THE HOUSEKEEPER and the close relationship thrillers of the '80s and '90s

The ‘80s and ‘90s were a time of thrillers, and one of the most prominent subgenres of thrillers in the era were those in which a person with whom an audience member may have normal contact with on a regular basis was secretly a psychopath intent on killing everyone around them.  These thrillers were usually given a minimalist title, describing the association to our leads – THE STEPFATHER started it all, but the likes of THE TEMP, THE PAPERBOY, THE CRUSH, THE SECRETARY, THE SISTER-IN-LAW, THE EX and THE BANKER soon followed.  (The genre soon petered out with the desperate THE GREENSKEEPER and THE CATCHER, thankfully sparing us the sight of a latte-slinging murderer in THE BARRISTA.)  Sure, some films in the genre had slightly more imaginative titles (witness SINGLE WHITE FEMALE and THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE), but the formula was the same: A stranger inserts themselves into our hero or heroine’s life, they become a trusted confidant, and soon dead bodies start showing up whenever someone comes between our titular character and the protagonist.

1986’s THE HOUSEKEEPER would fit neatly into this mold, had it not originally been shot under the title A JUDGMENT IN STONE, taken from the Edgar Award-winning Ruth Rendall novel on which it was based.  Produced in Canada  by Castle Hill productions (whose output regularly lined the video store shelves in VHS form, but has mostly been relegated to obscurity), the film certainly features several standard thriller tropes, but there’s enough intriguing twists and commentary on social constructs in order to set it above the standard straight-to-video fare.  It’s not too surprising that the same material was used again less than a decade later, when French thriller director Claude Chabrol adapted the story in 1995 for the significantly artier LA CEREMONIE.  

THE HOUSEKEEPER stars British ‘60s icon Rita Tushingham as Eunice, an embittered woman who suffocates her abusive father via pillow in the opening scene.  Feigning ignorance as to his death, she’s soon on her way from Great Britain to America (the Canadian setting is never specified nor hidden) to work for an upper-middle class couple with two children, both from the couple’s previous marriages.  The family, however, is not aware of Eunice’s secret – due to undiagnosed dyslexia, she never learned to read, and becomes increasingly frustrated when confronted with her own limitations.

While continuing to be aloof with the family in order to hide her illiteracy, she befriends local postal shop employee Joan, played to the hilt by Canadian character actress Jackie Burroughs.  Joan is a reformed prostitute, who has struck back against sin to the extent of religious zealotry, and her slow influence of Eunice preys on her already-fragile psyche.  After a slow build, the film climaxes in a scene of brutal violence, in which “class warfare” takes on a very literal meaning.

Most reviews of the film weren’t quite sure what to make of the film, and it’s true that it’s a bit of a mess.  The directorial debut (and, to date, swan song) of well-regarded cinematographer Ousama Rawi , the film has a very “made-for-television” feel to it, one that New York Times reviewer Vincent Canby mentions.  The plotting, however, is sound, and the performances of Tushingham and Burroughs make the film rise above your standard THE BLANK-styled thriller.  It’s no surprise that the film ended up being a mid-afternoon basic cable staple for years – it’s exactly the sort of film that’s perfect to fold laundry while watching.

And honestly, that's perfect for exactly the type of movie it is.  I love the "close relationship thriller" genre partially because it sticks with convention to the point of familiarity.  There's something deeply comforting about a genre whose staples you know so well that it almost lulls you to sleep - and that you don't feel like you missed anything if you dozed off for a moment or two.