U.S. DVD Release
Not long ago I was talking to a horror fan friend of mine about good Asian horror and he asked for me to make some recommendations so he and his girlfriend could put together a little A-horror night.
I was honored that he’d come to me but a bit concerned that the films I enjoyed may not quite be to his liking. Films like Marebito aren’t exactly “fan friendly” if you catch my drift. I tossed some titles at him though and loaned him some of my favorites as well. One particular film he seemed to really enjoy was The Maid. I concur, it’s actually quite good. Not A Tale of Two Sisters good but good nonetheless.
Honestly, I haven’t been all that pleased with the Asian horror output as of late so I’m always pleased when a decent film falls into my lap. Granted, The Maid won’t be haunting my dreams or make my Top 10 list but it had just enough tension and the right amount of “twist” to keep me on my toes. I came away from the film with a smile on my face and feeling not even slightly miffed like I had after watching Pray.
Rosa Dimaano (Alessandra de Rossi), a pretty young girl from the Philippines, is eager to see the world and gets the chance to do so when she moves to Singapore to start a job as a household maid. Of course, there’s no way she could have known that she’s shown up on the start of the seventh lunar month, the very month when the gates of Hell open and Hungry Ghosts seeking revenge walk the streets.
Things get off to a great start for Rosa and her employers seem to be very good people but superstition plays a major part in their lives and Rosa doesn’t take much care to follow them. She’s soon sweeping up sacred ashes and sitting in chairs reserved for the deceased. Horrified that Rosa isn’t more careful, Mrs. Teo (Huifang Hong), warns Rosa several times that this is a bad month to be offending the spirits.
Despite Mrs. Teo’s warnings, Rosa soon begins having terrifying visions and quickly comes to the realization that she’s seeing the dead. The Teo family deduces that Rosa may have offended a spirit and they advise her not to get involved with the dead and they won’t bother her. She simply needs to make it till the end of the month and she’ll be just fine.
Hard work and the Teo family’s only son, retarded man-child Ah Soon (Benny Soh), keep Rosa occupied but the visions continue to intensify. Rosa soon notices somebody following her and when she confronts the woman she’s told that Rosa bears a striking resemblance to the Teo’s last maid, Esther. Unfortunately, the girl makes the mistake of standing in the street as a funeral procession drives by and she’s caught beneath the shadow of the coffin. The spirit of the deceased enters her and she takes a header off of a balcony…so much for the grateful dead, eh?
When Rosa confronts the Teo’s about Esther she’s told that Esther just up and left, believed to have run off with a man. When Esther’s belongings start mysteriously turning up, Rosa takes that as a sign that Esther may not have run off after all.
Where did Esther go and who is reaching out to Rosa from beyond the grave? Has she offended the dead?
The Maid, while not as effective as Sigaw (The Echo) or Shutter, brought the pain. The usual A-horror scare tactics were here but they worked well because Rosa really begins to grow on you. You begin to genuinely care what happens to this young woman and before you know it you’re jumping out of your seat when the visions kick in. I literally jumped out of my chair a few times and even popped a few goosebumps.
Once again, The Maid wasn’t terrifying nor will it ever be looked at as an Asian horror classic but director Kelvin Tong does a great job of mixing things up and keeping you guessing. Just when you think you’ve got things pegged he pulls the rug out from under you and not in a ridiculously contrived way either.
I suppose the downside to this was the fact the Alessandra de Rossi and a few of Singapore actors used English to communicate in the film. While that’s all well and good for people that dislike subtitles and dubbing, it’s horrible for those that wanted things to flow a bit more smoothly. The English felt very clunky and awkward.
Another small bit I didn’t like was the constant explanation of the seventh month concept. It’s bashed over your head far too many times. OKAY OKAY WE GET IT…SEVENTH LUNAR MONTH…CHINESE CALENDAR…HUNGRY GHOSTS BLAH BLAH BLAH!
The Maid is a bit sparse on extras but I wasn’t too torn up about it. It wasn’t so incredibly interesting that I felt any overwhelming desire to delve deeper into the production. Good but not great. I’d recommend you rent first if you’re not a big A-horror fan. Hardcore Asian horror fans may find this a respectable addition to their collection though.
