The Housemaid Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Housemaid Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 18, 2026

When films (or film adaptations) like Diabolique and/or Deathtrap become so well known that their "big twists" are generally not "top secret" anymore, it probably presents an unavoidable hurdle for at least tangentially similar entries like The Housemaid to deliver big surprises. Linking the Clouzot and Levin properties may drop a rather broad hint as to at least some sidebar material in The Housemaid, but there are other ways this narrative attempts to deceive its viewers. In that regard, The Housemaid had a literary source which delivered a switch in narrators and perspective in a bit of structural artifice some seem to think began with Gone Girl, but which has a number of notable older examples. A variety of sources often point to Agatha Christie's Poirot mystery The Murder of Roger Ackroyd as a prime early example of at least an unreliable narrator if not one who actually switches, but some religious scholars might want to joke that none other than the Book of Genesis has two at times diametrically opposed "narrators", noted for their use of different divine names among other manifest variations, a dialectic which certainly predates either Christie or Gillian Flynn by a millennia or two or three or four (depending on whom is cited). That perspective "switcheroo" is handled at a bit past the hour mark in this particular enterprise, with a more or less narrated elision that delivers a number of supposedly mind blowing revelations about one of the two focal female characters.

Millie (Sydney Sweeney) is an ex-con on parole who needs a break, and a pretty significant one seems to arrive Deus ex Machina style with a job offer from the superrich Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried) to be a live in maid and nanny to Nina, her hunky husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar) and the Winchesters' daughter Cece (played mostly by Indiana Elle). What seems to be a godsend soon becomes something decidedly more sinister with what appears to be pretty unhinged behaviors on the part of Nina, though Millie is so desperate for the job she's willing to do pretty much anything to keep it.

The first part of the story offers the basic setup while "introducing" Millie and Nina in particular, with Andrew kind of shunted to the background, at least toward the beginning of the film. There seems to be something "off" about the whole situation from the get go, as perhaps evidenced by Andrew's initial confusion as to what Millie is even doing there. But a number of vignettes at least suggest and in a couple of instances overtly portray Nina as pretty troubled, with Andrew doing his best to mitigate the situation and Millie kind of looking on helplessly. Aside from any Shyamalan adjacent mind blowing material (which this narrative may frankly not have in any case), one slight narrative surprise, at least in terms of where it comes in the running time of the film, appears when Millie and Andrew hook up and Andrew then tells Nina to get out.

And it's here that The Housemaid wants to deliver its "prestige", though the magic here may seem second hand and not especially artful. Suffice it to say that what's been going on with Nina is not as it has been portrayed, though there's no way for a screenplay to handle this supposedly "sudden" shift than to have what amounts to a flashback montage serving as an info dump. In any case, that then sets up a near Grand Guignol final act where Millie finds out Nina was the least of her problems, but where a certain feminist angle (evidently not part of the original book) also enters the fray.

The Housemaid Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Housemaid is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb lists the Sony CineAlta Venice 2 camera and a 4K DI as relevant data points. This is an appealing 1080 presentation, and in fact the "normal" setting for so much of the story may in fact mean that improvements seen in Lionsgate's 4K release of the film can be on the subtle side. This 1080 presentation boasts nice clarity and some especially precise renderings of fine detail on the luxe production design that brings the Winchester home to life. Textures on fabrics and even some background sets (like the attic) are excellent. The palette is very healthy and natural looking, though this is one place where the 4K disc's HDR / Dolby Vision grades may add a bit of luster that this 1080 presentation can't quite evoke.

The Housemaid Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with the video side of things, the Dolby Atmos track on this disc is consistently immersive if only rarely really "showy" in terms of simultaneous height and breadth. Despite the bulk of the film playing out inside the family manse, there's appealing directionality throughout and both sound effects and even some dialogue can help to establish spatial relationships. Theodore Shapiro's score also gets a nice presentation that resides in the side and rear channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

The Housemaid Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Paul Feig
,br>
• Audio Commentary with Director Paul Feig and Creative Team


• From Page to Panic: Making The Housemaid (HD; 35:32) is a decent EPK with some good interviews and information on the adaptative process.


• Secrets of the Winchester House: A Housemaid Tour (HD; 11:38) looks at the luxe mansion and some of the other production design blandishments utilized for the film.


• A Peek Inside (HD; 2:06) offers cast and crew providing brief comments about the film.


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 8:17)


• Theatrical Trailers (HD; 4:05)

A digital copy is enclosed and packaging features a slipcover (interestingly for slipcover aficionados, the 4K copy sent to me did not have a slipcover).

The Housemaid Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Housemaid frankly struggles at times to offer anything substantially "new" in terms of unreliable narrator material or even "big twists". Still, it has an unsettling mood and some nice performances. Technical merits are solid and the supplements appealing. With caveats noted, Recommended.