I don’t know why I bothered, as I didn’t like the book by Freida McFadden very much, but I suppose I wanted to prove my theory correct: popular psychological thriller books do not make great screen adaptations. I can’t think of any I’ve seen which are as good as the book, even if the book was mediocre.

The film follows the book quite closely, with some changes to the plot at the end, plus more graphic violence. I thought Amanda Seyfried was very effective in the role of Nina, the apparently-crazy wife. She hadn’t deliberately put on weight though, as her book counterpart did. I really didn’t believe Sydney Sweeney in the character of Millie, the housemaid who has been in prison. For a start, she had fantastic teeth for someone imprisoned for a decade and who is living in her car. She furrowed her brow a lot in an irritating way, but otherwise her acting seemed wooden. Brandon Sklenar was unconvincing at first as Andrew, but I kind of warmed to his acting, the more terrible his character became. Cece, the little girl, was not so vulnerable as in the book and she had a creepy dolls’ house which gives us a hint that something isn’t right. The role of gardener Enzo was reduced, so that whenever he turned up, I realised I’d forgotten he was even in the movie. The fancy house was perfect though, just as you might imagine it from the book.

If you’re a fan of the book, you’ll probably like the film!

Image credit: https://www.fandango.com/the-housemaid-2025-242549/movie-photos-posters, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81086373