This is a blog about an excellent horror movie from Thailand entitled ’The Maid.’ It opens with a couple who live in an impressive home with their young daughter but it is not long before it becomes clear everything is most certainly not what it seems. The couple need to employ a new maid as the previous one had left in mysterious circumstances.
The next maid employed there does not last long. She complains of a strange atmosphere to the place especially when she is around the daughter. She thinks the place is haunted and experiences some strange phenomena which cannot be easily explained away. She resigns her post and is soon replaced by a young woman with the name of Joy. As she sets out to take up her duties a friend wonders at her choice of vocation. She asks her ”Why do you want to be a maid? Unless…” This lends the storyline a certain intrigue. What can this mean?
Before long it becomes clear that Joy has a connection to the missing maid. She seems to be on a personal crusade to find out what happened to her. She does not appear to be unduly bothered by the apparition which keeps appearing to her taking it all in her stride. Ultimately it transpires that the ghost is none other than her sister called Ploy. So, the maid did not magically disappear as was first supposed: she died. But how did she die? This is the question which needed to be asked.
As the story proceeds the viewer is given a series of scenes told in flashbacks. It turns out Ploy was closer to the master and mistress of the household than any maid would likely to be. She carried on an affair with both of them. This is the sort of situation which could not end well and it certainly didn’t for Ploy. As this stage in proceedings is reached it can be perfectly understood why Joy took it upon herself to investigate her sister’s disappearance. She needed to find out what had happened to Ploy for her own peace of mind.
Joy’s state of mind actually has a large part to play in what follows as the film works to its disturbing conclusion. It turns out she is seriously imbalanced and has committed some misdeeds in the past. We have a scene where Joy is visiting a psychiatrist who checks to make sure her worst days are behind her. Joy manages to fool the doctor into thinking she has turned over a new leaf but the reality is very different.
This is a terrific horror, full of surprises and sure to keep any prospective viewer on the edge of his seat. It is very inventive and it really made me think. Losing a sister in this way would threaten the resolve of the most level-headed person, but when the person involved is mentally challenged, well that has all the makings of a nightmare scenario. After watching this gripping movie I will certainly be on the lookout for more horror films from Thailand and other Asian countries.
Categories:Horror Films and TV Shows
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