On Screen: “The Housemaid”
The Housemaid
A wacko thriller called “The Housemaid” was one of 2026’s first theatrical releases — now it’s available to rent or buy.
Adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the 2022 psychological best-seller by Freida McFadden and directed by Paul Feig, it’s almost stupefying in its idiocy.
Set in suburban Great Neck, New York, the pulpy saga begins as Millie Calloway (Sydney Sweeney) arrives at the immaculate, three-story Long Island mansion that belongs to wealthy Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried) to interview for a live-in housekeeper position.
Gracious Nina serves up a luscious looking charcuterie tray, filled with tea sandwiches and bite-sized pastries, as she describes the duties that the domestic job entails: cleaning, cooking and caring for her creepy seven-year-old daughter Cece (Indiana Elle).
On conditional release from prison and desperate for steady employment, struggling Millie is thrilled when Nina hires her, moving her meager belongings into a tiny attic bedroom and introducing her to her flirtatiously handsome husband Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar), a burly, bearded tech executive.
But it soon becomes obvious that pampered, glazed-eyed Nina is psychotic, constantly playing mind games, contradicting herself and gaslighting Millie, blaming her for mistakes she didn’t make.
Confused, cunning Millie makes the best of the awkward situation, particularly since her parole officer makes it clear that keeping this job is necessary to avoid re-incarceration for the next five years. And she seems to sense some sympathy from the Winchesters’ enigmatic groundskeeper, Enzo (Michele Morrone).
Periodic visits from Andrew’s imperiously perfectionist mother Evelyn (Elizabeth Perkins) and the idle gossip from Nina’s judgmental PTA neighbors add to Millie’s sense of sinister unease which spirals out of control when Nina takes Cece to camp, diabolically leaving Millie alone in the house with Andrew.
Despite its many tawdry absurdities, the concept has been greenlit for a sequel, tentatively titled “The Housemaid Secrets.”
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Housemaid” is a silly, schlocky 5, available to rent or buy on Apple TV and Amazon. It will also be available on Starz Roku Premium Channel and Philo starting April 1, 2026.
Susan Granger is a product of Hollywood. Her natural father, S. Sylvan Simon, was a director and producer at M.G.M. and Columbia Pictures. Her adoptive father, Armand Deutsch, produced movies at M.G.M.
As a child, Susan appeared in movies with Abbott & Costello, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Margaret O’Brien, and Lassie. She attended Mills College in California, studying journalism with Pierre Salinger, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism.