The Housemaid (1960)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
The film is a domestic horror thriller telling of a family's destruction by the introduction of a sexually predatory femme fatale into the household. A composer, Dong-sik Kim has just moved into a two-story house with his wife and two children. When his pregnant wife becomes exhausted from working at a sewing machine to support the family, the composer hires a housemaid, Myung-sook to help with the work around the house. The new housemaid behaves strangely, catching rats with her hands, spying on the composer, seducing him and eventually becoming pregnant by him. The composer's wife convinces the housemaid to induce a miscarriage by falling down a flight of stairs. After this incident, the housemaid's behaviour becomes increasingly more erratic. She tricks the composer's son Chang-soon into believing that he has ingested poisoned water and in a panic he falls to his death down a flight of stairs. She threatens to kill the composer's newborn son, and actually does kill the composer's crippled daughter Ae-soon by force-feeding her poisoned rice. Myung-sook persuades the composer to commit suicide with her by swallowing rat poison. The film ends with the composer reading the story from a newspaper with his wife. The narrative of the film has apparently been told by the composer, who then all smiles warns the film audience that this is just the sort of thing could happen to anyone. - Actors:
- Jin Kyu Kim, Jeung-nyeo Ju, Eun-shim Lee, Aeng-ran Eom, Seon-ae Ko, Sook-Rang Wang, Seok-je Kang, Jeong-ok Na, Sung-kee Ahn, Yoo-ri Lee, Jeong-hee Ok, Ok-joo Le, Nam-hyeon Choi, Bang-Choon Nam, Seok-Geun Cho, Man Kim
- Directors:
- Ki-young Kim
- Writers:
- Ki-young Kim
- Aka:
- Hanyo
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- New waves of Korean Cinema, Top 10 Best Picture Follow-Ups, Top Films, What to watch by country
- Countries:
- Korea
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Reviews (1) of The Housemaid
Melodrama, Manipulation and Misogyny - The Housemaid review by griggs
The Housemaid is a foundational work of Korean cinema—a domestic thriller that begins as melodrama and steadily descends into something far more disturbing, none more so than mid-century misogyny. Kim Ki-young crafts a claustrophobic atmosphere with bold, expressionist visuals and theatrical performances that heighten the sense of dread. The home becomes a pressure cooker, where power dynamics twist and moral decay seeps through the walls.
It’s not a subtle film, but its psychological intensity and visual flair make it a compelling viewing. The style feels years ahead, with tight, almost voyeuristic camerawork amplifying the discomfort. Its impact on Korean cinema is enormous—you can trace its influence through Parasite, The Handmaiden, and beyond, especially in how it explores class, desire, and control within the domestic sphere.
Gripping, grotesque, and occasionally unhinged, The Housemaid still feels dangerous. A true original.