People are eager to catch a glimpse of The Housemaid on the big screen, thanks in large part to the superstar cast and the already loyal fanbase that comes from the books. The film directed by Paul Feig has done pretty well at the box office, raking in over 133 million bucks worldwide. The reception suggests that Freida McFadden’s readers are happy with the adaptation, but they’re definitely feeling the difference in the plot.
One example is how the film handles the mystery of the Winchester house. In the book, that sickening sense of unease is built up & clarified through the shifting perspectives – we only get Millie’s take on things until a certain point, then we get Nina’s. The movie, on the other hand, goes about getting those plot twists in a completely different way. Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried star in the film.
You’d be forgiven for expecting some differences in the adaptation process – after all, books & movies are two pretty different beasts, and they each require their own particular approach to get the story told & to evoke an emotional response from the reader or viewer. And let’s not forget that the screenwriters and directors get to bring their own creative vision to the project – that’s something to be respected.
The ending of the movie is a big departure from the book.
** Warning – if you haven’t seen the movie & don’t want to spoil it for yourself, then skip the next bit! **
Ok, so it’s the same basic deal in the book as it is in the movie – Millie discovers that Andrew Winchester ( Brandon Sklannar ) was an absolute monster to his wife, and continues to inflict the same torture on Nina that he did before – trapping her in the attic. As for what happens at the Winchester house, it’s all just part of a plan Nina made to escape the abuse inflicted by her husband and take her daughter with her. But the ending on the big screen is way more explicit and dramatic.
When Millie finally gets the upper hand, she gets her revenge on Andrew by forcing him to self-inflict some nasty cuts on his stomach & pull out his own front teeth ( in the book it’s a different story ) while he bleeds to death, she breaks all his mom’s precious porcelain & screams the house down.
In the book Enzo the gardener tells Nina to go back inside & save Millie – she heads back in to find Andrew starving to death from thirst & hunger. But the movie version – well, Nina’s daughter convinces her to go back, but when she does, she finds Andrew alive & he tries to attack Nina & Millie. In the end, he gets so desperate that he begs Nina to take him back, but Millie ends up pushing him down the stairs in a fatal hit.
