‘I need a fucking sandwich...’
I’ve long been an advocate for the spate of erotic thrillers that fouled up the airwaves in the ’80s and ’90s. I’ve spent loads of time looking at Michael Douglas’s arse thrusting away in various drab locations. Well, while it’s too early to say a comeback is on the cards, Sydney Sweeney is leading the charge in this area with first The Voyeurs in 2023 and now The Housemaid in 2026. As is tradition in the erotic thriller subgenre, both films feature sex, violence and some absolutely ridiculous plot contrivances…
Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried), an extremely wealthy but seemingly unhinged woman, hires hot mess Millie Colloway (Sweeney – just out of prison and living in her car) to serve as a nanny for her and her loving husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar). Things take a downward turn when Nina starts to go off the rails.
The Housemaid is two films, really. The first hour is a well-acted, captivating pot boiler full of tension and suspense, whereas the second hour is a trashy domestic noir that would fit snugly into the oeuvre of Harlan Coben. While I enjoyed the freewheeling madness of the film’s frantic conclusion, it does feel slightly out of step with everything that comes before it. Also, while Sweeney and Sklenar are content with simply looking hot and occasionally undressing, Seyfried is delivering a real performance here. It is her increasingly deranged take on Nina Winchester that ensures that the film remains compelling even in its sillier moments (of which there are many). It’s a performance that probably deserves a better film going on around it.
I’m not really sure what to make of The Housemaid. It’s a pretty big pivot for director Paul Feig (better known for straight up comedies like Bridesmaids), and there are plot holes so big that you could fit one of Sklenar’s massive arms through them, but it’s also wildly entertaining and has been a huge financial success, so much so that a sequel is already in the works. At a time when it’s never been harder to make money from a none franchise film, any success as emphatic as this one should be celebrated.
One thing’s for certain, if erotic thrillers are back on the menu, then I’m all for it. Heck, let’s get Michael Douglas’s arse out of retirement for one last job.
