Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Expect major spoilers since this is a ‘book versus film’ comparison of Freida McFadden’s novel ‘The Housemaid’ and its live-action adaptation directed by Paul Feig. This article also includes details of the climactic events and how they differ in the book and film versions. If you prefer podcasts, an audio version of this write-up is embedded below.
For a spoiler-free review of the film, read: The Housemaid Movie Review : Pretty People, Ugly Secrets
All right then, first let’s get the basic plot overview out of the way – both the film and book follow Millie, a broke, homeless young woman living out of her car, and her nightmarish experience working as the housemaid for the wealthy Winchester family. Nina Winchester, who hires Millie as her full-time help, seems sweet and gullible at first, but turns into a moody, volatile, crazy bitch who constantly gaslights and mistreats Millie. To make things worse, Nina’s daughter Cece is a total brat too.
But Millie is hiding an awful track record which includes some serious jail time, so she has little choice but to put up with Nina’s tantrums until she finds another job. However, as she spends more time with the Winchester family, she learns both Millie and her charmingly handsome husband Andrew Winchester have some very dark secrets of their own.
Now for the spoilers –
Millie soon learns that Nina struggles with severe mental health issues and has been institutionalized multiple times. Millie finds herself increasingly drawn to Andrew and the more erratic and cruel Nina becomes, the less Millie feels the need to suppress her growing attraction. Before long, the two begin a steamy affair, one that Nina quickly discovers, leading to an explosive confrontation. Andrew wastes no time in casting the volatile Nina out and moving on with the housemaid.
But once Millie steps up from being the housemaid to mistress, the real twist flips everything on its head. Andrew turns out to be the true manipulator. He is a gaslighting, controlling abuser who imprisons Millie after a minor misstep. It’s then that Millie uncovers the truth: Nina deliberately hired her as the housemaid, so that she would replace Nina as Andrew’s next victim. What Andrew doesn’t anticipate, however, is that Millie is far from helpless. She isn’t just a former criminal, she’s a murderer. And she has no intention of enduring his abuse without a fight.
Actor Sidney Sweeney plays the housemaid Millie, while Amanda Seyfried portrays Nina Winchester. And right from the opening scene, readers will be able to spot several differences between the screen version of Freida McFadden’s twisty thriller.
Here are 12 ways The Housemaid book and film versions vary:
1. First of all, the book version of The Housemaid opens with a cold open, where a narrator talks about cops surrounding the house they’re in, and it is clearly implied that a gruesome murder has taken place. Readers aren’t given any clues as to who the narrator might be; however, the narrator is convinced that the police might arrest them for the crime. The movie obviously does not open this way because it’s a visual medium, and viewers would immediately know who the primary suspect is. Instead, the film begins by introducing Millie as a broke woman living out of her car and then meeting Nina Winchester for the housemaid job.
2. Just from the trailer, one major mismatch is hard to miss, and it’s the fact that Amanda Seyfried’s Nina Winchester simply doesn’t look like the Nina from the book. In the novel, Nina is repeatedly described as much bigger than Millie, someone who doesn’t take care of her health and has let herself go by a few sizes. She even hands Millie her old clothes because they don’t fit her anymore. Amanda Seyfriend’s Nina is just as slim and put-together as Sidney Sweeney’s Millie, which takes away a key visual contrast from the book.
And this might be subjective, but the book also makes it pretty clear that Nina isn’t supposed to be as conventionally attractive as Millie. Although actors Amanda and Sidney are equally glamorous, which further flattens that dynamic.
3. Now, you might think physical appearances aren’t a big deal, but Nina being heavier than Millie is a crucial detail in Freida’s The Housemaid. In the book Nina reveals how she deliberately gained weight to make herself less attractive to her abusive husband, hoping he’ll eventually tire of her and grant her a divorce. But this detail doesn’t make it into the film, and Amanda Seyfried looks gorgeous and petite as Nina. While she does a great job in the role, it would’ve been more interesting if the adaptation stayed closer to the book, as this detail highlights Nina’s quiet resistance against Andrew Winchester.
4. In the book, Millie immediately feels uneasy about the attic room she’s given, it’s cramped, suffocating, and deeply claustrophobic, almost like a trap from the very beginning. That sense of discomfort is a crucial detail in The Housemaid, because it subtly foreshadows the control and confinement she’ll later experience. In the film, though, the attic doesn’t feel nearly as tight or oppressive, which takes away from that creeping sense of dread.
5. Another detail The Housemaid film skips entirely is Cece’s peanut allergy. In the book, there’s a tense moment where Cece throws a full-blown tantrum, accusing Millie of trying to ‘kill’ her by giving her a peanut butter sandwich. It’s chaotic, a little funny, but also adds to the constant unease Millie feels in The Housemaid. Millie is confused why it’s in the house if Cece is allergic, and Andrew quickly dismisses it, claiming there’s no allergy at all, making Nina and Cece look manipulative. But it’s later revealed that Cece really is allergic, and Andrew keeps it there on purpose as a psychological game. The movie drops this entirely.
6. Interestingly, The Housemaid film adds a creepy dollhouse element that isn’t present in the book. At the same time, Cece is toned down significantly, she’s not nearly as bratty or unbearable as she is in The Housemaid novel. In fact, the film presents her as a relatively decent child, especially as things unfold toward the end.
7. One noticeable omission in The Housemaid film is Millie’s early crush and attempted hookup with Enzo, the attractive groundskeeper. In the book, Enzo has a much more active and intriguing role, but in The Housemaid movie, he’s barely there, and is reduced to a background presence with minimal impact on the story.
8. This reduction in Enzo’s screen-time also affects a key plot point. In The Housemaid book, Enzo plays a crucial role in convincing Nina to go back and help Millie, urging her not to let Millie fall victim to Andrew. In the film version of The Housemaid, however, that emotional push comes from Cece instead, shifting the dynamic significantly.
9. The relationship dynamics are also softened in The Housemaid movie. In the book, Nina and Enzo eventually sleep together after she escapes Andrew, marking a sense of freedom and also a deeper connection between the characters. The film version of The Housemaid removes this entirely, keeping their relationship strictly non-romantic.
10. Nina’s manipulation also plays out differently across both versions of The Housemaid. Of course, since the film has a tight runtime, lots of scenes simply don’t make it to the screen, however, one incident gets a major change. In the book, Nina gets Millie reported for shoplifting, setting off an uncomfortable encounter between Millie and a security personal, although she manages to worm out of the situation. In the film, she escalates things further by accusing Millie of stealing her car, making the conflict more direct and dramatic. A bunch of cops come and arrest Millie, and Andrew comes to rescue her.
11. Another big change in The Housemaid lies in how events unfold toward the climax. In the book, Andrew is already dead by the time Nina returns to “save” Millie, which adds a layer of irony to the reveal. The film changes this timing, adding some suspense and drama by keeping Andrew alive when Nina returns to her house. She sees the attic light on and assumes Andrew has Millie locked in it, so she opens the door, only to accidentally free Andrew instead. The filmmakers are thus able to heighten the tension in the climactic moments by making viewers wonder just how far they are going to tweak the ending.
12. And then come the final minutes, where The Housemaid really switches things up. One of the biggest differences lies in how Andrew punishes Millie. In the film, his cruelty is far more overt and physical, he locks her up in the attic and forces her to cut herself after she accidentally drops his precious heirloom china plate. In the book Andrew makes Millie balance heavy books on her stomach, which is unsettling in a quieter, more controlled way. There’s also no “precious heirloom china plates” angle in the novel at all.
This shift in tone carries over to Andrew’s fate. In the book, his death is slow and methodical, Millie tortures him a bit and then leaves him to languish alone in the attic, where he dies of dehydration. In contrast, the film goes for a more immediate payoff. After enduring his abuse, Millie fights back and he ultimately dies from a violent fall, which is less psychological, more dramatic.
And well, in the end, both in the novel and film, Millie and Nina unite to cover up Andrew’s death and miraculously get away with his murder, because the lead officer investigating Andrew’s death is related to one of his former victims.
Personally, I think the book version of ‘The Housemaid’ is definitely more entertaining and better fleshed out, but the film has its thrills too.
The Housemaid is streaming on Prime Video.
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