The first trailer for The Housemaid has 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 by Paul 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. The upcoming The Housemaid also stars Michele Morrone as the groundskeeper Enzo.

ScreenRant was present at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where the first trailer for The Housemaid was shown as part of Lionsgate’s presentation of 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 sH๏τs 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 for The Housemaid underscores its dark tone, which sees director Paul Feig diverging even more from the comedies he is best known for, including the Melissa McCarthy movies Bridesmaids, Spy, and The Heat. In recent years, he has begun to take on darker material, beginning with the 2018 mystery thriller A Simple Favor. While he has directed comedies like Last Christmas in the meantime, his upcoming sequel Another Simple Favor will be compounded by The Housemaid to mark the darkest turn his career has taken yet.

It also continues a trend for Sydney Sweeney, who is perhaps best known for playing Cᴀssie Howard as part of the main cast of Euphoria. Although she has also appeared in lighter fare such as the romantic comedy blockbuster Anyone But You and the superhero movie Madame Web, many of her recent projects have taken a darker turn. This includes the 2023 crime drama Reality and the 2024 religious horror movie Immaculate, and the trend seems set to continue with The Housemaid.

Our Take On The Housemaid Trailer

It Could Kick Off A New Franchise

As the trailer description makes The Housemaid seem like an amplification of the tone Paul Feig struck with A Simple Favor, it seems entirely possible that the 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.

Source: Lionsgate