Movie adaptations of beloved books are always a risk. Fans come in ready to criticize every casting choice, cut scene, and tiny tweak. But The Housemaid movie proves that even if the adaptation isn’t exactly right, it can still deliver a show stopping performance. 

For anyone who somehow missed the hype, The Housemaid (Frieda McFadden,2022) started off as an extremely popular and successful thriller novel with a massive fan base. It follows a woman named Millie who is recently let out on parole. She takes a stable job as a live-in housemaid for Nina and Andrew Winchester.  Millie finds herself clashing with Mrs. Winchester, who seems to have suffered a psychotic break. Little does Millie know, it was all part of Nina’s plan to get away from the well kept secrets of her deranged husband. 

When the movie adaptation was announced, fans’ expectations went through the roof, especially with big name actors and actresses attached to the project like Amanda Seyfried, Sydney Sweeny, Brandon Sklener, and Michele Morrone. Readers were anxious to know if the movie would live up to the original twisted energy of the book, or if it would miss the mark altogether. 

Let’s be clear: The Housemaid is absolutely worth the watch. It truly captures the dark and uncomfortable tension that made the book so addicting in the first place. From the opening scene alone, you’re immediately transported to the eerie feeling that something is off. Strong performances by the cast keeps the movie engaging all the way through, even though most already knew what was coming. 

The star of the show was most definitely the jaw dropping performance that Amanda Seyfried delivered as Nina Winchester. Seyfried fully committed to the role in moments where Nina’s behavior takes a sudden turn for the worse. The instability is clear throughout every line, look, and action Seyfried performs. Even when nothing dramatic was happening, she made the audience uneasy in each and every scene, which is exactly what the character needed. 

Another major win for this film was how it stayed true to the psychological thriller vibe. Even viewers who never read the book would no doubt feel the suspense building as the plot thickens. Instead of throwing a huge plot twist at the audience all at once, the movie let tension grow in small, unexpected ways. Awkward silence, lingering camera shots, and subtle interactions all added to the sinister feeling. The slow-burning discomfort mirrors the feeling of reading the book for the first time. 

Thankfully, the movie also didn’t try too hard to reinvent the story. Both major and minor plot points are involved from the affair between Millie and Andrew to the relationship sparking between Nina and the groundskeeper, Enzo. Instead of straying from what people loved, the original structure was kept beautifully with no unnecessary rewrites.

At the end of the day, The Housemaid may not be a flawless adaptation, but it doesn’t need to be. Raking in over 300 million dollars in a month, this film proves that sticking to the original story pays off.

This film is perfect for fans of suspense and psychological thrillers. Readers of the book will also likely appreciate seeing the story come to life in such a fantastic way. So, if you want something dark, creepy, and impossible to look away from, The Housemaid is calling your name!