The Housemaid · reception & legacy

How The Housemaid has been received, argued over, and remembered.

The arc

Nobody quite expected the Bridesmaids guy's lurid Freida McFadden adaptation to be the Christmas 2025 word-of-mouth smash, but it rode raucous crowds past $300M worldwide — Paul Feig's biggest hit ever, out-grossing Bridesmaids, and Sydney Sweeney's biggest lead role, topping Anyone But You.

What's debated

The fight is whether it's genuinely good or gloriously trashy: critics landed around the low 70s while the audience score hit the 90s, and Letterboxd splits between 'bonkers guilty pleasure' and 'no, it's just actually well-made.'

Its footprint

It became the poster child for the erotic-thriller comeback — the 'see it with a loud crowd' movie of the season — with Amanda Seyfried's go-for-broke, 'completely bananas' turn as the main character of every review and group chat.

Where it stands

Too new for canon, but it's already filed under 'theatrical experience' lore — the campy crowd-pleaser people insist loses something watched alone at home.

Named by the director

Influences Paul Feig has publicly named — the director's own word, distinct from the inferred lines of influence.

• Alfred Hitchcock — Feig said he's 'probably most inspired by Hitchcock,' citing how his thrillers stay scary while releasing tension with a laugh.
• Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) — Feig pointed to Leone's film for structure, praising its 'slow doling out of information.'