THE HOUSEMAID

The Housemaid soars due to the phenomenal lead performances of Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried who revel in the dark comedic camp of the story, that under the talented and precise direction of Paul Feig, conjures up a deliciously sinister and wildly entertaining thrilling to close out the year with!

Paul Feig is best known for his comedic films with hits like Bridesmaids and Spy, but one of his most entertaining films is the dark comedy A Simple Favor. It was that film that made him the perfect director to understand that requisite tone to bring Freida McFadden’s best selling novel The Housemaid to the big screen with all of its twisted comedic moments and shocking reveals to ensure that the film adaptation is every bit as addictive as the novel. Not only does Feig do the source material justice on the big screen, conjuring up a thrilling ride that is every bit as outrageous and shocking as McFadden’s novel, but with the masterful casting and knock out performances of Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, The Housemaid is destined to become a breakout sensation of the holiday movie season as it has been a long time since audiences have been treated a thriller as bonkers and fun as this one.

In the hands of the wrong director, the tone of The Housemaid could have been either incredibly bland or comically mismatched, but Feig not only perfectly understands the required mixture of dark humour and camp that is at the heart of McFadden’s novel, he relishes in it. From the second the film begins, Feig plunges the audience into a twisted thriller as Millie interviews for a live-in housemaid job, hiding something from the Winchester family, while quickly discovering that Nina Winchester was anything but forthcoming about how wonderful the job was going to be. Feig’s direction is flawless, using the camera to hide Seyfried’s Nina out of view and slowly turning the perspective to have her looming behind Sydney’s Millie, giving a psycho killer atmosphere to the film as the screenplay goes from one insane moment to the next, generating lots of uncomfortable laughter and muttering of “oh damn” under the audience’s breath. In between cutting remarks and exchanges between Sweeney and Seyfried as Feig escalates the tension within the Winchester household, and the production design of the spotless Winchester’s house full of light, elegance, and white and creaming colouring to create a visual feeling of cleanliness and purity, which is in stark contrast to the actual catty madness at the centre of the story; Feig carefully sets the stage for the secret at the heart of the story.

Rebecca Sonnenshine’s screenplay is incredibly faithful to McFadden’s novel, letting the drama within the Winchester household reach critical mass as Nina unleashes her psychological warfare on Millie, who has no other choice but to put up with it. Just like the novel, there is THAT moment that changes everything. and at that point Feig and the cast completely commit to it, delivering an absolutely insane final act that will have audiences freaking out as they learn what is actually inside the Winchester house. Under Feig’s direction, the dark humour moments in the final act hit hard, generating rapturous laughter and applause at certain moments, as well as gasps and moments of pure terror that delivers some of the best fun you can have at the theatre this holiday season, that will no doubt have audiences talking about that ending long after the credits have stopped rolling. As a critic who devoured the novel in the matter of three nights, not only has Feig perfectly captured what made the novel so addicting, he does so with such a cinematic and theatrical flair that The Housemaid is one of the rare adaptations that surpasses the novel.

Equally as committed to this story and its chaotic tone as Feig is the film’s lead cast, and without them the film does not succeed. Brandon Sklenar will take audiences by surprise and is a great fit for Andrew Winchester, bringing a caring and warmth to the film and creates an instant connection with Sweeney amidst Seyfried’s erratic behaviour. It is yet another charismatic performance following in the footsteps of his work in It Ends With Us and Drop that proves that Sklenar is a true leading man waiting for his own starring vehicle. While only in a few scenes, Elizabeth Perkins is unforgettable as Andrew’s mother Mrs. Winchester, dominating the screen with a chilling presence that truly is an icy treat.

But, this film belongs to Sweeney and Seyfried who are phenomenal from start to finish. Sweeney is pitch perfect as Millie, finding a grit and edge to this young woman with a dark past trying to start again, while putting on the prim and proper show to worm her way into the good graces of the Winchester family. Mixing drama, romance and comedy, the role requires a lot of different sides of Sweeney who effortlessly gives it her all, creating a protagonist that you can’t help but root for to escape the hell she finds herself in unscathed, which hopefully will become her leading lady franchise role with two more novels in the series ripe for adaptation to the screen. The unpredictable nature that Seyfried brings to Nina as she switches in a blink of an eye from a seemingly caring, nurturing woman to an unhinged sociopath generates an electrifying terror throughout the film, steeped in an infectious camp that is wicked fun. Seyfried loses herself in the madness of Nina, serving up outrageously shocking moment after moment, that not only marks yet another fantastic performance from her this year, but one that is also one of the best of her entire career. As a pairing, Sweeney and Seyfried play perfectly off each other as their characters enter a psychological warfare as Nina pushes Millie to the edge of her sanity while Millie tries to remain calm and collected knowing that she has no better option than this job, creating a deadly dynamic full of tense moments and cutting exchanges that will have the audience hanging on their every word as these two women each play out their own agenda with a viciousness that lights up the screen.

Evoking the shocking nature of Gone Girl and the sinister humorous moments of Heathers, there is never a second of The Housemaid that is not wildly entertaining. Never shorting the insaneness of Freida McFadden’s best selling novel but instead doubling down on its darkness, campiness and moments of unhinged madness, Paul Feig proves to be a match made in heaven for this story alongside an exceptional lead cast of Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar who elevate the film at every turn. Delivering a theatrical experience that has to be witnessed with a crowd reacting to the insanity that unfolds on screen, Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried serve up two wickedly delicious and brilliant performances that makes Paul Feig’s adaptation of The Housemaid the rare adaptation that improves on the novel in what is the most wild, shocking and thrilling film of the holiday season.