Cinema from the Spectrum

If someone were to tell me that this move came out in the mid 2000s, I would believe you. A discount Longlegs just over 90 minutes that makes you wish an actual serial killer were to kill you right then and there.

Psycho Killer takes over the course of 4 days during the last days of March. After witnessing the murder of his husband in cold daylight, Patrol Officer Jane Archer (Georgina Campbell) sets out on a cross state journey to take revenge on the newly named serial killer The Satanic Slasher (James Preston Rogers). A cat and mouse chase that is eerily similar to a previous killing spree from two decades earlier leads to the revelations and a dive into the world of the Satanic Cult.

Psycho Killer is a top contender for the worst films of 2026, and we are not even halfway through the year yet. The film lacks any suspense and engaging story and instead leaves audiences baffled at what they had just witnessed for the past hour and a half. Even the FBI side characters are not relevant and the film manages to make their presence known for 5 minutes and leave the heroine to their job. It does not help that writer Andrew Kevin Walker, best known for writing one of the best thrillers of all time Se7en, is attached. The script felt like the early 2000s bad horror movie era alongside Alone in the Dark, Doom, The Underworld film series, and everyone’s favourite Dracula 2000. 

It doesn’t help that the film’s protagonist Jane Archer is poorly written with two emotions. Angry and crying. It is unfortunate that Georgina Campbell was given little material to work with and is trying to salvage an already bad script. The film’s main antagonist dubbed The Satanic Slasher managed to get more screen time when there is little motive to him. The predictable twist of who he is and why he is setting off a mayhem of killings doesn’t help with the engagement and thrills of the film. When Slasher and our heroine do have their encounters there it is rushed so quickly that you forget five minutes later that it even happened.

From the visual standpoint it looks dull and uninteresting. There are some stylistic choices of including security camera footage of the victims that feel off and distracting from an already underwhelming experience. There was a one shot take that is quite CGI heavy that should come off as a good shot but instead comes off laughable and cheesy. The choice of not fully showing The Satanic Slasher’s full face has no purpose when the predictable twist of the film makes it even more questionable as to why they went that route. The heavy tattoos on the back and arms is an oversell as if audiences didn’t know he worships the devil. An over the top dull look to the slasher if you ask me.

Psycho Killer is in the lead for the worst film of 2026. I haven’t felt this angry leaving a theatre since witnessing disgrace director David O. Russell’s Amsterdam in theatres. A waste of time that’s better off spent watching anything else, even paint dry.

Watch the trailer right here.

All images via 20th Century Studios.

Directed by Gavin Polone
Screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker
Produced by Roy Lee, Matt Berenson, Andrew Kevin Walker, Arnon Milchan
Starring Georgina Campbell, James Preston Rogers 
Premiere Date: February 20, 2026
Running Time: 91 minutes