Author Frieda McFadden recently went on record saying she might prefer director Paul Feig and screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine‘s feature adaptation of her novel, The Housemaid, over the book itself. I’m inclined to agree. The salacious twists of McFadden’s massive hit novel get dialed up to a delightfully deranged degree, making for a wildly entertaining psychological thriller that lets Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney cut loose in the most darkly comedic and violent ways.
Millie (Sweeney) is down on her luck and desperate for a job. She’s broke and homeless, and without much in the way of job experience. So much so that Millie doesn’t expect to ever hear back from wealthy PTA mom Nina Winchester (Seyfried) after interviewing for a live-in housemaid position, a job for which she’s not actually qualified. Yet Nina does just that, to the confusion of her husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar) and daughter Cecelia (Indiana Elle). That’s the first sign that Millie’s dream job is destined to curdle into a nightmare as Nina’s behavior grows more erratic, plunging both women into one twisted game of psychological warfare.
Sydney Sweeney as Millie Calloway and Amanda Seyfried as Nina Winchester in The Housemaid. Photo Credit: Daniel McFaddenThe Housemaid. Photo Credit: Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate
There’s a deranged frog-in-boiling-water quality to the first half, as Millie tries her best to keep her new employer happy. A task that’s far tougher than it should be with such a volatile, mercurial boss like Nina, who’s prone to lashing out in extremes. Seyfried throws herself into Nina’s dramatics with gusto, shifting audience allegiances to the beleaguered Millie along with Nina’s own husband, who’s empathetic to the torment she endures. Just when you think you have a handle on what’s happening, however, Feig pulls the rug out from under you with a series of bombshells and sharp detours into a back half that keeps the insanity ramping up at a steady clip.
Sonnenshine’s careful plotting doles out clues piecemeal, ensuring that very little is telecast in advance. Even though savvy viewers will likely connect one major piece of the puzzle early on, that means that when Millie finally decides she’s had enough, the gloves come off and secrets spill out in violent fashion. It’s about here when Sweeney’s mild-mannered Millie begins to show her claws, matching Seyfried’s madness beat-for-beat.
Sydney Sweeney as Millie Calloway in The Housemaid. Photo Credit: Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate
Feig directs the raucous thriller with effortless style, showcasing just how badly behaved and awful the obscenely rich really are in that same heightened reality and sense of pitch black humor that made A Simple Favor such a blast. Feig is much more pointed here, though, with The Housemaid‘s underlying themes much weightier. Sonnenshine’s script may revel in the cattiness between women, but never at the expense of the film’s explorations of more sensitive subject matter or its ultimate catharsis- and The Housemaid builds to a deeply satisfying conclusion.
An endless string of dangerous secrets and an explosive performance by Seyfried keep you firmly on the hook until the pent-up tension explodes into insanity, as camp, violence, and empowerment collide. It’s a crowd-pleaser through and through, one meant to be seen with a rowdy audience on board with the wild swings taken. Feig and Sonnenshine push the novel’s more outrageous aspects even further, injecting even bigger thrills, twists, and stakes. It’s the type of operatic insanity that practically begs for more. Considering McFadden transformed her novel into a series and this adaptation’s triumphant ending, here’s to hoping The Housemaid stays gainfully employed.
The Housemaid releases in theaters on December 19, 2025.
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