It’s been a great year for actress Margaret Qualley. She starred in three big movies in 2024: Drive Away Dolls, directed by Ethan Cohen; the anthology film Kinds of Kindness from Yorgos Lanthimos; and The Substance, Coralie Fargeat’s sophomore effort, which saw Qualley play a “younger, better” version of Demi Moore’s Elisabeth. Next, Qualley will take the lead role in Victorian Psycho, starring alongside Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit, Last Night in Soho), which will be released by acclaimed indie banner A24.
Deadline reports that the project, first announced in October, will be distributed by A24 and is set to begin production in March 2025.
The plot synopsis reads:
In 1858, a young, eccentric governess named Winifred Notty (Qualley) arrives at the remote gothic manor known as Ensor House. Winifred’s responsibilities include teaching the children table manners and educating them about their family’s history, all whilst hiding her psychopathic tendencies. As Winifred assimilates into life at Ensor House, staff members begin to inexplicably disappear, and the owners of the estate begin to wonder if there is something amiss about their new governess.
The film will be helmed by Zachary Wigon, who previously directed Qualley in Sanctuary (2022), a psychosexual thriller about a man attempting to end his relationship with a dominatrix. The script comes from author Virginia Feito, based on her novel of the same name, which is due out in February 2025. Feito’s 2021 debut novel Mrs. March was a critical and commercial success, and will reportedly become a major motion picture starring Elizabeth Moss.
Speaking to People about Victorian Psycho, Feito said, “I wasn’t initially looking to write a story set in the Victorian era, although I grew up loving the Gothic literature from that period, but the voice suddenly came to me – it was sardonic and violent and inappropriate – and I couldn’t help following the voice.”
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‘Victorian Psycho’ Will Be Produced by a “Horror Aficionado”
When Victorian Psycho was first announced, Qualley said of the project, “Working with Zach [Wigon] again feels like a rare gift, and I can’t wait to step into this twisted world he’s created.” Wigon also weighed in, stating:
“As soon as I discovered this thoroughly insane and unforgettable character, I knew I had to introduce moviegoers to Winifred Notty. I am beyond thrilled that the utterly fearless Margaret Qualley will be bringing this complex antihero to vivid life. Virginia Feito’s screenplay is an audacious blend of psychodrama, satire, gore and mystery. With horror aficionado producer Dan Kagan and the support of Anton and Anonymous, I cannot wait to make ‘Victorian Psycho.'”
Producer Kagan was behind the 2024 mega horror hit Longlegs, written and directed by Osgood Perkins and starring Maika Monroe, Alicia Witt, and Nicolas Cage as the titular serial killer. The film grossed nearly $127 million globally.
Elisabeth Sparkle, renowned for an aerobics show, faces a devastating blow on her 50th birthday as her boss fires her. Amid her distress, a laboratory offers her a substance which promises to transform her into an enhanced version of herself.
- Release Date
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September 20, 2024
- Director
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Coralie Fargeat
- Runtime
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140 Minutes
- Cast
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Demi Moore
, Margaret Qualley
, Dennis Quaid
, Gore Abrams
, Hugo Diego Garcia
, Olivier Raynal
, Tiffany Hofstetter
, Tom Morton
, Jiselle Burkhalter
, Axel Baille
, Oscar Lesage
, Matthew Géczy
, Philip Schurer - Main Genre
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Horror