The Housemaid continues a worrying trend by turning women’s trauma into camp thrills

by

Note: The following article contains discussion of themes including domestic abuse.

Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid is a popular psychological thriller, gaining widespread attention thanks to BookTok, much like It Ends With Us and Verity. These books are part of a trend of emotionally intense, trauma-focused fiction. The Housemaid features a shocking plot twist that reveals how men can manipulate a woman’s weaknesses, even portraying them as mental illness, to control her life, money, and well-being.

The movie, like the book it’s based on, centers around Nina Winchester, a rich woman who employs a young, enigmatic housekeeper named Millie. At first glance, the Winchesters – Nina, her handsome husband Andrew, and their seemingly adorable daughter Cecilia – appear to have an ideal life, with a spotless home and a flawlessly happy family.

What to Read Next

The peaceful surface quickly disappears after Millie arrives. Whispers spread about Nina’s past mental health struggles, including a frightening incident where her daughter nearly drowned, and Nina’s behavior towards Millie becomes increasingly unpredictable and aggressive. However, Millie feels stuck. Needing a job and a place to live, she’s forced to endure the unsettling situation to avoid violating her parole and returning to prison for the last five years of her sentence.

The story carefully reveals its secrets, building suspense by strategically withholding information. This creates a thrilling cat-and-mouse game where it’s hard to know who to believe. The delayed reveals are designed to deliver a shocking twist that completely changes how you see everything that happened earlier in the film.

While adapting the novel The Housemaid, the film’s biggest weaknesses are its speed and overall mood. In an attempt to reach a wider audience, it simplifies the serious issues of domestic abuse and control, sometimes to the point of being unbelievable.

Movies that tackle difficult subjects like abuse sometimes shy away from the full weight of the issue to make the film more appealing. This isn’t a new trend; for example, the 2013 film Safe Haven had trouble balancing its love story with the history of domestic abuse experienced by its main character.

After the release of It Ends With Us, some fans tried to mimic the pink-themed excitement surrounding Barbie by wearing floral patterns to the movies. However, this felt out of place, as It Ends With Us is a serious drama, not a lighthearted romantic comedy.

Movies like Promising Young Woman and Gone Girl skillfully combined serious themes of domestic abuse and sexual assault with exciting plots and witty dialogue. The Housemaid, however, doesn’t manage to strike that same balance.

It appears there’s a general reluctance to directly address the pain and hardship experienced by women, so often it’s turned into something sensational or darkly humorous as a way to cope. Instead of showing the slow, realistic build-up of control and abuse in The Housemaid – as depicted in the book – the movie speeds up this dynamic into something more fantastical. This avoids portraying the difficult and upsetting reality of the situation.

The story jumps quickly from Andrew beginning an affair with his new housekeeper to abruptly asking his wife to leave. This is followed by a fast-paced series of intimate scenes, and then we learn that Millie is now being held captive. This quick turn of events numbs the audience, as the plot feels over-the-top, unrealistic, and difficult to believe.

The contrast between the couple’s intimacy and the immediate violence—Millie cutting herself with a broken plate—is almost comical, but it doesn’t fully convey the deep emotional damage caused by the abuse. While the scenes are disturbing, they lack the impact this kind of trauma deserves.

The show relies heavily on sudden, startling appearances by Nina and sharp, often sarcastic remarks from Millie – like when Millie immediately offered to help Nina after her husband asked her to leave. This creates a feeling that the serious issues aren’t being treated with the weight they deserve. The difficult subject matter has been simplified, making it easier to watch, though potentially at the cost of fully addressing its gravity.

The film deserves praise for showing the abuser facing repercussions and highlighting how seemingly charming men subtly manipulate situations to control and intimidate women. However, it also presents this abuse in a way that feels overly dramatic and sensationalized.

The movie The Housemaid feels uneven and jumps around a lot, making it hard to fully connect with the serious emotions it’s aiming for. It unintentionally mirrors how we often experience difficult events online – scrolling past upsetting news and images mixed with lighter, everyday content. While the film accurately portrays that chaotic modern experience, it’s debatable whether that style is suitable for telling a story about the damaging effects of psychological abuse.

The Housemaid is out now in cinemas.

If this story has brought up difficult feelings, organizations like Refuge and Women’s Aid offer support and information. You can also reach the free, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline at 0808 2000 247.

The US National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or text LOVEIS to 22522.

Read More

2025-12-26 15:20