Psycho Killer Movie Review, Cast, Box Office & 0% Rotten Tomatoes Score

The Psycho Killer movie has arrived in theaters — and critics have not been kind. Released February 20, 2026, by 20th Century Studios, the Psycho Killer horror-thriller from the writer of Se7en was one of the most anticipated genre titles of early 2026. Instead, it's made headlines for an entirely different reason: a rare 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a disastrous opening weekend.

What Is the Psycho Killer Movie About?

Following the brutal murder of her husband, a Kansas highway patrol officer (Georgina Campbell) sets out on a journey to track down the perpetrator. As the hunt progresses, she comes to realize the man responsible (James Preston Rogers) is a sadistic serial killer, and the depth of his mental depravity and his sinister agenda is more twisted than anyone could have imagined.

Former professional wrestler James Preston Rogers stars as the title character, a serial killer known as the "Satanic Slasher."

Cast & Crew

Psycho Killer was directed by Gavin Polone in his feature directorial debut and written by Andrew Kevin Walker, the screenwriter behind Se7en and 8MM.

0% on Rotten Tomatoes: Why Critics Hate It

On Rotten Tomatoes, 0% of 24 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Qu'est-ce que c'est? Better run, run, run, run, run, run, run away." Metacritic assigned the film a score of 33 out of 100, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.

One critic wrote that the film is "hard to believe the guy who wrote Se7en wrote this" and that the plot was "an unfocused mess" with only two genuinely strong sequences: the opening and a later hotel-room scene.

Audience scores on Letterboxd have been equally mixed, with viewers mocking the killer's altered voice and the film's dated "Satanic panic" aesthetic — while a small contingent embraces it as unintentional camp.

Box Office: A Bomb

Psycho Killer collected only $710K from 1,100 theaters in North America on opening weekend, with a per-screen average of just $645 — a figure that reflects severely limited audience turnout. Produced on a budget of less than $10 million, the film entered a crowded horror market that already featured Send Help, Iron Lung, and The Strangers: Chapter 3.

The Long, Troubled Development

The Psycho Killer movie was in development for several years and with different filmmakers. An early draft of Andrew Kevin Walker's script appeared online in 2007. In 2009, Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst announced he would direct it. By 2010, producer Gavin Polone was set to direct instead. The film was finally greenlit by New Regency in February 2023, with principal photography wrapping in April 2023 in Winnipeg, Canada.

Is Psycho Killer 2 Happening?

Despite the critical mauling and weak box office, producer Roy Lee has confirmed the Satanic Slasher's fate in the Psycho Killer ending and discussed bigger franchise plans beginning with a Psycho Killer 2. Whether a sequel gains traction will likely depend on the film's performance on streaming and digital platforms in the coming weeks.