STORYLINE (: A struggling woman is happy to start over as a housemaid for an affluent, elite couple. (IMDb)

  Oh the potential there is, in a creepy or thrilling premise, to be a caretaker in a new setting, in a feature film.  This year alone The Ruse and The Home has this very storyline. The Boy (2016) was suspense filled feature to carry that torch.  Sydney Sweeney (Anyome But You, 2023) and Amanda Seyfried(Les Miserables, 2012), costar, in the latest feature film, with this story telling device. The Housemaid.

    The major, or semi major holiday releases, typically are huge block busters (Avatar: Fire and Ash), family fare (The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants), or the Oscar bait (Marty Supreme).  The Housemaid, is that bit of counter  programming, much like 2024’s Nosferatu, for those who are looking for something to see outside the holiday norm.

  The movie has its three distinct acts.  There was a tone change between the first two acts, and then a return to that tone in the third.  This change mimicked predictable changes in the story.

   For a suspense film, the suspense felt artificial. This was especially true as the climax of the film approached. The disappointed being, this is when the film is suppose to be at its most suspenseful.

   I enjoyed seeing Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried together on screen.  That’s more because I am a fan of the two actresses. Sydney Sweeney espically.

    Despite having twp women in the leads I like, The Housemaid was a lackluster motion picture. 

    Until next time I will see you at the movies!