Barbarian star's new slasher horror called "abysmally dull" and "a nothing burger of a movie" in scathing first reviews

Georgina Campbell as Jane in Psycho Killer — (Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

Planning on rocking up to the theater to watch Psycho Killer this weekend? Might be a better idea to run, run, run, run, run, run, run away, if the horror movie's first reviews are anything to go by...

Directed by Gavin Polone and written by Andrew Kevin Walker (Seven, Sleepy Hollow), the film follows Georgina Campbell's Jane, a highway patrol officer who takes it upon herself to hunt down the man who brutally murdered her husband. Turns out, it wasn't just a one-off attack, though, and Jane soon finds herself in a dangerous cat-and-mouse chase with the notorious 'Satanic Slasher' (James Preston Rogers). Think Longlegs meets The Brave One.

"Psycho Killer is a dull, uninspired mess," wrote Epic Film Guys on Twitter. "Weak performances, generic characters all accompanied by a chopped up plot with neutered death scenes, leave you feeling beyond unfulfilled. When Malcolm McDowell is your marquee name, you know there’s a problem."

A huge nothing burger of a movie. The villain does not have an ounce of intimidation with his appearance and his kills are bad imitations of past horror villains. Georgina Campbell’s acting is wasted on a sloppy script and cgi filled action sequences. #PsychoKiller pic.twitter.com/LRmIlHMwDFFebruary 20, 2026

I had high hopes for #PSYCHOKILLER the actors did a good job with what they were given. The film itself felt dated and like it was holding itself back from being great. All the elements were there, but the execution fell short. My Review for the film is ☝️ out of ✌️ #Horror pic.twitter.com/2Ha7mSlvV1February 20, 2026

Y’all… what happened here? #psychokiller had SO much potential, and had me for the first half! But this just turned out to be a total misfire on all levels by the end. Lacks so much logic, some terrible CGI. What a disappointment. pic.twitter.com/WCUjzqOC59February 20, 2026

Others were less scathing, like Never Split Up podcaster Anthony Dapuzzo, who tweeted: "Psycho Killer is a simple, straightforward & admittedly generic serial killer horror flick. A bit underwhelming but the components that make it watchable enough are the stylistic approach to some sequences & the design/portrayal of the Satanic Slasher.

"It's a fine movie for a rainy night at home. Would definitely like to see James Preston Rogers take on more villainous slasher roles! He was awesome!"

"Georgina Campbell was wonderful as ever in Psycho Killer. I enjoyed following the mystery and was invested," said X user Roodie. "It was fun slasher with throwback vibes of the 2000's. Some of the kills were muted while others were gory and gross as hell. Definitely worth checking out!"

"PSYCHO KILLER is the detective thriller fare we rarely see anymore, something ripped straight out of the 2000's" SillierDeadite chimed in. "A brutal nosedive into the darkest depths of the human mind. Have a feeling we're looking at the newest horror icon."

Psycho Killer is in US cinemas now. For more, have a read of our guide to all the upcoming horror movies heading our way.