Maika Monroe's Victorian Psycho Finally Gives Us A Female Patrick Bateman

Published Nov 13, 2026, 9:00 AM EST

Katrina joined ScreenRant as a news writer in 2024, covering box office, expert interviews, exclusives, and new releases. Her work has appeared in CBR, All About Jazz, Rising Artists, and numerous other publications. She has an MFA in Creative Writing and has published more than 20 books. She currently writes for ScreenRant’s movie features team. 

Maika Monroe plays a deranged killer in Zachary Wigon-directed new horror movie, Victorian Psycho. Adapted from Virginia Feito's novel of the same name, the movie follows Monroe's antagonist as she targets the Pounds family as the final destination in her murderous pursuits.

Set in 1858 England, Victorian Psycho's cast features Jason Isaacs as Mr. Pounds, Ruth Wilson as Mrs. Pounds, Thomasin McKenzie as Miss Lamb (the family maid), Evie Templeton as Drusilla (daughter), Jacobi Jupe as Andrew (son), and Amy De Bhrun as Mrs. Fancey.

The reactions to the new horror flick have already proved to be mostly positive. Many critics enthusiastically voice praise for Monroe's delightfully creepy performance as the deranged governess, and the movie has an overall critics score of 77% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing.

ScreenRant's review of Victorian Psycho called the actor "the movie's best special effect" while acknowledging that none of it would exist without Patrick Bateman paving the way in American Psycho. Even before the movie, the antagonist, Winifred Notty, had long been hailed as a Victorian-era Patrick Bateman.

Victorian Psycho's Winifred Notty Is A Victorian-Era Answer To Patrick Bateman

Since the book Victorian Psycho came out in 2025, fans and critics have drawn comparisons between Feito's murderous governess and the delusional banker from American Psycho. The New York Times's review of the book is famously titled, "If Patrick Bateman Were a 19th-Century English Governess."

Similar to the unreliable, wealthy 27-year-old Wall Street investment banker living a double life, Winifred Notty hides her diabolical compulsions and a lust for vengeance against people who represent the oppressive patriarchal society under a well-groomed and socially acceptable presentation. They both care a great deal about their exterior while flying under the radar in roles that make their otherwise jarring traits invisible.

In both the source material and the movie, one notable characteristic that Maika Monroe's governess shares with Batement is her sarcastic, self-serving monologue. Despite being highly uninterested in hiding her violent intent, Winifred insists that she's "the sanest person" she's ever met.

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From her uncanny and slightly delusional smirk in Victorian Psycho's trailer to the way she casually admits that she plans on killing everyone in the house, Winifred is very much a female Patrick Bateman born in the Victorian era. In fact, Victorian Psycho paid homage to Easton Ellis's work, with American Psycho being one of the novelist's favorite books growing up.

Monroe took the Batement inspiration even further in her performance. To prepare for the role, Monroe studied interviews with real-life psychopaths [via People], including Charles Manson. She took inspiration from Jack Nicholson’s performance in The Shining and Christian Bale's performance in American Psycho while working on her take of Winifred.

From book to big screen, Bateman is part of Winifred's DNA every step of the way.

Maika Monroe's Victorian Psycho Finally Lets The Horror Star Play The Killer Instead Of The Victim

Bleecker Street

Monroe rose to prominence as a horror star in 2014, when she starred in the indie horror flick It Follows as the 19-year-old Jay Height, the central victim and protagonist. Following her breakthrough role, she further solidified her reputation as a "scream queen" by starring in several horror movies.

From Longlegs to The Guest, Monroe often plays the role of the final girl and the victim. In 2025, the actor dabbled in the dark side and played a deceptive nanny in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, but the role isn't the same as a full-on killer like Winifred Notty.

Choose the movie with the higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

Victorian Psycho marks a significant pivot in the actor's career as she shifts to portraying an antagonist, and judging from the trailers, the Watcher's antagonist is just as deranged and terrifying as Bale's Wall Street investment banker. It seems that Monroe is finally ready to shed her final girl skin.

Source: The New York Times

Cast

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  Winifred Notty

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  Thomasin McKenzie

  Miss Lamb

In 1858, governess Winifred Notty arrives at the remote Ensor House to educate the Pounds family's children in manners and family history, but her proper exterior hides violent psychopathic tendencies that become harder to contain.