Last Updated on December 16, 2025 by Fadra Nally
Women find escape wherever they can get it – in a book, in a Netflix show, or in a movie like The Housemaid. And if they’re readers, they might have pursued the same guilty pleasure in print before film. Here’s my spoiler-free review of this movie.
The Housemaid: Book vs Movie Expectations
I read The Housemaid by Freida McFadden in August 2024 simply because it was a popular book that happened to be available through my Libby app. It’s book #1 in what has become a four-book series.
I expected it to be a throwaway thriller and I wasn’t wrong. This was my original take last year after reading the book:
This is the kind of book that I had to stop reading (or listening to) twice because I was sure I had read it. It’s definitely a popcorn thriller (as one reviewer put it) that kept me interested. And the author did a good job of creating over-the-top characters (like Nina) that nobody would tolerate while creating stakes high enough to still make it work.
The second half of the book seemed a little rushed, which I guess it had to for the sake of the story and to set us up for THE TWIST.
I’ll be honest. The twist is interesting but not original. It’s the exact same (more or less) as the twist in a certain book from 2017. I won’t name it or it would give it away. So, not original, but honestly, better executed with us questioning who we’re actually rooting for in the book.
Worth a read if you want a straightforward, easy thriller.
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A Popcorn Psychological Thriller (Spoiler-Free Review)
As for the new movie of the same name, starring Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney, I could write the exact same review about the movie.
The Housemaid is a popcorn thriller. It’s not meant to make you think. It’s meant to wrap you up in its twisted little claws and hang onto you until the bitter end. And that’s exactly what it did.
The stakes are high as Millie (Sweeney), a down-on-her-luck young woman, applies for a job well beyond her qualifications as a live-in housemaid for well-to-do couple Nina (Seyfried) and Andrew (Brandon Sklenar).
The dream job quickly turns into a nightmare for Millie but the story doesn’t work unless we have a strong reason for Millie to stay through the apparent insanity of Nina. This is where the story excels. The stakes are high enough for Millie to endure and see things through to the end.
The story takes a turn in ways Nina might have hoped for but certainly couldn’t have predicted. That’s the only wild card in the story. But when you have, again, a popcorn thriller like this, you need a few unpredictable twists and turns.
Oh, and there is one HUGE twist. One that I’m sworn to secrecy for. Because knowing the twist ahead of time changes the movie.
Watching It Cold vs Knowing the Story
I took my sister with me to the screening of the film. From reading the novel, I knew the story in its entirety and the movie absolutely did a great job of staying true to the book. But my sister, who doesn’t dabble in fiction at all, knew nothing going in except for what the trailer revealed.
I envied her experience. She got to enjoy every juicy moment of the movie not knowing where the story was heading. She got to watch the insanity unfold. She had to figure out who to root for. And then she got to experience THE TWIST.
For me, I was watching an adaptation of a story I already knew. And it was well worth the time and a great holiday escape. But for someone like my sister, she got to experience the true guilty pleasure. A down and dirty psychological thriller with the perfect payoff.
Cast Performances
Now let’s talk about the cast of The Housemaid.
Amanda Seyfried is adorable as spoiled housewife, Nina. (Side note: I actually ran into her in Penn Station last year and she’s a tiny little thing!). She plays the persona of Nina perfectly. Gracious and grateful one minute and a complete nutjob the next.
Sydney Sweeney plays the nonchalance of Millie with the right level of eagerness and apprehensiveness. But her voice… is not my favorite. It’s her acting style and her persona but it was a little grating at times.
Brandon Sklenar, as Andrew, is new to me but has the charm and cunning perfect for the role. Add in his high-strung mommy, played by Elizabeth Perkins, and you start to get a picture of the story behind the story.
Final Verdict: Is The Housemaid Worth Watching?
If you’ve read the book, The Housemaid is a satisfying and faithful adaptation. If you haven’t, it’s the kind of twisty psychological thriller best enjoyed knowing absolutely nothing.
Every character has something to hide and it all comes to a satisfying ending that’s so over the top that you’ll forget all of your holiday stress and be glad you don’t actually have a housemaid.
Could you wait for streaming? Absolutely. The Housemaid is not a MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN kind of movie. But honestly, I loved watching it in the theater. It was fun to be smack dab in the middle of the surprised crowd and it made it feel larger than life, which is really the point.
And where better to get popcorn for a popcorn thriller than at the theater!
Be sure to read all of my movie reviews!
I read the book and enjoyed the movie ! The things that were changed or left out I didn’t really mind, really nothing big. The cuts vs the books I think was better but I kind of wished they kept the peanut butter scene but it’s fine without it. The biggest miss for me tho was Enzo, they dramatically cut his roles importance from the movie, that’s my biggest gripe. But nevertheless I still enjoyed the movie