‘The Housemaid:’ Psychology Overserved

The release of Director Paul Feig’s The Housemaid offers a film genre that hasn’t been exploited for some years now. Psychological thrillers were classically produced as film noir and Alfred Hitchcock took the model to new heights. The premise of most of this genre is: terrible things happen, the reason for which the audience must figure out on its own, which in turn, creates (hopefully) equal horror. The Shining (1980) is a classic. Fatal Attraction (1987) was hugely successful. So was Misery (1990), and, of course, Silence of the Lambs (1991.) The most recent success of this genre (however mixed within a sci-fi setting) is Inception (2010.) Filmgoers younger than I will likely argue for a more modern list.

In tony Nassau County, Long Island, live Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar), his wife Nina (Amanda Seyfried), and her daughter, Cece (Indiana Elle.) In the course of one morning and afternoon, Millie Calloway (Sydney Sweeney) is hired to be the rich family’s housemaid, cleaning up Nina’s messes and cooking mostly for Cece, and for which she is offered compensation and a room on the third floor. That’s a serendipitous turn of events for young Millie; she is in some kind of unknown trouble with the law. In short time, however, we realize that Nina Winchester has some real issues of her own when, after losing a speech she has drafted for a PTA meeting the next day, she goes head-over-heels manic, and accuses Millie of outright deception. What’s crazier is that Millie accepts the accusation. There’s something weird, too, about Nina’s daughter Cece. She lives by some very strict rules we don’t know who set for her. And Andrew? He’s calm and protective of his small family when they least deserve it.  Something’s afoot. 

It’s very challenging to portray “crazy” on stage or in front of a camera. What makes The Housemaid a true delight to watch is how well the main characters pull it all off. Amanda Seyfried is Oscar-worthy, chilling and mesmerizing. And Sydney Sweeney, who’s got her own backstory to reveal, interacts with Seyfried and Sklenar with such searing honesty, we’ve got to know what the truth really is. There are several more actors who meet the demands of the characters they portray. Elizabeth Perkins plays Andrew’s waspy mother who brings a set of family heirlooms to his son’s Nassau “McMansion.” And the Italian groundskeeper, Enzo, has a small but demanding role played by Michele Morrone.  

And it’s all so fitting that Director Paul Feig has taken the reins here. He created the comedy series, Freaks and Geeks, and directed most of the weird characters of Arrested Development, Mad Men, The Office, and Parks and Recreation. The international bestseller, The Housemaid, was written by Freida McFadden, and the film script was created by Rebecca Sonnenshine.

Of course there are many ways to write and deliver a psychological thriller. Audiences may question the structure by which the secrets, so necessary to understanding the character’s motivation, become thrilling and redemptive. Be not afraid, however, that The Housemaid shies from bloody and gory events. There are plenty served up on a silver platter. But, are there too many? Beware.

C. Prentiss Orr is a Pittsburgh-based writer who covers film, live theater, and other topics for Entertainment Central. He is the author of the books The Surveyor and the Silversmith and Pittsburgh Born, Pittsburgh Bred.

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