In one sentence: The Housemaid follows young woman, Millie, who takes a live-in job with a wealthy couple, only to find herself trapped in a seductive, gaslit power game where desire, deception and control are tightly locked behind closed doors.

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Bestselling psychological thrillers have become fertile ground for screen adaptations and The Housemaid sinks its teeth into the genre with confidence. With a glossy aesthetic, an undeniably attractive cast and a story fuelled by desire, control and temptation, it positions itself squarely within territory audiences cannot seem to resist.

Frieda McFadden’s bestseller has been adapted into a film with a surprisingly long cinema run by today’s standards. The story follows Millie (Sydney Sweeney) as she interviews to become a housemaid for the wealthy Winchester family. She first meets Nina (Amanda Seyfried), who appears warm and welcoming, but Millie is convinced she will never pass the inevitable background check because she is not quite who she claims to be. Against her own expectations, Millie is hired as a live-in housemaid and soon meets Nina’s husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), whose presence brings an immediate and unmistakable sexual charge. Nina, meanwhile, begins to reveal a far more volatile side with mood swings, manipulation and gaslighting in abundance. Millie wants to leave, but there are reasons she cannot and what follows is a twist-heavy psychological thriller that largely delivers on its promise. While some turns feel familiar, others are genuinely surprising.

The film falls neatly into several well-worn thriller tropes such as the maid with secrets (think The Hand that Rocks the Cradle), the jealous wife, the dangerously attractive husband and, of course, the locked room with a deadbolt. Attentive viewers may even spot an early Chekhov’s gun style moment that hints strongly at the shape of the final act. Still, the film manages to subvert expectations just enough to avoid feeling stale. This movie is entirely in step with the current appetite for glossy domestic thrillers, particularly if the endless TV movie equivalents are anything to go by.

The casting is undeniably strong and unapologetically beautiful. Sydney Sweeney gets her Cinderella moment and is allowed to fully show off her assets, both physical and dramatic. Amanda Seyfried looks immaculate in her Stepford Wife wardrobe and delivers a performance with range. Brandon Sklenar is arresting, with a towering presence, sculpted physique and a smile sharp enough to cut glass. He finally has a role to sink his teeth into after the wholesome charm of his character in It Ends with Us. Michele Morrone appears briefly as Enzo, the groundskeeper, in a role that feels oddly squeezed in, perhaps a remnant of a larger storyline or simply another excuse to keep the film well stocked with eye candy.

Pacing is where the film occasionally falters. For a thriller that thrives on tension, certain sections are drawn out longer than they need be, dulling the bite. The reliance on narration to explain motivations and twists is mostly effective, but at times feels excessive. Still, it serves a purpose, helping the audience understand the psychology driving the characters and their decisions.

Thankfully, the film is far less camp than its trailer suggests. While there is stylisation, particularly in Elizabeth Perkins’ caricatured turn as Andrew’s mother, the tone remains controlled. It is, however, a sexy film. Attraction is central to the narrative and with such a good-looking cast, it is no surprise the director leans into this, giving Sweeney and Sklenar ample opportunity to shed layers, both literal and figurative.

Beneath the polished surfaces, The Housemaid explores themes of control, wealth, gender and appearance. It toys with traditional roles of women as caretakers and domestic fixtures, only to pull the rug out from under those assumptions. Appearances are deceptive and when combined with money, desire and just enough gaslighting, illusion becomes a powerful tool.

Overall, this is a very watchable psychological thriller but despite its sexy cast, it fails to wow. You will leave the cinema feeling satisfied but it won’t reach the climactic heights of other thrillers in the genre.

★★★ (3/5)