The Housemaid is a wild, trippy, insane ride! An extremely faithful adaptation of the book, but with quite a few little additions for those who have read it.
As a big fan of Freida McFadden’s novel, The Housemaid, the announcement of a film adaptation left me equal parts excited and nervous. Could the book’s specific brand of unsettling domestic chaos and its infamous narrative rug-pulls translate to the big screen? Thankfully, director Paul Feig has not only cleared this high bar but has soared over it, delivering an adaptation that is thrillingly faithful while proving unafraid to innovate where the story demands it. The result is a genuinely shocking psychological thriller that works just as well for those who have no idea what is coming and those who do.
A story that relies so heavily on shifting perspectives needs to have a capable cast, and this is where The Housemaid truly shines. The core trio – Millie, Andrew, and Nina Winchester – are brought to life by Sydney Sweeney, Brandon Sklenar, and Amanda Seyfried, and their on-screen chemistry is pure perfection. They capture the volatile, truly insane energy perfectly.
Sydney Sweeney’s portrayal of Millie is finely tuned, allowing the audience to feel her initial vulnerability and growing unease as she navigates the increasingly bizarre rules of the Winchester household. She anchors the narrative, giving us a protagonist we can root for even as the story spirals into utter unpredictability.
Brandon Sklenar as Andrew Winchester is also perfectly cast. He embodies the sophisticated yet subtly intimidating veneer of a wealthy and powerful man. It is a performance of calculated charm and simmering tension, and the way Sklenar maneuvers through the character’s complex arc is riveting. His interactions with both Sweeney and Seyfried are performed brilliantly, establishing a triangle that feels constantly on the verge of collapse.
That said, the casting of Amanda Seyfried as Nina Winchester was easily the most polarizing decision, given the character’s description in the book as being older than Millie. However, the film brilliantly subverts expectations, and the screenplay manages to flawlessly integrate Seyfried into the role. I can promise that any initial doubts about the age discrepancy are completely dispelled by the narrative’s clever workaround. This choice ultimately enhances the film’s central power dynamic, making Nina’s influence on the household all the more unsettling.
Moreover, the film addresses Nina’s physical decline over the course of the narrative. While the book depicts her growing overweight and haggard, the film makes the understandable creative choice to simply use the hair and makeup to its advantage. While a devoted fan might have wished to see the full physical transformation, the production successfully uses makeup and styling to convey the character’s inner turmoil and exhaustion without resorting to cumbersome physical prosthetics.
Paul Feig’s direction is the glue that holds this complicated story together. He demonstrates a profound understanding of the source material’s structure, knowing exactly when to let the tension simmer and when to unleash it.
One of my favorite parts of the film is something that does not take place in the book – at least not in the same way. Paul Feig has managed to take one particular section of the book that many readers found a little anticlimactic and reimagined it for the big screen with spectacular success. This is the mark of a great adaptation: respecting the source’s spirit while recognizing areas where the cinematic medium can heighten the drama.
That said, there are a few parts of the book, which I cannot talk about in detail for fear of spoilers, that are removed from the film, but I wish they had not been. Still, I understand the reasoning behind the decision.
Overall Thoughts On The Housemaid
The core pleasure of The Housemaid is, of course, its unrelenting parade of twists and turns. Even those of us who knew the major plot beats were surprised by the fresh execution and the added cinematic flourishes. The energy in the theater from those who were experiencing these twists for the first time was incredibly fun to witness, proving that the mystery holds up even in a new medium.
The Housemaid is a triumph of adaptation. It’s slick, relentlessly paced, and features career-best performances from its central cast. It satisfied me, the fan who knows every secret, while shocking those who had no idea what was coming next. It is a psychological roller coaster that you will want to ride again and again.
About The Housemaid
The Housemaid is a wildly entertaining thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, based on the best-selling book. From director Paul Feig, the film plunges audiences into a twisted world where perfection is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems.
Trying to escape her past, Millie (Sweeney) accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina (Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous — a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power. Behind the Winchesters’ closed doors lies a world of shocking twists that will leave you guessing until the very end.
The Housemaid comes to theaters on December 19th.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.