The Housekeeper – TUBI Review (2/5)

THE HOUSEKEEPER on TUBI is a new thriller that seems like a hybrid of quite a few other movies. It’s a low-budget production that manages to include some comedy along the way. This helps but it’s never a good movie. Read our full The Housekeeper movie review here!

THE HOUSEKEEPER is a new TUBI thriller that has all the hallmarks of a made-for-TV movie. Now, I’m not one to shame TV movies but I do still expect the story (including the characters) and the cast to be of a certain quality. This movie is in the “so bad you might enjoy it”-category.

It’s not a “so bad it’s good”-movie for me, but it just might hit a sweet spot for others. Especially Denise Richards is having a ball here. She’s not in the movie as much as the poster/cover may lead you to believe, but she is a main character.

The movie begins when the new housekeeper arrives on the doorstep of her new employer; A wealthy family with lots of important connections. Oh, and their previous housekeeper disappeared and there’s a weird vibe in the house. Obviously, the new housekeeper needs to get to the bottom of what’s going on.

Continue reading our The Housekeeper (2023) movie review below. The film was released on TUBI on August 9, 2023.

Denise Richards having fun

I really hope that everyone watching The Housekeeper (2023) immediately recognizes that all the actors (and the writer-director, obviously) are having fun and leaning completely into the kitsch and camp angle.

Anyone stating that the acting is bad clearly isn’t ready to recognize that this is very intentional. I mean, from the dialogue to the soapy stares and dramatic turns, it’s a huge part of the DNA of this movie.

Denise Richards is going all in from the beginning, while Richard Gunn (who plays her husband) seems to be doing the whole stoic politician type. It’s funny to me, in a good way, because they dive headfirst into this. Something the commercials for their non-profit organization “The Foundation” highlights perfectly.

Even the fact that they keep referring to this new housekeeper as young, becomes a sort of inside joke. I mean, sure, she’s not a little old lady but she’s a good decade older than their previous housekeeper. Ilean Almaguer works really well in the title role. Often hiding in plain sight as if we were watching a stage play in the theatre.

In the mood for something camp?

Low-budget movies can be much better than you’d expect based on their budget. However, that’s because people have the passion and time to make it good. The Housekeeper has a low budget and was undoubtedly pushed through production at warp speed.

This does not result in a brilliant movie, but certainly, one that can entertain if you’re in the mood for camp!

Also, if you’re a fan of horror movies, the core story and plot twists along the way will feel familiar. This isn’t a spoof per se but it does get close. It borrows a little from one iconic horror movie here and leans into another familiar story there. All resulting in a fun – but not exactly good – movie to mindlessly watch.

Watch The Housekeeper on TUBI now!

Stuart Altman is the writer and director of The Housekeeper. I don’t think I’ve ever watched anything by Stuart Altman before, but I’d be ready to watch more. Especially if the story could be stronger and the horror more prevalent. I know this is a thriller, but I think Stuart Altman has what it takes to create a great horror-comedy.

For me, this thriller could’ve worked better if the whole camp and kitsch vibe had been combined with a stronger core story. I can’t say I disliked it because it had a certain air to it that I enjoyed.

Mostly, how it leans into being over-the-top, and I can accept and forgive a lot when this happens. Having very limited resources to make a movie with, you need to work with what you’ve got. This movie is a good example of how far you can take that.

The Housekeeper (2023) was released on TUBI on August 9, 2023.

Details

Director: Stuart Altman
Writer: Stuart Altman
Stars: Denise Richards, Ilean Almaguer, Richard Gunn, Barry Jay Minoff, Dawn Lafferty