THE HOUSEMAID Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Paul Feig
Stars: Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, Indiana Elle, Elizabeth Perkins, Michele Morrone, Amanda Joy Erickson, Megan Ferguson, Ellen Tamaki, Don DiPetta.
The winner of the Guilty Pleasure Award for 2025 goes to The Housemaid, a faithful adaptation of the best-selling 2022 novel written by Freida McFadden. Adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine (American Zombie, etc), this creepy and unsettling psychological thriller is evocative of those lurid 90s thrillers including Single White Female, Fatal Attraction and its ilk, and is an enjoyably camp experience.
The film follows Millie (played by Sydney Sweeney, in arguably her best role), a troubled young woman who has just been released from prison after serving time for manslaughter. She is doing it tough while on parole, and is even sleeping in her dilapidated old car.
To her surprise she lands a job as the live-in housekeeper for the wealthy Winchester family on Long Island. Nina (played by Amanda Seyfried, from Mamma Mia!, etc) is the cold trophy wife to the handsome and uber rich Andrew (Brandon Sklenar, from It Ends With Us, tv series 1923, etc), a tech mogul. Millie’s duties include cooking, cleaning and occasionally looking after the couple’s troubled, ballet obsessed daughter Cecilia (Indiana Elle). In return she lives in the small attic bedroom at the top of the stairs.
But before long the dream job takes a nasty turn as Nina becomes overbearing, demanding and is gaslighting Millie with her accusations and increasingly psychotic behaviour. She accuses Millie of stealing and lying about things. Because of the conditions of her parole though Millie finds herself unable to leave the job and tries to weather Nina’s tantrums. Andrew seems protective of Millie and critical of Nina’s behaviour. He explains that Nina has been institutionalised in the past for trying to drown Cecilia in the bath. Cracks begin to show in their marriage.
The Housemaid retains the many twists and turns of the novel, which has been faithfully adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine, although it ditches Millie’s first person narration. Those familiar with the novel will appreciate the filmmakers’ efforts to remain faithful to the source material, while those unfamiliar with the novel will certainly be kept hanging on each new twist. For those unfamiliar with the source though it is probably best to go into this movie cold, not knowing much about the story as it will ruin some of the surprises. Every new revelation changes our perspective of the three main characters, and it all ends in some gore, blood and even a bit of do-it-yourself dentistry that ups the ick factor.
The deliberately over-the-top performances from the cast are perfectly suited to the melodramatic nature of the whole thing. Sweeney throws herself into the role of Millie with enthusiasm, and she handles the more physical demands of the role with ease. Cast largely against type here Seyfried does a good job of channelling Nina’s mood swings and she is unnerving as she chews the scenery in the film’s early section. Sklenar exudes charm, but underneath the smooth exterior lies a malignant and nasty personality. Elizabeth Perkins brings a cold, starched quality to her role as Evelyn, Andrew’s cold and disapproving mother.
Director Paul Feig is better known for his raunchy female centric comedies like Bridesmaids, but he handles the twists and turns and melodramatic nature of The Housemaid with relish. He maintains a deft mix of eroticism, black humour and a darker edge throughout this trashy but thoroughly enjoyable psychological thriller. Visually the film looks great with some superb production design from Elizabeth Jones to create the Winchester’s sprawling and modern looking house, and some nice costumes courtesy of Renee Ehrlich Kalfus (Hidden Figures, etc).
★★★★
