, she was like that before, at other places, and the Pounds family weren’t exactly paragons of normalcy themselves. Despite a committed lead performance and some inventive camerawork, Victorian Psycho left me not really caring what happened to anybody, and lacking someone to root for. Come to think of it, Winifred might actually be the sanest one here.
Grade: C
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