Cô Hâu Gái

A Vietnamese romance horror; A story of an orphaned country girl who works as a housekeeper on a haunted former rubber plantation estate in 1953 Vietnam. This gothic tale attempts too much in its telling - ghost story, zombie horror, erotic thriller, slave trade tale, period drama with burgeoning romance. With so many secrets spilling out in the finale of this supernatural horror there is a feeling that the viewer has been tricked rather then coaxed with subtle explanation.

I never expect very much when I watch a Vietnamese movie. Most of the time they are not that great due to overacting and things like that. But with The Housemaid I never had that feeling, on the contrary I thought all the actors were good for once. For the horror part I was expecting more though. Okay it's a bit dark and there are some good passages but the movie could have used more of those moments. The story wasn't bad either. It came even with a twist that I didn't see coming and that's always good. I would not go that far that I would watch it again but it's worth a watch. When it's about Asian movies the Korean ones are definitely the best ones but this Vietnamese one was better then I expected it to be.

As a Vietnamese myself I never care about the film industry in Vietnam cause they often produce way too many awful movie so to see a movie especially my favorite genre horror from my homeland get the attention from the West is awesome but at the same time I'm not biased at all when review The Housemaid cause it still a genetic Asian horror movie with the usual twitching dark woman.It not scary and the mellow drama not helping anything but I will give props to the director for trying the best he can to deliver a enjoyable horror movie without the bad taste joke or over the top acting I usually see in a Vietnam movie

I thought the pacing was perfect and I liked the blending of the horror done by man that leads to just though heartbreaking justice. The ending was effective and well-done. I will watch this one again.

With elements of master-servant romantic relationships in both the Korean film of the same name and Vietnam's superior "Scent of Green Papaya," like those movies, this solid movie does much with very little. What seems like a simple haunting with romantic overtones turns into an epic tale underpinning a much larger morality tale of retribution for colonial injustice. While too slow for many Westerners, this movie makes the most of what it has, never overplaying but keeping viewers guessing. Don't get too comfortable or bored because the whole thing wraps up in a tight, illuminating ending that resonates after the credits. You'll be glad you stay until the end. But be warned: if you were looking for easy romance or obvious horror, you're likely to be disappointed. There's much more to "The Housemaid" than kisses and scares.