How does The Housemaid movie differ from the book? Explained

The Housemaid is a psychological thriller that mirrors the overall storyline of Freida McFadden's novel but differs in numerous changes regarding character relationships, plot workings, and the level of violence depicted.

The movie still sticks to the main twist and the themes of abuse, control, and survival, but its choices for the adaptation make the narrative more streamlined and suitable for a cinematic and visceral experience.

Under the direction of Paul Feig, The Housemaid is more about the visual tension and the immediate emotional impact, which is why the roles of characters have been changed and some story beats have been reworked.

The changes have an impact on the unfolding of relationships, the depiction of punishment and violence, and how the ending, by changing accountability and agency, gives the central characters a new perspective.

The Housemaid stays true to the novel’s core story but differs by reducing Enzo’s role, intensifying key confrontations, expanding Evelyn’s presence, and changing Andrew’s fate to a more direct, shared act of self-defence.

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How is The Housemaid different from the book?

One of the most prominent distinctions between the movie The Housemaid and the novel is the role of Enzo. In the book, Enzo is deeply involved in Millie's progression. Though he is the gardener of the Winchester family in both versions, the novel reveals his intentions much earlier.

He not only supports Millie, but also warns her about Andrew, and later, he helps by setting up her next housemaid interview, thus making him a friend and not a mere spectator.

The movie lessens Enzo's role, and most of the time, it shows him from the sidelines. He still knows what Andrew is doing, but he hardly takes any steps. This way, the movie can concentrate on Millie, Nina, and Andrew and not have to deal with the additional storylines.

Another big difference is how Enzo and Nina get along. In the book, they are romantically involved and eventually become intimate. Enzo even changes Nina's mind at the point when he convinces her to go back to Millie instead of giving her daughter the first place.

The movie takes away almost all of this, coming down to just a little about intimacy, and eliminating the relationship as a main factor in Nina's decisions.

The film also amps up the accusation against Millie. In the novel, Nina lies to the store staff that Millie is stealing, which results in an incident embarrassing but somewhat limited in nature.

The film makes it bigger by having Nina report her car as stolen so that Millie gets arrested for grand theft auto. This alteration makes Millie lonelier and shows Andrew more clearly as her rescuer, strengthening his psychological hold over her.

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More differences between The Housemaid movie and book explored

The Housemaid (2025) (Image Via Lionsgate)

The character of Evelyn, Andrews' mother, is a lot more detailed in the film than in the book. In the book, she is only a background figure, showing up in memory scenes or being talked about after Andrew's death.

The movie elevates her to the main storyline, letting her scorn Nina publicly, and thus giving Andrew a stronger feeling of being above others and also a more pronounced side of him as a perfectionist. This change helps the audience understand Andrew's behavior more and also deepens the thematic element of the abuse model in the Housemaid that comes from the generation. The punishments are reworked as well.

In the book, Andrew punishes Millie for reading books that are against the rules, whereas in the movie, this trigger is changed to the breaking of the Winchester family's china.

The film uses this incident to welcome a lot more severe violence than before, where it is shown that Millie has to hurt herself with a piece of the broken porcelain. This alteration escalates the physical danger and also, for the first time, the china carries symbolic significance as it is a part of Andrew's psychological torment later on.

The book illustrates the suffering through endurance and degradation, for instance, when Millie was made to balance heavy objects on her or be shut up for a long time. The movie changes most of this into visually explicit harm, giving immediacy instead of implication.

Also, Andrews' punishment is changed: the film concentrates on fire, confinement, and destruction of the family heirlooms, whereas the book talks about more internalized cruelty.

One of the major changes is Andrew's death. He dies in the novel, offscreen, which is implied by the fact that he was left alone and deserted and that he died of thirst.

In the movie, it is a confrontation; Nina and Millie are there when Andrew gets out of the confinement and attacks them. The incident during which he died is a struggle, and hence the act of self-defense shared by Nina and Millie rather than premeditated abandonment.

Finally, the investigating officer’s identity changes. The book reveals the detective as the father of Andrew’s former fiancée, while the film makes the investigator her sister. This alteration subtly shifts the ending toward female solidarity, reinforcing one of the film’s core thematic adjustments.

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The Housemaid was released in theatres on December 19, 2025.

Edited by Sakshi Singh