Warning: Graphic spoilers for the movie “The Housemaid” ahead.
You may think you know who the bad guy is in “The Housemaid,” but the shocking twist halfway through the movie will have you questioning everything.
“The Housemaid” stars Sydney Sweeney as Millie, a woman recently released from prison on parole, and Amanda Seyfried, a housewife named Nina Winchester who is looking to hire a live-in housemaid for her and husband Andrew's (Brandon Sklenar) seemingly picture-perfect home in a suburb of New York City.
Directed by Paul Feig, the director of the films “A Simple Favor” and “Bridesmaids,” the story is based on the book by the same name and written by Freida McFadden.
When strange things begin to happen at the house, Millie thinks that she understands what is happening. Little does she know that everything is not as it seems.
“Shocking,” Seyfried describes the movie to TODAY.com, while Sweeney adds, “Suspenseful and crazy, roller coaster, wild, genre-bending.”
Below, actors Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, as well as director Paul Feig, break down the jaw-dropping ending.
What Happens in ‘The Housemaid’?
When Millie is first hired as the housemaid for the Winchester family, she thinks she landed the perfect job. Her tasks include cleaning up the home and taking care of the family's seemingly spoiled daughter, Cece (Indiana Elle). She is given a room in the attic to live in, even though the door strangely locks from the outside and has one tiny window that can't be opened.
After her first night sleeping at the house, Millie wakes up to find the kitchen a wreck, with Nina throwing dishes onto the ground and screaming. Nina is only able to calm down when her husband, Andrew, runs into the kitchen and wraps her in a hug.
Although Nina seems to be a perfectly normal housewife when Millie first met her, she quickly devolves and shows that she is deeply troubled. Millie then has to deal with Nina’s ridiculous requests.
Amid Nina's crazy behaviors, Millie builds a relationship with Andrew, who understands the way Nina functions. Their relationship quickly escalates from platonic to sexual when they end up going to New York City to see a play together, and spend the night at a hotel room.
The story comes to a head when Andrew kicks Nina out of the house and says he plans on divorcing her.
What's Really Going on With Nina?
After Nina's actions reach a climax, Andrew decides to kick her out of the house, and is left alone with Millie. They are living happily together when Millie accidentally breaks a plate that belonged to Andrew's grandmother.
Andrew proceeds to lock Millie in her attic room and forces her to cut herself in the stomach with the pieces of the broken plate as a punishment.
The point of view of the film suddenly shifts from Millie's perspective to Nina's perspective. The story goes back in time to recount when single mother Nina first met Andrew and had a quick engagement and wedding. Andrew always wanted a child of their own but as viewers discover, there's a reason Nina didn't want to get pregnant.
It shows how the first few days of their marriage were picturesque, with Andrew seeming like the perfect husband before he suddenly shows his true nature.
Andrew gets upset with Nina for not keeping up the roots of her bleached blond hair and locks her in the attic room. He says that she has to repent for making a mistake and forces her to pull 100 strands of hair out of her head and place them in an envelope in order to be let out of the room.
Nina remains trapped in the room for days without access to food or water. In a feverish state, she finally gives in and completes the punishment.
For years, Nina was forced to deal with the abuse. She feared Cece would be taken away from her if she tried to leave Andrew, as everyone believes he is the perfect husband and she is the crazy wife.
However, Nina comes up with a plan to hire a housemaid, Millie, a pretty young girl with a history of violence to steal Andrew's attention. She knows that Andrew will be attracted to her and would take care of her — just like he did with Nina.
How Does ‘The Housemaid’ End?
The timeline flashes back to Millie trapped in the attic room. She has just completed her punishment and hatches a plan to get back at Andrew. She is able to trap him in the attic room and turns the table on him by forcing him to pull out his own tooth.
It is revealed that Millie was in jail for murdering a man who tried to rape her roommate when she was in high school. With this violent background, she is not afraid to stand up to Andrew's abuse.
Nina feels guilty about leaving Millie with Andrew, knowing that he will torture her, so she goes back to the house to help her. She opens the door to the attic room, thinking that Millie was trapped in there, but actually lets Andrew out of the room.
The group physically fight one other at the top of the stairs, before Millie is able to shove Andrew over the railing, where he falls to his death.
Does Millie go Back to Jail?
After Andrew's death, the police come to the house to question Millie and Nina. The officer who questions them is suspicious because he appeared to have been stabbed in the neck (which Millie did) and fell from the top of the stairs. However, the officer explains that she knew Andrew when he was alive.
The police officer's sister had once been engaged to Andrew, but it is implied that she had broken it off after she discovered his true nature.
It is further implied that she decides to close the case because she knew about Andrew's behavior.
Nina holds a funeral for Andrew, which is attended by his vain mother, as well as the community of parents who believed he was the perfect husband.
Millie is also there and gets a large sum of money from Nina to start a new life. The film, however, ends with Millie interviewing to once again be a housemaid. The woman tells her Nina recommended her and when they are talking, Millie sees that she has bruises on her body. It is implied that Millie's services are needed beyond housekeeping.
Will There be a Sequel?
“Millie is not done,” Feig tells TODAY.com about the future of the story.
“The Housemaid” is a part of a trilogy, with the next book titled “The Housemaid’s Secret” that follows Millie as she starts to work for a new family. The third is titled “The Housemaid Is Watching.”
“We kind of get a taste of where Millie goes and what’s going on.” Sweeney tells TODAY.com. “But I want Nina to come back into her life. I feel like Millie really needs Nina.”
