Maika Monroe avoided real-life paranormal encounters on location in Ireland while filming her movie, Victorian Psycho, which opens in theaters on Friday.
Production for the period thriller took place at a haunted castle in Ireland. Crew members reported hearing and seeing spirits in certain rooms during the shoot, but Monroe deliberately stayed clear of those areas, Central Oregon Daily reported.
In the film, adapted by Virginia Feito from her 2025 novel, Monroe plays Winifred Notty. The protagonist is a homicidal maniac who secures a job as a governess for the wealthy Pounds family at the expansive Ensor House, where people begin turning up dead, Comic Basics reported.
The cast also features Jason Isaacs as Mr. Pounds, Ruth Wilson as Mrs. Pounds, and Thomasin McKenzie as Miss Lamb, alongside Jacobi Jupe and Evie Templeton as the children under Winifred’s care, iHorror reported.
The project arrived when Monroe wanted a break from horror following 2024’s terrifying “Longlegs.”
“This genre, it’s very demanding,” Monroe said, according to Yahoo News New Zealand.
“It’s not easy. I was just like, ‘I can’t. I need a break. Give me a rom-com, something lighthearted!’,” Monroe said.
Directed by Zachary Wigon, the R-rated feature was originally scheduled by distributor Bleecker Street to debut in cinemas on September 25 before moving to November 13, 2026. Following its theatrical run, the film is expected to transition to Paramount+ with Showtime around March or April 2027.
At 33 years old, Monroe is recognized as a leading figure in contemporary horror, though her journey into the industry was entirely unintended. She submitted audition tapes until securing an opportunity in the Zac Efron feature “At Any Price“in 2013. Shortly afterward, she landed her breakthrough role as Jay Height in the acclaimed indie horror feature”It Follows.”
Monroe said low-budget scary movies today can achieve massive box office heights and Academy Award recognition, whereas her breakout project faced a different environment when it debuted.
To prepare for her role as the unhinged governess in “Victorian Psycho,” Monroe drew inspiration from figures such as Ted Bundy and Charles Manson, alongside actor Jack Nicholson. Nicholson’s performance in “The Shining”—characterized by a chilling smile through intense anguish—served as a primary reference point for her character’s cheerful malice. The film uses tilted, dynamic camerawork designed to mirror Winifred’s fractured psychological state.
Virginia Feito’s original source material offers a gender- and era-swapped reimagining of the tale told in “American Psycho.” The original story followed a wealthy young man in 1980s New York City finance, while this adaptation shifts the perspective to a female perpetrator working in a Victorian English estate. The creative team engaged in close collaboration during the adaptation process, with Feito penning the screenplay under the direction of Wigon.
Reviewers and audiences have said that Monroe’s dedicated performance anchors the erratic viewing experience, even as her character makes clear from the beginning that she is not well.
