Critical response
The film received mostly negative reviews from critics, though Georgina Campbell's performance was often praised. [28] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 9% of 32 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: " Qu'est-ce que c'est? Better run, run, run, run, run, run, run away. " [29] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 28 out of 100, based on seven critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. [30] Psycho Killer was not screened for critics prior to its release. [31]
William Bibbiani of TheWrap wrote, "It's a rudimentary cat-and-mouse thriller with laughable ideas about Satanism and an absurd, cringy ending." Adding; "Campbell heroically plays Archer like there's something to actually play. It's tragic when a movie gives a talented performer nothing, and it's admirable that Campbell tries, at least, to make "nothingade."" [32]
Nicholas Laskin of The Playlist gave the film a "D" rating and wrote that Campbell is "doing the best with what she's given", and called the film "dull" and "curiously muted". [33]
Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting gave the film 1.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "vapid" and "generic", but praised the film's production design and its cast, writing; "Campbell and Rogers bring enough screen presence to engage, despite being saddled with paper-thin characters prone to making baffling choices. Logan Miller injects warmth and a sense of humor in his brief supporting role, teasing a much stronger and more entertaining film had Polone not taken the material so stone-cold serious." [34]
Josh Korngut of Dread Central gave the film two out of five stars and wrote, "For a script from one of our most important living screenwriters, Psycho Killer feels strangely dated. It leans on familiar genre devices and never meaningfully reframes them." Korngut also praised Campbell, writing; "Campbell usually grounds it all with a performance that feels thoughtful and steady. She plays Jane with intelligence and restraint. She does her best to communicate doubt without collapsing into fragility. And it works. But still, the script is constantly attempting to flatten her out, and resists permitting her character depth or the ability to activate." [35]
Ross Bonaime of Collider called it "a collection of overdone tropes and ridiculous choices, all centered around a bland horror villain who's a composite of other, better killers. Psycho Killer might be the most embarrassing murderer in Walker's oeuvre of antagonists." [36]
Tyler Nichols of JoBlo.com wrote that the film "was completely barren of any tension, and that's probably because there was no one to care about." And that Campbell "does the best she can here, but Jane is just poorly written all around. She's really hard to root for, especially after finding out she's pregnant with her dead husband's baby, and still opts to sloppily chase down a serial killer." Adding; "Every performance around her ranges from okay to bad, with some line readings making me literally laugh out loud. The characters are all such cardboard cutouts. Even Malcolm McDowell is in a completely thankless role that comes and goes from the story with very little consequence." [37]
Robert Kojder of Flickering Myth gave the film two stars and wrote; "Georgina Campbell is delivering a solid performance as a woman desperate for another shot, literally and figuratively, at the killer, and subconsciously, trying to prove herself and male-dominated workforce that doesn't take much of what she says seriously", and "the few encounters she and the killer do have are largely forgettable outside the stark red color palette and satanic iconography. That also puts into perspective that the problem with the film is less so with the direction or performances." [26]
