# The Housekeeper
**The Housekeeper** is the title of several unrelated films, most prominently a 2002 French character study directed by Claude Berri and a British period romantic drama directed by Richard Eyre that entered production in 2026. The title has also been used by a 2020s English-language thriller and is easily confused with *The Housemaid*, the title of [Freida McFadden](https://www.edgepedia.org/freida-mcfadden)'s 2022 thriller novel and its 2025 film adaptation; the 1970 [Hammer Film Productions](https://www.edgepedia.org/hammer-film-productions) production was titled *The Vampire Lovers*, not *The Housekeeper*[14](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23559-THE-VAMPIRE-LOVERS).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Berri film | *The Housekeeper* (2002), France, 91 minutes, directed by Claude Berri, adapted from Christian Oster's novel *Une Femme de Ménage*, starring Jean-Pierre Bacri and Émilie Dequenne[1](https://film-forward.com/history/house.html) |
| Berri film story | Jacques, a middle-aged recording engineer, hires the young Laura as his housekeeper, and an ambiguous domestic and sexual relationship develops between the two[1](https://film-forward.com/history/house.html) • [2](https://www.movieguide.org/reviews/The-Housekeeper.html) |
| Eyre film | *The Housekeeper*, directed by Richard Eyre from a screenplay by Rose Tremain based on her own short story and forthcoming novel; stars Caitríona Balfe, Emma Laird, Anthony Hopkins, and Helena Bonham Carter[3](https://embankmentfilms.com/articles/helena-bonham-carter-caitriona-balfe-emma-laird-anthony-hopkins-to-star-in-the-housekeeper-1770052655) |
| Eyre film premise | Danni, housekeeper at Manderville Hall in Cornwall, is drawn into a clandestine affair with the young writer Daphne du Maurier, watched by the widowed Lord Grenville-Whithers's calculating niece Adelaide[3](https://embankmentfilms.com/articles/helena-bonham-carter-caitriona-balfe-emma-laird-anthony-hopkins-to-star-in-the-housekeeper-1770052655) |
| Eyre film production | Filmed in Cornwall, at Knebworth House, and at Leavesden Studios, with principal photography wrapped after a February to May 2026 shoot[4](https://www.productionlist.com/productions/week/2026-05-25) |
| Earlier Hammer film | *Housekeeper*, a Hammer Film Productions picture directed by Roy Ward Baker and written by Tudor Gates, released 28 October 1970 through American International Pictures[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/23559) |
| Recasting | The Eyre film was originally set to star Phoebe Dynevor and Uma Thurman, who dropped out and were replaced by Emma Laird and Caitríona Balfe[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34343560/) |
## Claude Berri's film (2002)
The French *The Housekeeper* was written and directed by Claude Berri, adapting Christian Oster's novel *Une Femme de Ménage*, and stars Jean-Pierre Bacri as Jacques and Émilie Dequenne as Laura[1](https://film-forward.com/history/house.html). Berri, known for large-scale productions such as *Jean de Florette* and *Manon of the Spring*, made this an intimate film with a small cast[7](https://www.aboutfilm.com/movies/h/housekeeper.htm).
Jacques is a middle-aged recording engineer whose wife left him for another man and whose apartment, like his life, is in disarray[1](https://film-forward.com/history/house.html) • [2](https://www.movieguide.org/reviews/The-Housekeeper.html). He answers an advertisement for a housecleaner and finds that the applicant is a young woman, Laura. As she works, the apartment brightens and so does Jacques, but Laura carries a sadness and neediness of her own; after she and her boyfriend break up she asks to move in, and the two settle into a complacent domesticity that slides into a sexual relationship[1](https://film-forward.com/history/house.html).
The film runs 91 minutes, was released by Palm Pictures, and was photographed by Eric Gautier, edited by François Gédigier, and scored by Frédéric Botton[1](https://film-forward.com/history/house.html). Roger Ebert, longtime film critic of the *Chicago Sun-Times*, noted how Laura elevates herself from housekeeper to an undefined sort of female companion that Jacques's friends think they understand[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-housekeeper-2003).
## Richard Eyre's film (2026)
A second *The Housekeeper* is a British romantic drama directed by Richard Eyre, whose credits include *The Children Act*, from a screenplay by Rose Tremain adapting her own short story and forthcoming novel[3](https://embankmentfilms.com/articles/helena-bonham-carter-caitriona-balfe-emma-laird-anthony-hopkins-to-star-in-the-housekeeper-1770052655). The film explores the emotional roots behind a gothic masterpiece of literature: [Caitríona Balfe](https://www.edgepedia.org/caitriona-balfe) stars as Danni, a servant at Manderville Hall who is drawn into a secret romance with the youthful author [Daphne du Maurier](https://www.edgepedia.org/daphne-du-maurier), portrayed by [Emma Laird](https://www.edgepedia.org/emma-laird), with Anthony Hopkins cast as the widowed Lord Grenville-Whithers and Helena Bonham Carter as his scheming niece Adelaide[3](https://embankmentfilms.com/articles/helena-bonham-carter-caitriona-balfe-emma-laird-anthony-hopkins-to-star-in-the-housekeeper-1770052655) • [4](https://www.productionlist.com/productions/week/2026-05-25).
**Production details.** Shooting began on 9 February 2026, and the production, led by producers Julia Taylor-Stanley for Artemis Films, Kevin Loader for Embankment, and Herbert L. Kloiber for Night Train Media, wrapped principal photography after filming in Cornwall, at Knebworth House, and at Leavesden Studios[3](https://embankmentfilms.com/articles/helena-bonham-carter-caitriona-balfe-emma-laird-anthony-hopkins-to-star-in-the-housekeeper-1770052655) • [4](https://www.productionlist.com/productions/week/2026-05-25). Additional financing came from Head Gear Films, M2 Mediapost, FireFrame Studios, and Screen Cornwall, with Embankment handling global sales[3](https://embankmentfilms.com/articles/helena-bonham-carter-caitriona-balfe-emma-laird-anthony-hopkins-to-star-in-the-housekeeper-1770052655). The project had been announced in pre-production in December 2024, when [Phoebe Dynevor](https://www.edgepedia.org/phoebe-dynevor) and [Uma Thurman](https://www.edgepedia.org/uma-thurman) were attached alongside Hopkins; both actresses later dropped out and were replaced[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34343560/) • [9](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23601/the-housekeeper).
## Other uses of the title
The [American Film Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-film-institute)'s AFI Catalog records a Hammer Film Productions picture titled *The Vampire Lovers*, directed by Roy Ward Baker and written by Tudor Gates with Harry Fine and Michael Style producing, which had its London premiere on 3 September 1970 and opened in Chicago on 28 October 1970, distributed by [American International Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-international-pictures)[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/23559) • [14](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23559-THE-VAMPIRE-LOVERS).
A more recent English-language film of the same name, directed and written by Dante Yore and starring Aimee Stolte and Leah Hennessey, appears in listings with a synopsis of a young housekeeper who takes a position with a wealthy family and comes to suspect that someone is hiding a deadly secret[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36635851/fullcredits/) • [11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_housekeeper).
The similar title *The Housemaid* belongs to separate works: Freida McFadden's 2022 bestselling thriller novel and [Paul Feig](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-feig)'s 2025 film adaptation starring [Sydney Sweeney](https://www.edgepedia.org/sydney-sweeney) and [Amanda Seyfried](https://www.edgepedia.org/amanda-seyfried), which opened in December 2025 and grossed over $75 million domestically in its first 17 days[12](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/the-housemaid-film-a-twisty-tale-well-told/) • [13](https://s205.q4cdn.com/746463231/files/doc_news/2026/Jan/08/The-Housemaid-s-Secret-Release.pdf).
## References
1. [Film-Forward review of The Housekeeper (Claude Berri, 2002)](https://film-forward.com/history/house.html)
2. [Movieguide review of The Housekeeper](https://www.movieguide.org/reviews/The-Housekeeper.html)
3. [Embankment Films: Helena Bonham Carter, Caitríona Balfe, Emma Laird & Anthony Hopkins To Star In 'The Housekeeper'](https://embankmentfilms.com/articles/helena-bonham-carter-caitriona-balfe-emma-laird-anthony-hopkins-to-star-in-the-housekeeper-1770052655)
4. [Production List, Week of May 25, 2026](https://www.productionlist.com/productions/week/2026-05-25)
5. [AFI Catalog: Housekeeper (Hammer Film Productions, 1970)](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/23559)
6. [The Housekeeper (2026), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34343560/)
7. [AboutFilm.com: The Housekeeper, aka Une femme de ménage (2002)](https://www.aboutfilm.com/movies/h/housekeeper.htm)
8. [Roger Ebert: The Housekeeper movie review & film summary](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-housekeeper-2003)
9. [Movie Insider: Everything You Need to Know About The Housekeeper Movie](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23601/the-housekeeper)
10. [The Housekeeper, full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36635851/fullcredits/)
11. [The Housekeeper, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_housekeeper)
12. [Kirkus Reviews: 'The Housemaid' Film, A Twisty Tale, Well Told](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/the-housemaid-film-a-twisty-tale-well-told/)
13. [Lionsgate press release: 'The Housemaid's Secret' production announcement](https://s205.q4cdn.com/746463231/files/doc_news/2026/Jan/08/The-Housemaid-s-Secret-Release.pdf)
14. [23559 THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, catalog.afi.com](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23559-THE-VAMPIRE-LOVERS)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Upcoming drama films 2027 onward*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license