Films like The Housemaid (2025)
The Housemaid plot: A young woman named Millie takes a job as a maid in a luxurious mansion. But over time she realizes that behind the flawless facade of the perfect family lie shocking and dangerous secrets that won’t let anyone go so easily.
Keywords: Violent, Mistrust, Betrayal, Moral ambiguity, Suspenseful, Revenge, Trapped, Trauma, Risk vs control, Family dysfunction
Style characteristics: Tension, Darkness, Pacing
1. The Girl on the Train
IMDB: 6.5
2016 · 1h 52minUnited States, India
Director: Tate TaylorOverview
Divorced woman Rachel Watson watches, day after day, the life of a seemingly perfect couple in a house near the railway tracks. But one day a woman from that perfect home disappears, and Rachel is drawn into a tangled web of investigation—because she’s the one who saw what most people never did.Similarity
Closest characteristics: Tension, Pacing, Complexity, Tone, ConflictNotable differences: Bleakness (+17%)
2. The Gift
IMDB: 7.0
2015 · 1h 48minUnited States, Australia
Director: Joel EdgertonOverview
After moving into a new house, the married couple Simon and Robyn run into Simon’s former classmate, Gordo. Things quickly turn tense when Gordo starts inserting himself into their lives with intrusive visits and unexpected gifts.Similarity
Closest characteristics: Pacing, Complexity, Darkness, Tone, TropesNotable differences: Bleakness (+17%)Shared keywords
Mistrust, Revenge, Family dysfunction
3. Gone Girl
IMDB: 8.1
2014 · 2h 29minUnited States
Director: David FincherOverview
On their wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne comes home to find that his wife Amy has vanished without a trace, and the house shows signs of violence. The further the investigation goes, the more questions police have about Nick’s possible involvement in the mysterious disappearance—and whether this couple was ever truly so perfect.Similarity
Closest characteristics: Pacing, Tension, Tone, TropesNotable differences: Bleakness (+23%), Darkness (+12%), Complexity (+19%)
4. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
IMDB: 6.7
1992 · 1h 50minUnited States
Director: Curtis HansonOverview
Happy couple Claire and Michael hire a young nanny, Peyton, so they can have more time for their own lives. But everything changes when it turns out the sweet girl isn’t quite who she claims to be.Similarity
Closest characteristics: Darkness, Tension, Pacing, Tone, TropesNotable differences: Bleakness (+15%)Shared keywords
Revenge, Gaslighting
5. Side Effects
IMDB: 7.1
2013 · 1h 46minUnited States
Director: Steven SoderberghOverview
A young woman struggles with severe depression and turns to a clinic, where she’s put on an experimental treatment. But her normal life starts falling apart even more when the prescribed medication brings unexpected side effects.Similarity
Closest characteristics: Darkness, Pacing, Tension, Tone, TropesNotable differences: Complexity (+19%)Shared keywords
Mistrust, Betrayal, Revenge
6. The Last Seduction
IMDB: 7.0
1994 · 1h 50minUnited States
Director: John DahlOverview
A desperate woman steals her husband’s “dirty” money and flees to a small town. There, she starts an affair and quickly finds a new candidate for her schemes. Meanwhile, her furious husband will do anything to get the money back.Similarity
Closest characteristics: Tension, Pacing, Complexity, Tropes, ToneNotable differences: Bleakness (+17%)Shared keywords
Betrayal, Moral ambiguity, Gaslighting
7. A Perfect Murder
IMDB: 6.6
1998 · 1h 47minUnited States
Director: Andrew DavisOverview
Extremely successful financier Steven Taylor considers his young wife his greatest treasure. But their relationship is far from perfect: Steven suspects she’s cheating on him, and decides to hire a hitman…Similarity
Closest characteristics: Darkness, Tension, Pacing, Tone, TropesNotable differences: Bleakness (+15%)Shared keywords
Betrayal, Moral ambiguity, Infidelity
8. Blink Twice
IMDB: 6.5
2024 · 1h 42minUnited States
Director: Zoë KravitzOverview
After meeting at a charity event, a tech millionaire invites a waitress and her friend on a trip to his private island. Following a string of wild parties, strange events begin to unfold, leaving the girl questioning what’s actually real.Similarity
Closest characteristics: Pacing, Tension, Complexity, Tone, ConflictNotable differences: Bleakness (+17%), Darkness (+14%)Shared keywords
Violent, Revenge
9. Room
IMDB: 8.1
2015 · 1h 58minUnited States, Canada
Director: Lenny AbrahamsonOverview
A little boy and his mother have been held captive in a locked room since his birth. One day they finally dare to escape, and he gets his first chance to experience the world outside.Similarity
Closest characteristics: Darkness, Tension, Bleakness, Tone, Conflict
10. Nocturnal Animals
IMDB: 7.4
2016 · 1h 56minUnited States, China
Director: Tom FordOverview
Susan has a successful life in Los Angeles: she has a husband and runs her own business. One day she receives an unexpected package from her ex—a novel written especially for her. Reading the manuscript awakens long-forgotten memories and makes her see the past in a new light.Similarity
Closest characteristics: Pacing, Tension, Tone, TropesNotable differences: Bleakness (+27%), Darkness (+16%), Violence (+12%), Complexity (+17%)
11. Lady Macbeth
IMDB: 6.8
2016 · 1h 26minUnited Kingdom
Director: William OldroydOverview
England, 19th century. Young Katherine is married off by arrangement to a much older man. Later she meets a worker on her new husband’s estate, and a romance sparks between them.Similarity
Closest characteristics: Tension, Darkness, Tropes, ToneNotable differences: Bleakness (+23%), Pacing (-19%)Shared keywords
Betrayal, Moral ambiguity, Trapped, Infidelity
12. Elle
IMDB: 7.1
2016 · 2h 11minBelgium, France
Director: Paul VerhoevenSimilarity
Closest characteristics: Tension, Pacing, Tone, ConflictNotable differences: Bleakness (+17%), Darkness (+16%), Complexity (+12%)
13. God's Crooked Lines
IMDB: 7.1
2022 · 2h 35minSpain
Director: Oriol PauloOverview
A private detective enters a psychiatric hospital posing as a patient to investigate the mysterious murder of one of the inmates. The deeper she digs into the case, the greater the danger to her becomes.Similarity
Closest characteristics: Darkness, Pacing, Tension, Tone, TropesNotable differences: Complexity (+19%)
14. Misery
IMDB: 7.8
1990 · 1h 47minUnited States
Director: Rob ReinerOverview
During a terrifying blizzard, a famous writer gets into a car accident. He’s rescued by a woman—a devoted fan of his work—who is ready to do anything so she never has to let him go.Similarity
Closest characteristics: Pacing, Darkness, Tone, TropesNotable differences: Bleakness (+15%), Tension (+15%), Violence (+22%)Shared keywords
Violent, Trapped, Survival game
15. Swimming Pool
IMDB: 6.7
2003 · 1h 42minFrance, United Kingdom
Director: François Ozon