The Housemaid hit cinemas in December 2025.
It is based on the 2022 novel of the same name by Frieda McFadden and stars Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, Michele Morrone, and Elizabeth Perkins.
After recently dragging my sisters to watch this film with me, I have a lot to say – so stick around.
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What is The Housemaid About?
The Housemaid follows a young woman named Millie, who begins working as a live-in housekeeper for the wealthy Winchester family. While her job seems like a fresh start, little does she know that their huge home holds dark and scary secrets.
Millie has recently been granted probation after receiving a fifteen-year sentence, ten of which she spent behind bars. But one strict condition of her release is that she must work. With no home to return to and very few opportunities willing to give her a second chance, Millie struggles to rebuild her life.
When she hears about a housekeeping position with an almost unbelievable offer, she finds herself knocking on the door of Nina Winchester’s grand home. Nina lives there with her handsome and loving husband, Andrew, and their adorable young daughter, CeCe. The family appears perfect one the surface and the job seems too good to be true.
But when Millie settles into her new environment, she finds it difficult to adjust, including the and questionable behaviour from Nina. She son’s questions whether accepting the job was a terrible mistake.
Meanwhile, cracks begin to form within the Winchester household, including the truth behind Nina and Andrew’s seemingly perfect marriage.
Characters
Nina
Nina was a character I didn’t like very much in The Housemaid book, and unfortunately, she didn’t get any better in the film. She was everywhere and hugely annoying—mostly just over the top.
Andrew
I believe Andrew really looked like a psychopath. The fact that he was calm, able to lie, and – oh my God- that smile when he managed to drive Nina into a psych ward was so crazy. He was really chilling, and I was almost scared of him, too.
Millie
Millie was so clueless right up until the end. I mean, any normal person would question the signs, but I guess money and desperation can lead people to do crazy things.
The Housemaid Review
I had read The Housemaid book, so going into the film, I was both excited and ready to delve back into Millie, Nina, and Andrew’s world once again.
I have to say, the first part of the film was slightly slower-paced and uninteresting (I guess that is partly my fault for knowing what would happen). I felt there were barely any lines spoken, and the suspenseful moments didn’t really feel that intriguing or goosebump-worthy. However, I have to say that the last part of the film definitely made up for it and was truly heart-pounding.
I feel like one character was let down a lot. Unfortunately, Michele Morrone, who played Enzo, was given barely any screen time, even though he had a significant role in the book.
Meanwhile, as mentioned above, Amanda Seyfried was a bit too chaotic when playing a crazed and psychotic Nina. I thought her frantic portrayal was a bit off-putting, as it didn’t really suit the character. I imagined Nina as very sinister and calculated, but instead, she came across as a woman who was all over the place and unable to control her emotions most of the time.
I really liked how Brandon Sklenar played Andrew. He seemed perfect for the role, especially in how he switched from a nice guy to evil, which was done extremely well in my opinion.
Unfortunately, I was not impressed with how Sydney Sweeney portrayed an overly sexualised Millie. It felt quite unconvincing, as I imagined Millie to be a bit rougher around the edges. I understand that this may be the actress’s image nowadays, but I found it unnecessary. It felt like she was used as yet another sex symbol in the film, even in situations where I would have expected her to be dressed more normally.
The ending of the film was changed slightly, which actually worked well, as it added more exciting action. The way Andrew died was unexpected but dramatic and fun to watch. It was an interesting twist on how the film might have originally ended.
Overall, I really did enjoy The Housemaid. While I don’t think it fully did the book justice by sticking too closely to the original story, some of the changes were effective. Despite its flaws, it was still an exciting watch.