(2005) ***1/2
"Every year, for thirty days during the lunar seventh month, the Chinese believe that the gates of hell are thrown open. Vengeful spirits or hungry ghosts wander among the living, seeking revenge and justice before the gates of hell are closed again for another year."
Eighteen-year old Rosa Dimaano arrives in Singapore having recently accepted a job offer to work as a maid for an elderly couple and their mentally challenged son. Coming from a small town in the Philippines, Rosa marvels at the beautiful, clean city. Unfortunately for Rosa she happened to arrive during the Chinese Seventh Month, a time when ghosts are released from hell for 30 days to annoy people. The level-headed Rosa cannot be bothered by such nonsense as she is focused on making money to send home to her ailing brother. Given her blasé attitude about the paranormal Rosa unwittingly breaks several cardinal rules including, never swim, never turn around at night when you hear someone calling your name, and never talk to strangers on a deserted road. Soon Rosa begins suffering the consequences of her naivety as angry spirits begin to torment her. Her employers encourage her to suck it up because the ghost menace will only last a month, however Rosa begins to suspect that there is something sinister in her employers’ intentions.
The maid is suitably creepy and a fairly effective vengeful ghost story. Although the scares are amply borrowed from JUON and the like, the cinematography is gorgeous and the actress who plays the young maid is perfectly cast in this role. Oddly enough a lot of the film is in English, which is puzzling because I don’t believe English is the second or even third language in Singapore. But what the hell do I know? Check it out.
