Filming for The Housemaid 2 will begin in the autumn

With worldwide box office takings of almost 400 million dollars, "The Housemaid" was a huge success at the box office. It was only a matter of time before a sequel was made – but now things are getting concrete. In an interview with Deadline, director Paul Feig revealed that filming on "The Housemaid 2" is set to begin in the fall.

There are already details about the cast for the second part, which will be released under the title "The Housemaid's Secret". Sydney Sweeney will once again take on the leading role. We will also get to see "365" star Michele Morrone again. Amanda Seyfried, who played a leading role in the first part, will only make a brief guest appearance in the sequel.

The screenplay was once again written by Rebecca Sonnenshine. Much of the hype for "The Housemaid" was fueled by social media such as TikTok, where the novel by Freida McFadden was already considered a "mega-hit" before the film was released. With over 4.5 million books sold and translations into 40 languages, the fanbase was already huge. So we could be in for a long-term franchise.

Abysses behind clean facades: The best movie tips for fans of The Housemaid

The enormous success of "The Housemaid" has shown that we have a soft spot for stories in which the supposedly safe home becomes the setting for deadly intrigue. When the trust between employer and employee breaks down and dark secrets from the past come to light, it creates a dynamic all of its own. Those who love the suspense of Paul Feig's film adaptation and Freida McFadden's original are usually looking for three things: unreliable narrators, luxurious settings and twists you don't see coming. Here are the best movie picks that perfectly capture that nerve-wracking feeling.

The gold standard: Parasite (2019)

You can't talk about films that deal with the subject of domestic workers and their employers without mentioning Bong Joon-ho's South Korean masterpiece. "Parasite" may be more socially critical than "The Housemaid", but it shares the DNA of constant tension. A poor family sneaks into the household of a wealthy dynasty under false pretenses. What begins as a clever comedy of deceit turns into a bloody thriller. Just like in "The Housemaid", the architecture of the house plays its own leading role and hides secrets that will change the lives of everyone involved forever.

The dark side of marriage: Gone Girl (2014)

If you particularly liked the manipulation and play with the truth in "The Housemaid", there is no way around David Fincher's "Gone Girl". Amy Dunne disappears without a trace and her husband Nick comes under suspicion of murder. But as with Millie and Nina in McFadden's story, nothing here is as it seems. The film masters the concept of the unreliable narrator perfectly and shows how far people will go to maintain the image of a perfect façade. The cool aesthetics and razor-sharp dialog create an atmosphere that makes the viewer's blood run cold.

Classic psychological terror: The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)

"The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" from the 90s is the spiritual ancestor of "The Housemaid", so to speak. A young woman sneaks into a family as a nanny in order to take revenge on the mother, who blames her for her own misfortune. The way in which the "nanny" begins to take control of the household and play the family members off against each other is strongly reminiscent of the claustrophobic dynamic between the protagonists in "The Housemaid". It's a classic "infiltration thriller" that shows how vulnerable a household is when you let a stranger in.

Modern obsession: A Simple Favor (2018)

With Paul Feig also directing "The Housemaid", his earlier hit "A Simple Favor" is an absolute must-see. The film starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick combines a dark thriller with a dash of black humor. It's about a seemingly perfect mother who suddenly disappears and her best friend who starts digging into her past. The film offers similar visual delights and plot-driven twists as "The Housemaid" and proves Feig's talent for staging female rivalries and secrets.

Conclusion

The "domestic thriller" genre thrives because it plays on our primal fears: Who is the person I trust with my house keys? And what happens behind my neighbors' locked doors? Whether through the socially critical lens of "Parasite" or the manipulative brilliance of "Gone Girl", these films are guaranteed to shorten the wait for "The Housemaid 2".