Many of such encounters have happened before and the most horrifying of them is revealed in an original film starring our very own Alessandra de Rossi. Entitled The Maid, it’s the biggest hit in Singapore for three consecutive weeks and is currently terrifying more audiences in Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Hong Kong and other countries in Asia.
In the story, 18-year-old Rosa Dimaano arrives in Singapore on the first day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar to work as a domestic helper. Her employers – the elderly and seemingly gentle Mr. and Mrs. Teo – take her in and immediately treat her as if she is their own daughter. Even their mentally-handicapped son Ah Soon appears to be kind to Rosa. But it soon becomes apparent that the Teo Family is more than a little strange; living in a very old, classic, multi-storey shop house with many locked doors and rooms filled with Chinese opera costumes while having many weird habits and unusual visitors.
Within days of her arrival, things start going amiss for Rosa. She begins to see and hear things that nearly frighten her to death. Glimpsing strange apparitions at home and on the street, she soon finds herself tumbling into the world of the dead.
Unknown to the innocent Rosa, she had unwittingly broken many of the "rules" that must be followed on the first days of the Seventh Month believed by the traditional Chinese as "a very, very dangerous time."
As the Hungry Ghost Festival reaches fever pitch in Singapore, Rosa’s life turns into the worst nightmare that no one will dare wake her up.
Inspired by the success of The Eye series, The Maid is written and directed by Kelvin Tong, the hottest name in cutting-edge Singapore cinema today. He offered the title role to Alessandra without the benefit of audition.
Distributed locally by Solar Entertainment Corp., The Maid is cited by the Golden Horse Awards for cinematic achievements and will probably have its Hollywood version soon.