The Housemaid review: Powerful changes turn thriller to horror but Sydney Sweeney smut unnecessary

I’ll start this off by saying I was a big fan of The Housemaid, the novel written by mysterious author Freida McFadden the movie is based on.

With that in mind, I was nervous. I knew what I wanted the movie to be, and I knew I’m often left disappointed when books I love are adapted for the big, or small, screen (sorry Sweetpea, but that was not it).

But The Housemaid movie – because of, rather than despite some slight changes – exceeded my expectations.

We open with Millie (Sydney Sweeney) down on her luck, desperately trying to find a job when Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried) offers her a role as a live-in housemaid.

Things start well – Millie copes with Nina’s neuroticism and extreme mood swings. She meets Nina’s perfect, rich and dishy husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar) and daughter Cece (Indiana Elle).

But good things don’t last. Obviously there are some spoilers ahead, read on at your own risk.

Millie is wary, realising that her attic bedroom has a lock on the outside, scratch marks on the doorframe and a window that doesn’t open.

Before long, Nina turns on Millie. She gives her specific tasks then flies off the handle at her, saying she didn’t ask her to do any of them.

At one point she asks Millie to book theatre tickets and a swanky hotel suite in the city for her and Andrew – then blows up, saying she was away with Cece that weekend and so Millie would have to pay for it out of her own paycheque, which she definitely can’t afford.

Knight in shining armour Andrew steps in and tells Millie to go with a friend instead, and forget about the money.

When she says she has no friends, Andrew suggests they go together and, after some charged glances throughout, one thing leads to another.

What follows is an at times gratuitous sex montage between the man of the house and his maid, perhaps included so the protesting husbands and boyfriends dragged along on Boxing Day don’t get bored.

Though if they were bored up until that point, there’s no time to be afterwards.

Of course, Millie realises that Nina knows about their night of passion – and knew that she was newly released from a 10-year stretch in prison.

A flashback reveals Millie killed a guy while she was at school when she caught him raping her roommate. But in what was her first betrayal by a woman in need, the girl sided with her predator and Millie took a manslaughter plea deal.

After a heated argument, Andrew kicks Nina out and makes Millie his new, younger-model girlfriend.

But after Millie accidentally smashes one of his heirloom plates – after being watched by hunky groundsman Enzo (Michele Morrone) – Andrew locks her in her attic room, and we finally get the truth.

Seyfried takes the lead, with a montage of flashbacks explaining her tragic story – a pregnant young woman with no prospects who catches the eye of a well-to-do businessman who vows to give her a better life.

And he does just that – but everything has a consequence. He begins torturing her if she does something not to his liking, and eventually frames her for trying to drown her young daughter.

Nina realises she has to get out and, after failed attempts with the help of Enzo, knows she has to get Andrew to leave her.

That’s where Millie comes in. Finding out Millie’s story, Nina knew she could handle abusive men so hired her – not as a housemaid, but as a killer.

It’s here that the movie has some key changes which take it into horror territory instead of thriller.

Fans of the book will know how Andrew torments Millie, making her balance heavy books on her stomach for hours on end. In the movie, this becomes a different, gory form of torture which is horrifying – but warranted. Nobody wants to watch someone, even Sweeney, lying on a floor with books on their body for hours. It is a film of just over two hours, after all.

The gore doesn’t end there, with Millie soon getting revenge on Andrew and spilling more blood – though readers will be expecting that bloodshed.

The ending is also slightly different, but adds some excitement (and humour) that makes it an incredibly impactful climax.

Overall, The Housemaid is a pretty spot on adaptation, with some changes which only make it a more thrilling watch.

Sweeney somehow seems very ordinary as Millie, despite being incredibly beautiful and glamorous when we see her on red carpets and in many of her other roles. She plays down and out with as much ease as she plays powerful and in control, getting the opportunity to do both in this film.

Seyfried, for me, was the real scene stealer. Her portrayal of an unhinged wife is eerily enticing, and the switch into her POV is incredible to watch.

As mentioned, the sex montages feel slightly cheap and unwarranted, though are shot in a quite artistic way. And a peachy Sklenar makes sure there’s something for the girls and gays, if you catch my drift.

The gory moments were at times so grim that I had to look away, but knowing I had some more scenes with Enzo coming, albeit sadly fully clothed, helped me get through. There are moments of comedy sprinkled throughout too, which help bring the light in dark scenes.

Unfortunately Morrone’s role in this movie is minor, but his character has a much more central role as the book series goes on, so hopefully The Housemaid’s Secret and The Housemaid Is Watching will be green-lit.

Whether you’re a fan of the books or not, Sweeney and Seyfried’s partnership make The Housemaid a must-see. And with Paul Feig (known for movies such as Bridesmaids and A Simple Favor) at the helm as director, The Housemaid was never going to be a bad movie, I just hadn’t expected it to be this great.

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