The first trailer forThe Housemaidhas debuted at CinemaCon. Based on the novel of the same name by Freida McFadden, the psychological thriller movie was written by Rebecca Sonnenshine and directed byPaul Feig. In the movie, Sydney Sweeney plays Millie, who is hired to be a housemaid for the wealthy Nina (AmandaSeyfried) and Andrew (Brandon Sklenar). While Millie is trying to put her own past behind her, it soon becomes clear that her employers have their own sinister secrets. TheupcomingThe Housemaidalso stars Michele Morrone as the groundskeeper Enzo.
ScreenRantwas present at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, wherethe first trailer forThe Housemaidwas shown as part of Lionsgate’s presentationof their upcoming theatrical slate. The trailer kicks off with seemingly peaceful domestic scenes before slowly immersing Millie in the dark thrills that are to come over the course of the twisty plot. Below, read a description of the trailer, which is not yet available online:
The trailer opens on Millie driving to Nina’s house, which is a mansion. Millie is shown cleaning, cooking, and helping Nina’s daughter with ballet. We also see her on a tour of the house with Nina. Then the trailer turns dark as Millie discovers something. There are many shots of her sneaking around the house, Nina standing behind her, and then different scenes of them crying, screaming, running, and so on. “I have a really good feeling about this, Millie,” Nina says. “Me too,” Millie responds. The trailer then ends with someone turning a key in a door.
What This Means For The Housemaid
It Continues Two Major Trends
The trailer description forThe Housemaidunderscores its dark tone, which sees director Paul Feig diverging even more from the comedies he is best known for, including theMelissa McCarthy moviesBridesmaids,Spy, andThe Heat. In recent years, he has begun to take on darker material, beginning with the 2018 mystery thrillerA Simple Favor. While he has directed comedies likeLast Christmasin the meantime, his upcoming sequelAnother Simple Favorwill be compounded byThe Housemaidto mark the darkest turn his career has taken yet.
Paul Feig also directed Melissa McCarthy in the 2016 rebootGhostbusters.
It also continues a trend for Sydney Sweeney, who is perhaps best known for playing Cassie Howard as part of the maincast ofEuphoria. Although she has also appeared in lighter fare such as the romantic comedy blockbusterAnyone But Youand the superhero movieMadame Web,many of her recent projects have taken a darker turn. This includes the 2023 crime dramaRealityand the 2024 religious horror movieImmaculate, and the trend seems set to continue withThe Housemaid.
Our Take On The Housemaid Trailer
It Could Kick Off A New Franchise
As the trailer description makesThe Housemaidseem like an amplification of the tone Paul Feig struck withA Simple Favor, it seems entirely possible thatthe new movie could follow in his previous project’s footsteps and launch a film franchise. Considering the fact that there are three novels in the McFadden series, there is ample source material for it to adapt. Should that be the case, it would mark Sweeney’s first big-screen franchise, as none of her movies to date have spawned direct sequels.
