Based on the novel by Freida McFadden and directed by Paul Feig, The Housemaid makes its way to the screen with Hitchcockian twists and turns. Before I say anything further, please note that the film contains multiple scenes with depictions of sexual assault or domestic abuse.

The film is a thriller set in a world where appearances are misleading and little is what it initially seems. Attempting to move on from her past, Millie Calloway (Sweeney) takes a job as a live-in housemaid for wealthy couple Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). What begins as an opportunity for a fresh start gradually becomes more dangerous, drawing Millie into a situation marked by secrecy, scandal, and shifting power dynamics. Behind the Winchesters’ closed doors, a series of unexpected developments unfolds, keeping the story unpredictable through its conclusion.

I don’t think it’s an understatement to say that The Housemaid takes audiences on a roller coaster. To be honest, I wasn’t completely sure what to expect going in, as I hadn’t read the book and avoided reading the synopsis as well. Paul Feig has previously played with Hitchcockian elements when he directed Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively in A Simple Favor. Here, he directs Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried in a film that leans even further into Hitchcockian territory, given its psychological-thriller framework. More precisely, it functions as a revenge thriller.

As Bill Hader’s Stefon would say on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update, The Housemaid is a thriller that has everything: seduction, gossip, betrayal, stone-cold payback, manipulation, and more. It’s both twisted and stylish, with slippery social dynamics. A character’s role can shift at a moment’s notice—and then shift again. Victim, villain, bystander, hero? You won’t get those answers from me. Aside from knowing in advance that the film includes depictions of sexual assault or domestic abuse, this is one of those movies where the less you know, the better. That’s why I’ve been extremely careful about what I say.

From the outside looking in, the Winchester home is presented as a storybook façade, complete with mouthwatering décor. But appearances can be deceiving, and that is very much the case here. It’s bad news from the moment Millie settles into the attic bedroom. Compounding matters is how increasingly demanding Nina becomes, particularly when it comes to getting things done. Even when you think you have a grasp on what’s happening in The Housemaid, you don’t—especially for those unfamiliar with Freida McFadden’s novel.

In the film’s production notes, Feig describes the project as “a Nancy Meyers movie gone horribly wrong.” One look at the production design and the comparison is immediately clear—it feels as though we’ve stepped directly into a Nancy Meyers film. But the commitment to this idea extends well beyond the visuals. The approach permeates the filmmaking as a whole, and it works. Would the tension, scares, and humor intertwine as effectively if the film were approached differently? I’m not sure.

I’m still making my way through Alfred Hitchcock’s filmography, but it’s easy to imagine the Master of Suspense making a film like The Housemaid today. Naturally, he would approach it differently than Feig, but the core idea would remain intact, given just how many twists and turns unfold over the film’s two-hour-plus runtime.

The Housemaid is a tense, twist-filled thriller with suspense, style, and darkly entertaining performances that would make Hitchcock proud.

DIRECTOR: Paul Feig
SCREENWRITER: Rebecca Sonnenshine
CAST: Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, Michele Morrone, Elizabeth Perkins, Indiana Elle, Amanda Joy Erickson, Sarah Cooper, Megan Ferguson, Ellen Tamaki

Lionsgate will release The Housemaid in theaters on December 19, 2025. Grade: 4.5/5

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