Victorian Psycho

The third feature from Zachary Wigon (following 2023’s Sanctuary and 2014’s The Heart Machine) takes gonzo delight in ratcheting up traditional gothic psychodrama tropes to frenzied heights while also paying striking homage to its literary roots.

Full of blood and murder and Gothic flair, what makes Victorian Psycho so good is that it doesn't need to pretend to be artsy or take itself too seriously.

More than a well-crafted thriller, Victorian Psycho proves a rousing comedy, its trio of great actors never missing the mark with a stoic line delivery.

Wigon executes the bloody splurges with flair but fails to build up to them with stakes or tension.

It feels natural to expect blood-dripping gore and reckless violence from a film titled Victorian Psycho, but, with his latest, Zachary Wigon chooses instead to lure the audience with the fresh smell of ripped flesh, only to trap them under a heavy blanket of frustration.

The governess is thoroughly ungoverned in “Victorian Psycho,” a grisly ostensible horror comedy from director Zachary Wigon that’s neither frightening nor funny enough to pass muster — and not quite outrageous enough to garner the kind of notoriety it’s aiming for, either.

The overall tone, though, is just abominable. It’s hard to believe the source novel, adapted personally by its author, Virginia Feito, could have been quite this abrasively pointless.