The Chambermaid
AKA Lovesick: Sick Love
Directed By Wolfgang Büld
Released: 2004
Starring: Fiona Horsey, Paul Conway, and William Rowsey
Running Time: 94 minutes
DVD Released By MTI Home Video 2007

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Julia Bateman (played by Fiona Horsey) works as a chambermaid by day and a bartender by night to keep her junkie boyfriend, Istvan (William Rowsey), out of trouble. Michael O’Ryan (Paul Conway), her boss at the hotel, has been harboring an unhealthy crush on Julia for years. When she falls on hard times, she tries to use Michael to solve her financial woes not realizing that he has gone completely mad. When she discovers that he has been drugging and raping her whiles she is unconscious, Julia turns to blackmail in order to get back at Michael with deadly results.

Director Wolfgang Büld is back with yet another deranged film. The digital camerawork is excellent and the soundtrack features some decent heavy metal. Unfortunately, the film meanders a bit in the middle but hits its stride again fairly quickly thanks to some excellent tension building. Familiar plot elements to be sure but twisted and tainted with Büld’s propensity for bringing out the worst in humanity.

The sexy Fiona Horsey (Twisted Sisters) rocks as Julia with only one misstep in her performance. When she discovers that Michael has been taking advantage of her, Julia goes ballistic and instead of being frightening, it is actually pretty funny. All is not lost though, Horsey sets things right very quickly as Julia’s need for revenge overrides her common sense.

As usual, Paul Conway (Angst) plays Michael, a hopeless romantic. Well, a hopelessly psychotic hopeless romantic anyway. The point is that Conway has a great screen presence and it will be interesting to see him in some more freaky roles in the future. And I'm a little creeped out by Michael's mother played by Jessica Barnes. This lady is quite unsettling when she goes into overbearing loony mode.

Although not nearly as demented or as fun as Twisted Sisters and Angst, Büld and his crew are all in fine form here. More of a dark drama than a horror film, this naughty little treat has bountiful Horsey nudity (love that little group of words right there!), some pretty funky sexual situations, depressing characters, and some scenes of extreme violence. So don’t give the cleaning crew the night off, folks, because this Chambermaid will leave you feeling very, very dirty. Hoozow!

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DVD Stuff:

This review is based on a screener copy of The Chambermaid. There are no extras on the disc to speak of but the film is presented here in widescreen with excellent picture and audio.

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Links:


MTI Home Video

Dark Black Films

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Quotes:

Julia: “Now that’s how the French do it.”