Director: Lee Thongkham
Year: 2021
Country: Thailand
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
After arriving at a family's house, a young woman joining their staff as the new maid is exposed to the stories about what happened to the former maid which is said to be haunting the house, but as time goes on the dark secret of the house is made clear and how the reveal threatens everyone.
Review:
Frankly, there's quite a lot to like with the film. Among the better features found here is the strong storyline that evokes an effective slow-burn approach to its shocks and scares. Featuring the early work of her coming to the house and meeting up with the family, seeing the interplay between the mother and father against the daughter, and the setup that emerges with the house being haunted, this part of the film is quite involved. Learning how she continually claims that the house is haunted by the former maid and her being shunned into believing the story starts this off like a Gothic melodrama. Also given the other interactions here, with the coldness of the family and secrecy of the staff hiding something, there's an ominous piece of dread in the best ways. Added together with the interaction by the new maid who's so quiet and reserved about her position and status in the house who's trying to do her job and care for the daughter while still trying to obey her instructions, everything seems at odds with how she comes to believe the stories about the dead maid haunting the house. These soft, subtle sequences indicating that something is there affecting the family dynamic create a familiar series of tropes that are utilized effectively.
Given this effective setup, the film switches gears in the second half to a gruesome, over-the-top bloodbath of action. Finally getting the resolution to the ghostly hauntings featuring the truth about the family relationships and affairs that come to light sets the stage for the resulting bloodbath at the party being held at the house. Focusing on highly gruesome and bloody deaths not just to the staff members and guests attending but also the others who are unfortunate enough to be caught in the crossfire, there's a lot to like here. The build-up with the slow-burn piece of dread contrasts incredibly well with this energetic display with the killer going through the house slashing whoever they want for a high-energy display. The contrast is quite apparent with the change over into a wild, raucous slasher-style feature from a moody ghost film that had been featured before creating an enjoyable atmosphere and adding a fantastic quality to the film. Coupled with the fantastic effects on the kills highlighting this sequence rather nicely, there's a lot to like here.
There isn't much to dislike with this one but there are some drawbacks. The main flaw here is the seemingly random and unresolved storyline that comes from the maid coming to the house for revenge for something that doesn't even make sense. As there’s a lot of build-up made out to whether the ghost of the former maid is real or within the daughter’s imagination, the sudden reveal of the motivation for the rampage comes out of nowhere and is never tied into the rest of the storyline. On top of that, none of the other supernatural events are explained at all that are nowhere close to being associated with this reveal, making for a troubling time trying to piece together what’s going on. The other issue to be found is the film’s slow-burn approach in the first half which can be troubling for some. Not only is it rather tedious going through the trials and tribulations of the family like a Gothic-infused soap opera the way it plays out, but it’s all at the cost of the film’s energy with the focus on the drama instead coming off like this is two separate films stuck together such is the difference between the two parts. This section is also so reliant on the same tired jump-scares involving people suddenly coming across figures in the darkness, so there’s a cliche series of sequences and themes throughout here which can make for a difficult immersion. These factors are what bring this one down.
Overview: ****/5
Filled with plenty of positives and not much in the way of detrimental flaws, the film is more than entertaining enough to be worthwhile for genre fans in most regards due to these factors. This will easily appeal to any fan of Asian horror or are feeling intrigued by the concept while those turned off by the flaws might not enjoy the film as much.
This review was originally published on Asian Movie Pulse and is gratefully reprinted with their cooperation.
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