The Housemaid Review: Amanda Seyfried & Sydney Sweeney’s Shocking Movie
Paul Feig’s The Housemaid is the kind of psychological thriller that thrives on restraint, implication, and the slow tightening of a noose you don’t even realize is around your neck until it’s far too late. Based on Freida McFadden’s 2022 novel and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine, the film takes a deceptively simple setup about a young woman with a troubled past who accepts a live-in housemaid job for a wealthy family and transforms it into something increasingly unsettling, unhinged, and ultimately unforgettable.
From the start, The Housemaid understands the power of what it doesn’t show. The marketing campaign has smartly concealed much of the film’s true shape, and Feig leans into that mystery with confidence. Yes, it’s clear early on that this dream job will curdle into a nightmare, but the specifics—the how, the why, and the who—are held back with remarkable discipline. The result is a thriller that constantly keeps the audience leaning forward, scanning every interaction for danger, every smile for menace.
Sydney Sweeney stars as Millie Calloway, a woman trying to rebuild her life after a past that still clings to her like a shadow. Sweeney, in her fifth film of the year, delivers one of her most controlled and compelling performances to date. Millie is observant, guarded, and quietly reactive, and Sweeney plays her with a careful balance of vulnerability and sharp intelligence. Even when the character says little, her face is doing the work. She’s always processing, recalibrating, and surviving. As the film progresses, Millie is forced down an increasingly complicated path, and Sweeney navigates those shifts with impressive precision.
Opposite her is Amanda Seyfried as Nina Winchester, the wealthy woman who hires Millie and quickly becomes the film’s most unpredictable presence. Seyfried is electric here—off-kilter, volatile, and fascinating to watch. Nina’s erratic behavior initially reads as eccentric privilege, but as fragments of her disturbing past surface, her instability transforms into something far more frightening. Seyfried weaponizes charm and fragility in equal measure, creating a character who feels dangerous not because she’s overtly threatening, but because you can never quite predict what version of her you’ll get next.
The dynamic between Millie and Nina forms the film’s emotional and psychological backbone, and it’s within this relationship that The Housemaid finds much of its horror. Their interactions are loaded with subtext, power shifts, and unspoken tension, making even mundane domestic moments feel fraught. This is a film where a conversation in a pristine kitchen can feel more nerve-wracking than a traditional jump scare. Millie is relatable enough that she seems to be doing everything right, and as an audience member, we’d be doing what she’s doing, and yet somehow, it’s never quite enough for Nina.
Brandon Sklenar brings an intriguing ambiguity to Andrew Winchester, Nina’s husband. Sklenar excels at playing characters who seem solid on the surface but harbor something unresolved underneath, and The Housemaid uses that skill well. Andrew’s trajectory becomes one of the film’s more surprising elements, evolving in ways that complicate the audience’s assumptions without tipping the film into melodrama. Michele Morrone, as Enzo the groundskeeper, adds another layer of unease, his presence hovering on the outskirts of the narrative like a question mark you’re not quite ready to confront. Elizabeth Perkins, meanwhile, is quietly effective as Evelyn Winchester, Andrew’s mother, embodying a cold, inherited rot that suggests dysfunction runs deep in this family.
Feig’s direction is confident and deliberate, recalling the tonal balancing act that made A Simple Favor such a success while pushing even further into psychological darkness. His blocking and camera placement subtly guide the viewer’s attention, often positioning characters in ways that emphasize imbalance and surveillance. The house itself becomes a character. Feig draws you into Millie’s perspective so completely that even moments of apparent calm carry an undercurrent of dread.
The film’s atmosphere is one of its greatest strengths. There’s a constant sense that something is wrong, even when things appear to be going well for Millie. That tension never fully releases, creating an experience where safety feels temporary and illusory. You don’t know when the danger will arrive or from which direction, only that it’s inevitable.
There is occasional narration woven throughout the film, coming and going in a way that feels slightly unnecessary. While it doesn’t derail the experience, the film is strong enough that it rarely needs this added layer of explanation. When The Housemaid trusts its images and actors, it’s at its most powerful.
Tonally, the film grows increasingly twisted as it moves toward its climax, with Sweeney leaning beautifully into moments of dry, deadpan humor that cut through the tension without deflating it. One standout sequence near the end briefly places the audience one step ahead of a character, which is a clever, cruel choice that amplifies the terror and leaves you bracing for impact.
By the time The Housemaid reaches its final moments, it has fully committed to its darkness, delivering a conclusion that is bold, shocking, and likely to leave audiences speechless. This is a sleek, smartly constructed thriller that understands how to manipulate expectation, perspective, and fear.
With The Housemaid, Paul Feig proves once again that he has a sharp instinct for stylish psychological storytelling, and Sydney Sweeney confirms her status as one of the most compelling screen presences of her generation. This is a film best experienced knowing as little as possible—a beautifully cruel descent into a household where nothing, and no one, is what they seem.
SCORE: 8/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press screening for our The Housemaid review.
Source: Comingsoon.net