Besides accredited as the first Singaporean horror, Kelvin Tong's second feature “The Maid” also broke the local horror genre box office record during its weekend opening release. It went on to win the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation Asian Film Award at the then Puchun International Fantastic Film Festival held in Bucheon, South Korea.
Buy This Title
At the start of “The Maid”, Rosa Dimaano (Alessandra De Rossi) a young eighteen-year-old girl from the Philippines arrives in Singapore to work as a domestic maid for Mr. and Mrs. Teo. It's also the first day of the Chinese Seventh Month, the start of the Hungry Ghost Festival. The Chinese believe that during this month, the opening of the gates of Hell enables the dead to come back and walk among the living. Therefore, they set up alters everywhere to offer food to their beloved, returning ancestral spirits. Conversely there're rules and codes for the humans to follow in order to safeguard themselves, like one must not go swimming, or if one's alone at night and hears someone calling, one shouldn't turn back to answer.
Being new to all these strange superstitions and culture, it all sounds like old wives' tales to Rosa. Eventually, she loses track of the warnings and breaks some of the rules and thus finds herself unknowingly taken into the world of the dead, where she starts to see apparitions wherever she goes even in broad daylight. Two spirits in the form of a little boy and a young girl now start to pay her regular visits. At the same time, she also discovers a dark secret about her employers and it appears that the spirits are actually trying to reach out to her. More importantly, she must stay strong enough to survive through the eerie Seventh Month in Singapore, a beautiful city that has turned unexpectedly hostile and dangerous.
In his first go at horror, Tong uses the theme of the Seventh Month to tell his story effectively; setting it in Singapore might seem too localized for outsiders, but overall it still works out since horror really has no boundary geographically. In general, the movie looks good; the shop house where Rosa shares with her employers who run a Chinese opera is moody, eerie and full of dark shadows. In total contrast, the Chinese opera scenes are brightly lit and full of vibrant primary colors, thanks to the work of cinematographer Lucas Jodogne and Daniel Lim's art direction. Conversely, the overall experience is of a much relaxed tone, since both the protagonists and the ghosts move at such a slow pace. Unfortunately, most of the jump scares are of the quick cuts and accompanied by a typical outburst of loud sound variety.
The acting in general is decent; in portraying a lonely and innocent maid living in a strange city far from home, Filipino actress Alessandra De carries her role adequately well. However, TV veterans Chen Shu Cheng and Hong Hui Fang are a well matched pair to portray Mr. and Mrs. Teo, the friendly couple who takes in Rosa. But through their collected behavior, one can sense that they're hiding some dark and sinister secrets. Nevertheless, it's Benny Soh who truly stands out as their convincing mentally handicapped son Ah Soon.
At times, this plays like a mini documentary about the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival, as it tackles the local customs in great details and those unfamiliar with the culture can certainly learn from it. There are enough relentless scares and twists which build up to the gratifying ending but they're formulaic and predictable. This horror from Singapore is an endurable watch and the inclusion of the local dialect is refreshing especially to the East Asian audience.
