EntertainmentPosted at: Dec 8 2025 12:17AM


'It was better than book': Author McFadden on The Housemaid film

Los Angeles, Dec 7 (UNI) Author Freida McFadden has offered unusually effusive praise for the screen adaptation of her bestselling thriller "The Housemaid", saying the film surpasses the novel that launched the franchise.
After an early screening, McFadden felt the film delivered a sharper, more gripping interpretation of the story that first won her a devoted readership.
Appearing at the film's New York premiere on December 3, McFadden explained why the adaptation resonated with her so profoundly.
“I was lucky enough to get to watch a sneak preview of The Housemaid movie, and I absolutely LOVED it!” McFadden wrote at the time. “The second it was over, I turned to my husband in the theater and said, ‘Omg, I think it was better than the book!’ (And he said, ‘Yeah').”
Speaking with PEOPLE at the New York premiere of the film on Wednesday, December 3, McFadden shared the reasoning behind that statement.
“I just thought the end was so exciting and it really made the whole thing go out with a bang,” the author said. “I can't give out any details about it, but I just loved it.”
She said the film's ending elevated the entire narrative, describing it as thrilling and explosive without revealing specific details.
McFadden is an executive producer on the film. She is also the author of other books within the Housemaid franchise, including The Housemaid’s Secret and The Housemaid is Watching.
When asked if she would want film adaptations for the sequels, McFadden replied: “Oh my God, I would love that.”
“That would be a dream, and hopefully, you know, I know Paul Feig would do an amazing job in the sequel. He’s incredible,” she added.
Feig, the director of The Housemaid, told PEOPLE that hearing McFadden’s praise was “such a relief and a real joy.”
“Some authors can get very precious about their project, but Freida's is such a great entertainer. Her books are meant to entertain,” Feig says.
“She embraced the fact that we wanted to make the movie as... it's dark, and it has serious topics, but it's really entertaining. She went along with that in a great way.”
He adds, “I also try to be very, very true to the book. We were pretty good at kind of following everything. The things we changed were things that we wanted to be a little more cinematic than there was. And then we added an extra ending onto it.”
The Housemaid is in theaters on December 19. UNI NST SS
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