In the past month or so, Flagship Cinemas here in Waterville, Maine has seen a surge in Colby students attending screenings of the newly released movie The Housemaid. It’s the latest adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name by Freida McFadden.
The book came out and was well-received back in 2022, so when it was announced that a feature film would be released with a star-studded cast in late 2025, many were excited to see what the new movie would deliver.
The film follows the story of a young woman named Millie who seeks out a job as a housemaid for a wealthy New York family, the Winchesters. Though all seems well initially, as Millie moves in with the family and begins to observe their behaviors, she quickly realizes that something isn’t quite right.
The cast consists of Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, Anyone but You) as Millie, Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia, Mean Girls) as Nina Winchester, Brandon Sklenar (It Ends with Us) as Andrew Winchester, and Michele Morrone (365 Days, Subservience) as the groundskeeper, Enzo.
The suspenseful thriller, which has been a topic of conversation across campus, has garnered mostly positive reviews. Students have praised its intriguing plot and standout performances, though some viewers expressed reservations about certain casting choices.
For many students, such as Ana von Rumohr `27, the allure of this story began with the book itself, which has maintained a devoted following since its release three years ago. von Rumohr, an avid reader, finished the novel a few weeks prior to hearing that a movie was going to be made. When she found out, she excitedly encouraged all of her friends to read it as well, so that they would all be ready to watch it together when the movie was set to come out. And that’s exactly what they did. Around a month ago, a group of nine of them headed over to Flagship Cinemas for the grand reveal.
“I really enjoyed The Housemaid movie,” von Rumohr said, “but I did also read the book prior to the movie and I have to admit the movie was missing a few key details – only ones that you would notice if you had also read the book, though.”
One of these key details von Rumohr was referring to was the expectation that the groundskeeper would have a larger part in the movie.. But alas, his screen time was significantly reduced, with many feeling like the movie made it so that Millie and the immediate family were the only major characters.
Despite this, von Rumohr stated that she would “still give both the book and a movie a 10/10 rating” and would “highly advise everyone to go watch the movie.” Given that, she made sure to add on, “Still read the book first though, because the book is even better than the movie.”
Even for viewers unfamiliar with the novel, the film still delivers a compelling experience. Emily Ryan `29, who had not read the book, praised the movie for its suspense and character performances.
“The storyline was very interesting and the growing eeriness made it very engaging with a great twist at the very end,” Ryan said. “The cast also did a great job performing in their roles and adding to the high quality of the movie. Amanda Seyfried especially was absolutely incredible. The only underwhelming one was Sydney Sweeney.”
Indeed, before the movie was even released, casting was a significant point of discussion amongst prospective viewers. Sweeney, who already has a reputation for being a bit of a bland actress, recently participated in a controversial American Eagle advertisement in mid-2025 that some argued promoted eugenics. Since that decision, her public perception has taken even more of a hit, so not everyone was excited to see that she would be starring in this film.
Regardless, though both Sweeney’s casting and acting performance drew mixed reactions, Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar received widespread praise for their performances.
Overall, The Housemaid seems to have relatively successfully achieved its goal of making a book come to life on the big screen. While certain casting choices and character adjustments certainly sparked discussion, the film’s suspenseful narrative and standout performances still ultimately made it a crowd-pleaser. As von Rumohr suggests, reading the book first might enhance the experience, but the movie itself has proven entertaining enough to draw eager students into theaters to see how the story unfolds.
~ Amelia Hanscom `27
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