“The Maid” blends modern Hollywood-style horror with some crazy videogame-like melee slashing with a lot of bloodshed. It is an average addition to the Thai cinema industry, which still has a long way to go to find its feet in the international entertainment arena. Thanks to global platforms, such as Netflix, that are now adding a growing number of international titles to their libraries each day. In 2020, even Hollywood has come up with record low film releases due to Covid-19—thereby driving movie fans to look for some accessible entertainment available elsewhere.
“The Maid” is largely an entertaining evidence of the fact that extramarital affairs almost always lead to destruction. The plot of the movie is touching, but is also partly unrealistic. The story, as its title suggests, revolves around a beautiful maid named Ploy (Kannaporn Puangtong) whose soul still wanders seeking justice inside the fabulously wealthy house of Uma (Savika Chaiyadej) and Nirach (Teerapat Sajakul), where she had met her horrible death.
Years later, Joy (Ploy Sornarin), is hired by the same lavish but cold family to serve in their house as a maid. But as Joy later finds out that Ploy was none other than her elder sister, she sets out in a revenge-seeking spree against the owners, investigating why no one came to her sister’s rescue when she begged for her life in front of everyone. Although it might seem as an uncommon movie plot, people abusing or mistreating their maids is not a new concept and, in fact, there have been a lot of movies that have highlighted this issue.
For creating the “living/talking doll” elements, the filmmakers have definitely taken inspiration from some Hollywood horror movies like “The Boy,” films based on the “Chucky” doll, and the ever-famous “Annabelle.” Although the movie begins as a supernatural horror film with average-level scary elements, it slowly transitions to a typical revenge-seeking thriller filled with blood and gore.
A scene from “The Maid” (Global Film Station/Netflix, 2020).
Audiences that have watched William Bell’s “The Boy” would find it pretty relatable. The same old idea has been recycled, wherein a spooky mansion employs a new maid who can work perfectly in its haunted environment without complaining about it—but this time, in a slightly twisted plot involving affairs between the master and the servant. There are a lot of “someone is standing behind me” moments in the film immediately followed by thumping sound effects that would definitely rev up your heart beat for a while—fans of the “Insidious” series, a treat for you! As for acting, I have mixed views as I feel that it could have been done better by some characters, especially some lead ones!
The first half of the movie is interesting while the second half is poorly directed and looks disjointed. Why is there a running monkey doll at the beginning of the movie if it has got no relevance in the rest of the film? There are some broken elements that can almost make you question is it the same movie still running? And I’m not sure if it was done intentionally to give birth to a hybrid genre or something, but two very different genres have been made to clash in the film. It might very well have been a creative experiment by the director, but not too many viewers can perceive it in a welcoming manner.
Nonetheless, if you are all set to explore the taste of international horror movies, then pepped with some quick romance and a scary theme, “The Maid” can qualify as your one-time watch on a Sunday afternoon.
