Psycho Killer – Movie Review (2/5)

PSYCHO KILLER is a serial killer slasher movie. It starts out amazingly, but loses all momentum and ends pretty terribly. It’s a real shame as it has plenty going for it. From the screenplay by the Se7en screenwriter to having Georgina Campbell star in it. Still, I recommend you check it out for yourself now that it’s on VOD. Read our full Psycho Killer movie review here!

PSYCHO KILLER is a horror slasher, and I was initially gutted (pun intended) that I didn’t watch it in a theater. However, having now watched it on VOD, I feel lucky that I waited. This is a serial killer movie that starts out really well. So much so that I was wondering why it had gotten such bad reviews – from both critics and genre fans, mind you.

However, around halfway through, I would learn why. This movie takes some strange turns along the way and the ending of Psycho Killer is just bad. The edge and intensity it had early on just vanish as it turns into… well, something different. With a runtime of just 91 minutes, I would never have expected that it could fall so flat after such a strong opening, but here we are.

Continue reading our Psycho Killer movie review below. Find it on VOD now.

Classic serial killer plot

In many ways, Psycho Killer offers a classic serial killer plot. We meet the killer as he commits one of his many murders. The victim is random – a highway patrolman stops him because he’s driving strangely – and his wife (Georgina Campbell), also a police officer, comes by on her way home. She ends up witnessing the murder of her own husband, which is obviously a traumatizing event.

As a result, she throws herself headfirst into hunting down this psychotic serial killer. She recognizes that it won’t bring her husband back, but she needs to stop this psycho killer from his mission of murder.

While following her hunt for the killer, we also follow the killer on his strange mission. We never really see his face, so we’re merely witnessing his madness and violent actions. To me, this was a brilliant move. Not being able to fully recognize someone (or something) often makes it scarier.

And yes, that’s probably why I was very thrilled with this movie. Well, the first half. The second half, however, completely ruined the experience. It feels like this movie has been edited over and over again. Probably in an attempt to make sure everyone could follow the plot, which – as a result – feels both dumbed down and just plain ridiculous.

Both stars deserved better

Despite never seeing the serial killer’s face fully, I have to give credit to the actor portraying him. This would be James Preston Rogers (The Blackening), and he is terrifying as this brutal and relentless killer. He kills for sport and pleasure because it fits perfectly with his worldview. One dominated by being a Satanist in all the ways that created the infamous Satanic Panic.

In this case, however, the whole satanic panic ordeal would have been valid. It was rarely in play in those cases.

Anyway, having Georgina Campbell play the role of the Kansas highway patrol officer, who goes on a hunt for the killer, is brilliant. She’s one tough cookie, and I would want her with me if I were out for revenge. Georgina Campbell has quickly become a horror darling. Especially thanks to her roles in Barbarian, The Watchers, Influencers, and (most recently) Cold Storage.

And yes, Georgina Campbell delivers a strong performance in Psycho Killer as well. It’s the story that lets it down. Or actually, I think the story could have worked as a whole. Just not as it’s presented here!

Also playing key roles in Psycho Killer are Grace Dove (How It Ends), Logan Miller (Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse), and Malcolm McDowell (She Will, Truthseekers), who all deliver exactly what’s expected of them. In a good way!

Watch Psycho Killer on VOD now

Psycho Killer was directed by Gavin Polone, who has produced a lot of amazing genre movies. These include Stephen King‘s Secret Window (2004), Cold Storage, and Zombieland: Double Tap, while also having produced projects in various other genres. As a director, this is his feature film debut, and I’m sorry to say I think this is the main issue of the finished product.

I say this because the screenplay was written by Andrew Kevin Walker, who also wrote Se7en. Much of what I liked initially about Psycho Killer feels like classic Andrew Kevin Walker, so I’m hesitant to truly believe the story is bad. After all, the iconic Seven could also have been a very strange experience if not directed by David Fincher.

For the record, Seven is far from the only successful script by Andrew Kevin Walker. He also wrote Brainscan (1994), Hideaway (1995), 8MM (1999), Sleepy Hollow (1999), The Wolfman (2010), Windfall (2022), and The Killer (2023). In other words, he is very far from being a one-hit wonder.

I don’t want to recommend that you skip this movie, because the first half of Psycho Killer shows what a brilliant serial killer horror slasher this could have been. So watch it, and try to prepare yourself for an ending that does not live up to that strong opening.

Psycho Killer is out on digital from April 7, 2026.

Details

Director: Gavin Polone
Screenwriter: Andrew Kevin Walker
Cast: Georgina Campbell, James Preston Rogers, Grace Dove, Logan Miller, Malcolm McDowell