The Housemaid (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – Millie Calloway, a young woman with a troubled past who becomes a live-in housemaid for a wealthy family, however, their seemingly perfect life unravels when she discovers their household hides dark secrets beneath the surface.

My Take – Back in 2018, director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Spy) surprised everyone by successfully adapting ‘A Simple Favor‘, a sexy and delightfully fun thriller about the secret, sordid lives of some beautiful looking people. Hence, as a reader I was genuinely curious about how he would handle his latest adaptation, based on a 2022 bestseller by publishing superstar Freida McFadden.

And while it seems to exist in a similar world and is comparatively less slick and smart, yet, that doesn’t stop it from working as an entertainingly tacky, ridiculous intense and deliriously over-the-top twisty tale of terror that’s all wrapped up in an empowerment message. As with the current trend, it rides the waves of manipulation and then turns the tables on what we think we’ve just seen, looking at male-female power structures and how privilege can trap people without it.

Sure, Rebecca Sonnenshine‘s adapted screenplay can be at times accused of exaggerating its narrative strings, particularly on how it ties all its characters together, and doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel for the genre, but it works well for what it is. There are a handful of comedic moments and there’s an arguable element of camp to the proceedings, but for the most part, it takes the stakes seriously with effective tension building and some surprisingly harrowing moments.

Since author McFadden’s original novel became a best seller and since then has published two equally well-received sequels, I really hope to return this world on the big-screen.

The story follows Millie (Sydney Sweeney), a troubled young woman out on parole, desperate for a fresh start after being in prison for ten years. Her parole requires that she have a job and permanent residence or risk being sent back to the slammer to complete her sentence. She thinks her problems are solved when she’s hired as a housemaid by the super-wealthy, charming Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried), who lives with her wealthy husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar) and their young daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).

Initially, Nina appears warm and welcoming, but her behavior soon turns erratic. She begins blaming Millie for things she hasn’t done, gas lighting her, and psychologically tormenting her without any clear reason. Andrew, on the other hand, plays the sympathetic savior, and soon enough, Millie finds herself attracted to him. But she has no idea about the darker turn her life is about to take.

Structured as a throwback to the intense domestic thrillers of the 1990s with a distinctly 21st-century twist, the film sets out to be a violent, nerve-fraying suspense story that toys with issues of class and gender. Here, at first, we expect that Millie is going to be the manipulative one, after all she tries to lie to get the job, for instance, or wearing glasses to seem more serious, but we soon realize that all kinds of gas lighting games are being played behind these doors, and they’re much more sinister.

Rebecca Sonnenshine‘s screenplay really plays with the viewers as she forces us to try to piece together all of Nina’s weird acts and the truth behind what is actually going on inside this house. And when it gets there, it fully works because it’s a subversion of the more conventional story you’re expecting.

Director Feig also has fun by indulging in horror genre conventions, like having a silent, foreboding groundskeeper in the form of Enzo (Michele Morrone), adding a creepy dollhouse and placing lightning and thunder during a pivotal scene. Even surrounding the mansion with fussy, aristocratic PTA moms who have tea parties and talk about what yoga means to them.

Yes, at times, the 131 minutes run time feels a bit too long, but to be fair how much you end up enjoying the film likely depends on how long you’re willing to deal with it pretending to be a less interesting version of itself. Also, it is hard to talk about the theme at the center without giving away the biggest plot twist, but it’s a film that gives women agency and is about them claiming the power in a stereotypical patriarchal society.

Performance-wise, Amanda Seyfried is undoubtedly the film’s best asset. The way she switches from sweet to terrifying and back again is quite simply impressive. Sydney Sweeney is almost as impressive. She not only brings the glamour and necessary sex appeal, but stands up as a plucky, creative heroine went push comes to shove.

Between the two, Brandon Sklenar too manages to hold his own, and brings the necessary emotions to make a one-note character stand out. Sadly, Michele Morrone has nothing much to do here. On the whole, ‘The Housemaid’ is a satisfyingly playful and chilling thriller anchored by its stellar lead performances.