In 2025, Jason Isaacs has just about done it all. He delivered a powerhouse performance in one of television’s buzziest shows, The White Lotus, joined Maxine Peake for a frighteningly timely historical war drama in Words of War, helped reinvent a Shakespearian classic with Juliet & Romeo, and let loose as a loud-mouth promoter in the boxing drama Heavyweight. One thing he hasn’t done yet this year, however, is take on the horror genre. That’s about to change in August when Victorian Psycho begins production. Isaacs will share the screen with Longlegs favorite Maika Monroe in the gothic horror film based on the best-selling novel by Virginia Feito. Before he heads to shoot in the U.K. and Ireland, he was able to attend Fan Expo Denver over the weekend, where he provided a light update on the project during a panel moderated by Collider’s Maggie Lovitt.
Released to plenty of fanfare back in February, Victorian Psycho takes place in 1858 and centers on Winifred Notty, an eccentric governess who tries to keep her psychopathic tendencies under wraps upon arriving at her new workplace, the Ensor Estate. She goes about tutoring the children, telling them bedtime stories, and generally caring for them while their parents are preoccupied. As she settles into the remote Gothic manor, however, she struggles to keep her most terrifying compulsions at bay. Soon, staff members begin vanishing mysteriously, and the family begins suspecting that their new nanny might be responsible. It quickly garnered attention and praise from indie publications up to the New York Times for its gory tale that lives up to the promise of its namesake Alfred Hitchcock movie.
“Well, first of all, it’s apparently a very successful, bestselling book,” Isaacs answered when asked about the film adaptation. “It’s good.” Though he hasn’t read the book himself, the script and a meeting with director Zachary Wigon helped sell him on the premise. The Harry Potter star recognized Wigon from his 2022 film Sanctuary, a dark psychological thriller starring Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott as a dominatrix and her client who engage in a battle of wills and manipulation when the client plans to break off their relationship upon getting a lucrative promotion. Isaacs didn’t want to give away any of Victorian Psycho‘s tricks, but he did have a little tease for what fans can expect:
“They got in touch with me. They said it’s a very successful book. I have not read the book; I read the script. Oh, and I went to meet the director in New York. He’s a very cool young guy. He’s done a great film with just two people in it. Two-hander, very different, and… There’s no point in me telling the story. The thing about watching films is, you know, I hate trailers. Trailers tell you the whole story. It’s incredibly annoying. My kids won’t even watch the film if they’ve seen the trailer. I’m like, ‘We’re allowed to watch the film! Why do you want to click the trailer?’ So, I don’t want to give you a verbal trailer, but you know, there’s a clue in the title. That’s all I can say.”
‘Victorian Psycho’ Pairs Isaacs With a Top-Notch Cast
One thing Isaacs could confirm is that, unsurprisingly, he’s not the titular character. “It’s not me,” he continued. “I’m not the psycho. It’s Maika… what’s her name? She’s Longlegs… Maika Monroe. Is that right? Yeah. And It Follows. She’s in It Follows. She’s brilliant.” Monroe stepped in to play the lead in May in place of Qualley, who was initially tapped to reunite with Wigon. However, the change was a perfect fit, bringing aboard a modern scream queen who has a long resume of horror and a few high-profile scary projects on the docket, including the It Follows sequel, They Follow, and the Hand That Rocks the Cradle remake.
Monroe will also be seeing a familiar face on the project — producer Dan Kagan, who has previously worked on both Longlegs and Azrael with the star. The rest of the cast remains to be announced, save for one other that Isaacs mentioned. “And Thomasin McKenzie, who I’m going to do another film with, is in it, and I hope it’s good.” McKenzie is no stranger to horror herself, previously leading Edgar Wright‘s 2021 psychological horror Last Night in Soho.
Filming begins on Victorian Psycho in August. Stay tuned here at Collider for more as production nears.
