By George & Josh Bate
There are few actresses working today more deserving of the moniker ‘Scream Queen’ than Maika Monroe. The California native burst on the scene in 2014 with the one-two punch of The Guest and It Follows, before going on to lead other acclaimed horror movies, such as Watcher, Significant Other, and, of course, Longlegs.
Now, at this year’s Fantastic Fest, Monroe returns to genre fare once again in Victorian Psycho, a thunderous showcase of her fearlessness as a leading actress that is deviously unhinged, yet disappointingly restrained.
Based on the novel of the same name by Virginia Feito, Victorian Psycho stars Monroe as Winifred Notty, a young governess who arrives at the estate of Mr. (Jason Isaacs) and Mrs. Pounds (Ruth Wilson) to serve as their family’s governess. As she takes care of their son (Jacobi Jupe) and daughter (Evie Templeton), Winifred struggles to escape her sorted past as her increasingly deranged behavior draws the attention of others.
Backed a score from Ariel Marx that couples traditional, buttoned-up Victorian arrangements with unconventional, distorted textures, Victorian Psycho is less about a woman’s descent into madness and more about her reluctant resistance to revert to her characteristic insanity. The score perfectly encapsulates the tug and pull Winifred experiences as her ‘attempts’ to fit in as the Pounds family’s governess become steadily less successful.
‘Attempts’ is in quotation marks, because one never really gets the sense that Winifred is truly intent on changing. Her Dexter-esque inner monologue offers insights into a disturbed mind, while she exercises very little restraint in making off-color remarks or engaging in strange behaviors.
All of this gives Monroe a deviously eccentric character to work with. The It Follows actress chews up the scenery with a heightened performance full of odd facial expressions, purposefully stilted and uncomfortable line delivery, and a reverberating sense that she is one iffy moment away from losing her mind.
Simply put, Monroe is the reason to watch Victorian Psycho. While often tasked with playing more subdued, understated protagonists, director Zachary Wigon’s film gives Monroe free reign to go as expansive and bizarre with her performance as she likes. Thankfully, Monroe never overplays her hand, instead bringing Winifred to life in a manner akin to a child trying (but not really trying) to be on their best behavior.
The film surrounding Monroe is similarly compelling. The juxtaposition of Monroe’s eccentricity with the traditional Victorian home gives the film a distinct identity, while attempts at humor prove largely successful. Satirizing Victorian era pseudoscience and hypocrisy, Wigon’s film has a wit and proclivity for humor so poignant that Victorian Psycho is just as much a black comedy as it is a horror thriller. Besides Monroe, Jason Isaacs stands out for some particularly noteworthy moments and is responsible for the film’s best laugh, which comes in the form of a comment he makes about his mother.
Where Victorian Psycho begins to err is in its later chapters. As Winifred steadily loses her willingness to remain composed, one would expect Wigon to have his film match his protagonist’s increasing lunacy, but this is not the case. The film appears to be building up to a climax far more dramatic, thrilling, and offbeat than the one that actually punctuates the film. As a result, the story tapers off, rather than crescendo.
VERDICT: 7/10
Making its North American premiere at this year’s Fantastic Fest, Victorian Psycho further affirms Maika Monroe’s status as a modern day scream queen. Zachary Wigan’s film gives Monroe to flex different acting muscles as the It Follows actress delivers a performance that starkly contrasts the more subdued turns she usually delivers. Deviously unhinged and humorously trying (but actually not really trying) to keep her more insane impulses at bay, Monroe is the primary reason to watch Victorian Psycho as her turn is delightfully eccentric, without ever feeling heavy-handed. Satirizing Victorian era pseudoscience and hypocrisy, Wigon’s film possesses a sharp wit so poignant that the film is just as much a black comedy as it is a horror thriller. Unfortunately, the film fails to keep up with the increasing madness of its protagonist in a disappointingly restrained final act that the preceding film would suggest would be far more dramatic and bizarre. Nonetheless, Victorian Psycho remains a worthwhile watch, largely due to the sheer lunacy of a very different kind of Maika Monroe performance.