Opening in US theaters on December 19, 2025, The Housemaid stars Sydney Sweeney as Millie, a woman trying to outrun her past by accepting a live-in job inside a sprawling, immaculate upstate New York mansion. The offer feels too good to be true — and, as any seasoned thriller fan will suspect, it is. The house is pristine, the money is generous, and the atmosphere quickly curdles into something unsettling.

Directed by Paul Feig, the film marks a deliberate shift away from broad comedy toward glossy psychological suspense. It leans hard into genre pleasures: locked gates, brittle smiles, whispered power games, and the creeping sense that every interaction is being carefully staged.

What The Guardian makes of it is telling. In its review, the paper frames The Housemaid as a knowingly heightened throwback — closer in spirit to the erotic-noir thrillers of the 1990s than to today’s prestige slow-burn dramas. The tone is playful rather than punishing: yes, the plot is outrageous, but it’s delivered with enough confidence and polish to make the excess feel intentional rather than clumsy.

The Guardian’s assessment hinges on commitment. The performances are pitched high, the visual style is sleek and controlled, and the film never pretends it’s above the genre it’s operating in. Instead, it leans into its own wickedness, inviting viewers to enjoy the manipulation rather than resist it.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the picture is similarly nuanced. The film’s early Tomatometer score sits in comfortably positive territory, suggesting critics are broadly aligned on one point: The Housemaid understands exactly what kind of movie it wants to be. Praise tends to focus on its pace, its visual control, and a willingness to go big when it matters.

What’s missing — for now — is a fully formed audience consensus. With the US release imminent, the Popcornmeter has yet to settle, leaving open the most interesting question: will general audiences embrace the film’s twist-heavy, knowingly indulgent style, or reject it as too pleased with its own games?

That gap between critics and viewers may ultimately define the film’s legacy. Those looking for grounded realism and psychological restraint may find The Housemaid too glossy, too self-aware. But for viewers craving tension, spectacle, and the delicious discomfort of a domestic thriller that enjoys pulling the rug out from under its audience, this could prove to be one of the season’s most entertaining diversions.

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