The Housemaid Movie Guide to the 1960 Film and 2010 Remake
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The Housemaid Movie Guide to the 1960 Film and 2010 Remake

The Housemaid Movie: A Guide to the 1960 Original and 2010 Remake

Key takeaways

  • The South Korean original was directed by Kim Ki-young in 1960; its 2010 remake was directed by Im Sang-soo.
  • The original follows a composer’s family, while the remake places its housemaid inside an exceptionally wealthy household.
  • The 2010 film is a remake, not a sequel.
  • Start with the 1960 original for release-order comparison; choose the 2010 remake for Eun-yi’s story inside a wealthy employer’s home.

Table of contents

The Housemaid can refer to different films, so the release year matters. The South Korean original was directed by Kim Ki-young in 1960; its 2010 remake was directed by Im Sang-soo. Both explore the dangerous tensions inside a household after a live-in maid arrives, but they’re separate productions—not two editions of the same movie.

This spoiler-free guide covers those two Korean films, also known by the Korean title Hanyeo. If you’re looking at a listing for another film called The Housemaid, check the year and director before using the details below.

For viewers deciding between the two, the simplest distinction is their starting point: the original follows a composer’s family, while the remake places its housemaid inside an exceptionally wealthy household. You can watch either independently, though release order is the more useful choice if you want to compare them.

Which Housemaid Movie Are You Looking For?

Detail The Housemaid (1960) The Housemaid (2010)
Country South Korea South Korea
Director Kim Ki-young Im Sang-soo
Basic premise A composer’s family hires a maid, and a sexual relationship destabilizes the home A wealthy family hires Eun-yi to help care for a child and her pregnant mother
Relationship between the films The original A remake of the 1960 film
Useful viewing lens Domestic horror, sexual obsession and class tension A household thriller about wealth, dependency and exploitation
Runtime Listings vary: approximately 109–111 minutes 106 minutes

The original’s identity and restored-edition details appear in Apple TV’s listing for the 1960 film. The Korean Film Council’s record for the 2010 film identifies Im Sang-soo as its director and gives its runtime as 106 minutes.

The shared title is the main source of confusion. Searching for the movie by title plus year is much more reliable than searching for “housemaid movie” alone.

What Is The Housemaid (1960) About?

Kim Ki-young’s The Housemaid begins with a family hiring domestic help. The household’s apparent stability starts to unravel when a sexual relationship develops between the composer and the maid, drawing work, desire and family obligations into an increasingly destructive conflict.

That premise makes it more than a straightforward affair drama. The maid works within the family’s private space, so the boundary between employment and personal life is already fragile. Once that boundary breaks down, the home becomes the setting for a struggle over security and control.

MUBI’s description of the original emphasizes sexual obsession and class struggle. Those are useful lenses for understanding the story: who belongs in the household, who depends on whom, and what happens when a family’s expectations collide with another person’s desires.

Is the original a horror movie?

“Psychological thriller” and “domestic horror” are both useful ways to approach it. Here, domestic horror means danger emerging from the home and its relationships, rather than necessarily from a supernatural threat.

The premise is unsettling because the family cannot neatly separate its private life from the person it employs. Ordinary ideas of comfort—having a home, raising children, hiring help—become entangled with vulnerability.

Choose the original if you’re interested in older Korean cinema or in thrillers that make household relationships the source of fear. Don’t assume its age makes its subject matter gentle: sexuality and escalating family conflict are central to the story.

What Is The Housemaid (2010) About?

The 2010 film follows Eun-yi, a housemaid hired by a wealthy family to help care for its young daughter and pregnant mother. A sexual relationship with the man of the house sets off further conflict within the family.

The Korean Film Council’s synopsis establishes both Eun-yi’s caregiving role and the relationship that disrupts the household. It also lists the film’s South Korean theatrical release as May 13, 2010.

The employment arrangement matters to the premise. Eun-yi is admitted into the family’s intimate daily life, but that access does not make her an equal member of the household. Her work brings her close to people who have far greater financial and social power.

A useful way to approach the remake is therefore to pay attention to the distinction between intimacy and authority. Caring for someone’s child, sharing their domestic space and knowing their routines can create closeness without providing protection.

Is the 2010 film a remake or a sequel?

It’s a remake, not a sequel. The remake relationship is identified in the 2010 film’s IMDb record.

You don’t need to know what happens in the original to understand Eun-yi’s story. Nor should you expect the remake label to mean that every character, event or emphasis is identical. The films have different directors and distinct household settings.

How Are the Original and Remake Different?

The clearest difference is the social environment surrounding the maid.

In the 1960 film, the story centers on a composer’s family and the destabilization of its home. In the 2010 version, the employer’s conspicuous wealth is built into the premise. That change gives viewers a different starting point for thinking about dependence, status and power.

Both films also invite a question that goes beyond infidelity: what does it mean to work inside someone else’s private life?

A domestic employee may have access to rooms, routines and family secrets while remaining economically dependent on the employer. That contradiction is a useful interpretive thread connecting the two films. It doesn’t mean they express an identical message, or that class is the only way to understand them.

For a first viewing, consider these points without trying to predict the plot:

  • Employment boundaries: When does a work relationship become a personal demand?
  • Household power: Who can make decisions, and who must live with the consequences?
  • Family loyalty: Whose interests does the household protect?
  • Private space: Does being inside the home create belonging, or simply greater exposure?

These questions offer a more productive comparison than treating the remake as a checklist of changes from the original.

Which Version Should You Watch First?

Watch the 1960 original first if your goal is comparison. Release order lets you encounter its story on its own terms before considering how the later film reworks the central situation.

Choose the original first if you’re especially interested in:

  • Kim Ki-young’s filmmaking;
  • older South Korean thrillers;
  • the overlap between family drama and domestic horror.

Choose the 2010 remake first if the premise of a housemaid working for a wealthy family is what interests you most, or if you specifically want Im Sang-soo’s version.

There’s no continuity requirement. Watching the remake first won’t leave you missing an earlier chapter, and watching the original doesn’t commit you to watching both.

Runtime and Content Guidance

The 2010 film runs 106 minutes, according to the Korean Film Council. The same record lists a South Korean age classification of 19. That classification is country-specific; it should not be treated as an American, British or worldwide rating.

The original’s runtime differs across listings. IMDb lists 109 minutes, while Apple TV’s restored-edition listing gives 1 hour 51 minutes. For planning purposes, allow roughly two hours and check the particular edition you’re watching.

Both films involve adult sexual situations, infidelity and intense family conflict. The remake’s premise also involves pregnancy and an unequal employer–employee relationship. These are broad content considerations, not an exhaustive warning list. If you need guidance about a specific sensitivity, consult a detailed content advisory for the exact film and year.

Where Can You Watch The Housemaid?

There isn’t a single worldwide streaming answer for either version. Subscription access, rentals and purchases depend on your country and can change over time.

The original has an Apple TV title page, but a catalog page alone does not establish that the film is currently playable, included with a subscription or available in every region.

Before subscribing or paying:

  1. Search for “The Housemaid 1960” or “The Housemaid 2010.”
  2. Confirm the director: Kim Ki-young or Im Sang-soo.
  3. Check whether the offer is a subscription, rental or purchase.
  4. Confirm subtitle options and availability in your country.

For the original, also check whether the listing identifies a restored edition. That detail helps distinguish the presentation being offered, particularly when runtimes differ.

The Takeaway

The Korean Housemaid films share a title and a central domestic conflict, but they offer distinct entry points. Start with the 1960 original for release-order comparison; choose the 2010 remake for Eun-yi’s story inside a wealthy employer’s home. Either way, checking the year and director is the essential first step—and the easiest way to avoid watching the wrong movie.