The Housekeeper Reviews

A ridiculous and unintentionally comic thriller about a homely, illiterate Englishwoman, Eunice Parchman (Rita Tushingham), who unflinchingly murders those who cross her. She moves to the US and is hired as a housekeeper by George (Ross Petty) and Jackie Coverdale (Shelley Peterson). Eunice can't read notes left for her and is threatened with dismissal by the Coverdales. She is pushed over the edge by Joan Smith (Jackie Burroughs), a religious zealot who is convinced she is a "messenger of God." Directed by Tushingham's husband Ousama Rawi, THE HOUSEKEEPER is an excruciatingly ineffective thriller adapted from a novel by the prolific and popular British writer Ruth Rendell. What reads as a chilling account of the fears of being illiterate in today's society plays on the screen without suspense, depth, or interest. Tushingham, a talented actress, simply has nothing to do but look disturbed, quiver her lips, and bulge her eyes. The rest of the cast simply appear lost. This was released in Canada as A JUDGEMENT IN STONE before a very brief theatrical release in the US.