The Housemaid Movie Review: Twisted Thriller

More complex and layered than expected, Paul Feig’s terrifying thriller The Housemaid will surprise you with its dark twists and turns.

But Nina’s increasingly odd behaviour and the rumours about the Winchesters’ past that are spread in the town make Millie realise that not all that glitters is gold and there might be a lot more to this family than she could have predicted.

The acting is easily one of the most impressive elements of The Housemaid. As we delve more into their background, the audience soon finds out how complex and layered the people in this story are. The three main actors all deliver compelling performances that highlight these characters’ double nature: the one they show the people around them, and their true selves. Brandon Sklenar is particularly impressive as Andrew, a character who is both charming and terrifying within the same scene and whose true nature is only revealed later. Through the ominous music and the clever references to killing and dying that are worked into the script, this movie does an excellent job at creating a tense environment. It never lets us forget that something horrible is about to happen. 

There is also an element of realism in the fictional story that the movie presents us with. Once we realise who the real villain is, the tension and fear only grow as the film unfolds, but the real horror behind The Housemaid is that people like this do exist in real life. In the real world, domestic violence and abusive relationships are unfortunately far too common, and this movie reminds us of how well hidden this reality may be for many, so much so that asking for help becomes seemingly impossible. With its action-packed third act, the film plays into the revenge fantasy storyline against the abuser that is unlikely to happen in a real-life scenario, but it makes for a fascinating narrative. More than that, it is also quite satisfying to watch, as proven by the very vocal reactions the entire cinema had during the third act. 

The structure of the film is very compelling. At first, The Housemaid may seem like a regular story about jealousy, relationships, and power dynamics, but there is a lot more than that behind the surface. As soon as the audience finds out the truth behind this facade, The Housemaid immediately picks up, delivering a compelling film with tight pacing, well-delivered tension, and twists and turns that will have viewers hold their breath until the very last scene. The narrative works especially well when it follows the dual narration and Millie and Nina’s points of view, giving them both a voice and a chance to tell their own story.

The first act of The Housemaid feels very slow, especially compared to the rest of the film, as it gives us some key background information to understand this story and these characters. It also seems to go in a relatively tedious and unoriginal direction. While the viewer could easily expect something to change, or even hope for an unexpected twist, the first act still feels too long and, at times, dragged out. The violence in the movie often has its own purpose, but there are two rather graphic scenes of sexual assault that could have easily been suggested rather than actually portrayed. While they are both pivotal to the plot of the movie, there is no real reason why they had to be shown on the screen, given their violent and disturbing nature.

Overall, The Housemaid is a tense and terrifying thriller that will have the audience hold their breath at every twist and turn that it presents us with. Despite some pacing issues in the first half, the film still manages to deliver a very tense atmosphere through the use of music, the compelling narrative structure, and excellent acting from the three main actors in this movie.

The Housemaid will be released in U.S. theaters on December 19, 2025, in U.K. and Irish cinemas on December 26, and globally in theatres in December 2025 and January 2026.