The Housemaid (1960) Dir. by Kim Ki-young

10-14-19

Such thoughts should not be communicated: In our Sacred Home.

Cat's cradle: check.

Company rules call for: A three-day suspension.

First love: check.

Rat poison: check.

Noir: check.

She's not too bright: But she's a hard worker.

You must never touch: The piano!

The girls: Are back in town!

Wife, piano student, maid:

Spoiler:

Pretty much a harem.

I'm your mistress now: I'll quit smoking.

A: Is for Alice, who fell down the stairs.

An absolute masterpiece. Perhaps the most erotic of the era's psych horror films. Hitchcock might have made something on this level if it weren't for the Hays Office, but he didn't have the chance. Makes Fatal Attraction look clumsy and fumbling.

I had never heard of this film until a few weeks ago. I checked a few of the "Greatest Films" lists and couldn't find it. It certainly belongs on one: check it out.

Trigger warning: French-style ending where everything is tied up with a ribbon and a bow--yet it still works.