Line #16 Main/CreepyHousekeeper


1	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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3	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/YoungFrankenstein https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b0al9bmb_2908.jpg]]]]
4	[[caption-width-right:350:[-He... vas... my... BOYFRIEND!-] ]]
5
6	->''"I am Frau Blucher. ''[horses whinny]'' Your rooms are ready, Herr Doktor. If you will follow me, please."''
7	-->-- '''Frau Blucher''',[[note]]''WHINNY!''[[/note]] ''Film/YoungFrankenstein''
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9	Ever found yourself at a huge mansion in the middle of a torrential rainstorm? Chances are the door was opened to you by a Creepy Housekeeper. This character spends much of her time walking around a large manor house cleaning, cooking, being fanatically devoted to her master, and scaring off any new female inhabitants of the house. Although she often welcomes hapless visitors, chances are they will be either murdered or scared off by the end of a terrifying night. She will be common in murder mysteries/tales of the supernatural, although often subverted for comedy.
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11	Her male counterpart is the CrustyCaretaker. They'll often tag-team any newcomers into being properly creeped out before the hauntings start. Sometimes takes on double shifts as a HauntedHouseHistorian to ratchet up the creepy. Contrast the sexier FrenchMaid, as well as the more maternal and less unsettling KindlyHousekeeper.
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14	!!Examples:
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16	[[foldercontrol]]
17
18	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
19	* There's one in the [[NoirEpisode detective parody episodes]] (7 and 8) of ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'' who turns out to be a ManChild, as at least some of her odd behavior is because she has a crush on the detective.
20	* PlayedForLaughs in ''Manga/TheMaidIHiredRecentlyIsMysterious''. There is absolutely ''nothing'' creepy about Lilith, yet her master Yuuri is naturally suspicious of the fact that she turned up out of the blue one night and agreed to work for him for free, and therefore perceives her as one, interpreting everything she does as some kind of plot. Lilith [[TheGadfly goes along with it to tease him]], but is otherwise KindlyHousekeeper incarnate.
21	%% * Marnie's housekeeper in ''Anime/WhenMarnieWasThere'' is giving Anna the creeps.
22	[[/folder]]
23
24	[[folder:Comic Books]]
25	* In ''ComicBook/LoriLovecraft: The Dark Lady'', Lori finds herself trapped in a dreamscape based on the films of a recently deceased actor. She is stalked by Ms. Cheswick, the creepy housekeeper from the film ''Natasha'' (a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed version of Mrs Danvers from ''Film/{{Rebecca\|1940}}'').
26	[[/folder]]
27
28	[[folder:Fan Works]]
29	* An unorthodox example, Evetta/[[Characters/BloodborneMainCharacters The Plain Doll]] from ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'' shows that as a housekeeper, it is possible to be [[KindlyHousekeeper kindly]] and creepy at the same time. She is the caretaker of the Hunter's Dream who tends to the Workshop, the gravestones, and her Good Hunter. She [[NiceGirl invokes a soothing presence]] to those who have known her for a while, but to those who have met her for the first time, she comes across as [[CreepyDoll uncanny]], especially with how [[TheStoic still and impassive]] she is for an AnimateInanimateObject, together with the fact that she towers over them a lot.
30	[[/folder]]
31
32	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
33	* In the original ''Film/ThirteenGhosts'', the protagonist's son accuses the housekeeper of being a witch, due to her generally humorless and cruel demeanor and homely appearance. This is an in-joke for those that know the actress who portrayed her, Creator/MargaretHamilton, played [[Film/TheWizardOfOz the Wicked Witch of the West]].
34	* Femalé (pronounced feh-MAH-leh) from the remake of ''Film/CatPeople'' is hospitable, but she has a very voodoo vibe about her and is very loyal to the owner of the house [[spoiler: who is a werecat. She helps him avoid punishment for his crimes.]]
35	* ''Film/TheClimax'' features a rare heroic example. Luise used to be Marcellina's maid and is now Dr. Hohner's housekeeper. She slinks around the house looking like [[Film/{{Rebecca\|1940}} Mrs. Danvers]] and spying on Dr. Hohner. However, she turns out to be on the side of the angels and is looking for proof that Hohner murdered her mistress. She helps Franz free Angela from Hohner's clutches and later saves Angela when Hohner attempts to [[TongueTrauma cut her tongue out]].
36	* The housekeeper Miss Patricia in ''Film/TheCrimeDoctorsStrangestCase'', who is an IgnoredEnamoredUnderling and is very keen to cast suspicion on the victim's young and pretty second wife.
37	* ''Film/TheDevilCommands'': Once she understands both what Blair is trying to do and that he might actually be capable of succeeding, PhonyPsychic Mrs. Walters begins looking ahead to the wealth and power that such success could bestow upon anyone wily enough and ruthless enough to exploit it properly. Blair, in contrast, remains monomaniacally fixated upon talking to his wife, and the combination of that blinkered vision and the doctor’s native guilelessness gives Walters an opening to become the senior partner in their project. She’s the one who finds the remote New England mansion to which the pair retreat to carry on their work in isolation and secrecy. She’s the one who manages all the household affairs, engaging the scrupulously incurious Mrs. Marcy as housekeeper, interposing herself between Blair and any of the locals who might wish to see him, and intercepting all the mail either leaving or entering the house so as to prevent any communication between the doctor and his former associates— including and especially is daughter Anne.
38	%%* The Shadout Mapes from ''Film/Dune1984'' might qualify.
39	%% * ''Film/GetOut2017'': Georgina and Walter.
40	* Rachel, the housekeeper from ''Film/HauntedHoneymoon'' -- the film satirizes many of the HauntedHouse tropes, this one being no exception. She is also, as is often true, married to the film's CrustyCaretaker, Pfister.
41	* This trope is parodied in the otherwise straight ghost movie ''Film/TheHaunting1963''. The housekeeper, Mrs. Dudley, has already given Nell a speech implying all sorts of nastiness about the house, and when she does an encore for latecomer Theo, Nell "[[LargeHam helpfully]]" finishes parts of her monologue for her:
42	-->'''Mrs. Dudley:''' I set dinner on the dining room sideboard at six. Breakfast is ready at nine. I don't stay after dinner. Not after it begins to get dark. We live in town, nine miles, so there won't be anyone around if you need help...\
43	'''Nell:''' We couldn't even hear you.\
44	'''Mrs. Dudley:''' No one could. No one lives any nearer than town...\
45	'''Nell:''' No one will come any nearer than that.\
46	'''Mrs. Dudley:''' In the night...\
47	'''Nell:''' In the dark.
48	* The original ''Film/{{House on Haunted Hill\|1959}}'' has Mrs. Slides. She's blind and gives quite a fright to poor Nora. And the audience is too, if her first appearance doesn't make them jump.
49	* In ''Film/KingOfTheZombies'', Tahama the cook is a wizened old crone who makes vaguely threatening pronouncements and cackles a lot. She is also the high priestess of Dr. Sangre's voodoo cult.
50	* Averted in ''Film/MurderByDeath''. The housekeeper Yetta is new to the household, is deaf-mute and is never seen by, well, anyone (Jamesir Bensonmum, the butler who welcomes her, is blind) until she points out [[spoiler:Bensonmum's]] body. [[spoiler:It turns out she's Lionel Twain, the host, in disguise and he arranged the entire, murder-free, evening.]]
51	* ''Film/{{Necronomicon}}'': Lena in "The Cold". She is the housekeeper to Dr. Madden, in love with him although he his [[{{Pun}} cold]] to her, and aids him in his murders and blasphemous experiments with a slavish devotion. She later transfers her loyalty to [[spoiler:Emily]].
52	* In ''Film/TheOthers2001'', Grace hires three new servants to help her care for the children, but they seem to already know more about the whole situation than they let on. This leads to a double twist: [[spoiler: the servants are all ghosts, but then again the Stewart family are as well]].
53	* PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/ThePacifier'', the children love their creepy Transylvanian maid Helga even though she scares the hell out of Shane and has a very dreary personality. When Helga slips on cooking oil Seth and Zoe placed on the stairs (which was actually intended for Shane), she quits her job in a rage. Shane tries to stop Helga, eventually blocking the front door to prevent her from leaving, but she leaps and bites his shoulder, before leaving out the front door and boarding a taxi.
54	* Mrs. Danvers in Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/Rebecca1940''. She is creepy in herself, with a deathlike appearance, and in her devotion to the memory of Rebecca such that she doesn't wash the clothes of Rebecca's scent and goes to her room every day. And spoofed in ''Film/{{The Time Of Their Lives\|1946}}'' (1946) when the guests at a restored plantation meet the creepy housekeeper and one remarks "Didn't I see you in ''Rebecca''?"
55	* ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'' gave us[[note]] ''WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?'' [[/note]] Magenta, a cross between this trope and the FrenchMaid.
56	* Mrs. Monteith in ''Film/SherlockHolmesAndTheHouseOfFear'' is the housekeeper of Drearcliffe House and tends to the needs of The Good Comrades. She is the one who grimly delivers the envelopes containing the oranges pips to those who are marked to die. Dour and taciturn, she could easily be [[Film/{{Rebecca\|1940}} Mrs. Danvers]]' sister.
57	* Frau Blucher ''(horses whinny)'' from ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'': Every time someone says her name, horses neigh and there is lightning. Although, despite playing to every creepy film trope the filmmakers could trot out, [[spoiler: she's more misguided than malicious, and gets to share in the happy ending.]]
58	* In an homage to ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'', in ''Film/TheBoyWhoCriedWerewolf'', every time creepy caretaker Madame Varcolac's name is mentioned, a werewolf howls. "Varcolac", by the way, is a wolf-like evil spirit in Greek and Slavic folklore.
59	[[/folder]]
60
61	[[folder:Literature]]
62	* Nettie from the short story ''Bargain with the Wind'' by Sharon Shinn might qualify. Unusually, she is the narrator, and [[spoiler: she turns out to be an immortal earth spirit charged with protecting the masters of the house]].
63	* ''Literature/GoblinsInTheCastle'': Downplayed with Hulda. She always yells (because of her bad hearing), and uses her mutilated finger (which is missing its last joint) to scare William into behaving, claiming that Granny Pinchbottom will bite off the end of ''his'' finger too if he doesn't keep out of the sweet jar. She's also not the best at keeping the castle clean, as evidenced by her letting the laundry sit for months and not bothering to dust the castle for even longer (William notes that he likes to write his name in the dust, and the only signatures that are gone are those that have been covered with new dust). But she's really harmless, and a good cook. She's also genuinely worried about the Baron when he falls into an enchanted sleep in ''Goblins on the Prowl''.
64	* The housekeeper at the mansion the Impress and party escape to in [[Creator/DaveDuncan Dave Duncan's]] ''Literature/AHandfulOfMen'' sequel quartet (''Literature/AManOfHisWord'' is the first quartet). The housekeeper talks to the ghosts and interprets and furthers their prophecies.
65	* Averted in ''Literature/JaneEyre'', where Mrs. Fairfax is the most normal and wholesome person around creepy Thornfield Manor.
66	** Same in ''Literature/WutheringHeights,'' written by Charlotte's sister Emily Bronte. Nelly is the [[OnlySaneMan only normal person]] at Wuthering Heights by a LONG shot.
67	* Eunice Parchman, the housekeeper in Creator/RuthRendell's ''A Judgement in Stone'', is mildly creepy and off-putting, but that's probably just because she's desperately keeping a secret (her illiteracy) which will eventually drive her to murder the entire family. (And that's not even a spoiler: the book ''begins'' with the sentence "Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write." The ensuing novel is an exploration of the hundred tiny threads that lead to the murders, such as that she can't read a note written by the daughter and comes to believe that whatever's written on it is making fun of her.)
68	* The title character in Creator/RoaldDahl's short story "Literature/TheLandlady" says that she has stuffed all her dead pets herself. Apparently, [[spoiler: she has done so to her previous guests as well and is about to do so to the young man who stays in her house]].
69	* Of ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'', Mrs. Macready is the housekeeper for the Professor. When she first meets the children and they ask if it's her she says "Afraid so." When they get to the house all she does is tell them what they're not allowed to do.
70	%% * Dr. [=McRae=]'s housekeeper in ''My Dear Enemy''.
71	* In ''Literature/NorthangerAbbey'', while they are on their way to the titular location, Henry teases Catherine by telling her (among other things) that they employ a Creepy Housekeeper named Dorothy. This is one of the stock [[GothicHorror Gothic]] tropes that he (and, by extension, Creator/JaneAusten herself) is parodying with his [[BlatantLies outlandish]] narrative about what Catherine will find at Northanger.
72	%% * Mrs. Danvers from Daphne du Maurier's ''Literature/{{Rebecca}}'' is pretty much the iconic example.
73	* ''Literature/RiversOfLondon'' features Molly, maid, cook, and housekeeper for the Folly. Looks like an attractive maid at first glance but at second glance moves too quickly and quietly for comfort, will not or cannot speak, and covers her mouth when she laughs or smiles to hide way too many teeth.
74	* Also averted with the pleasant, helpful, long-suffering Mrs. Hudson. Though it might be supposed that her neighbors think she's a bit nutty for putting up with [[Literature/SherlockHolmes her eccentric tenant]].
75	* ''Literature/PointHorror'' had Mrs Ferdinand in ''Unleashed's'' ''The Bogle.'' A grouchy and strict old woman with a [[ScareEmStraight Scare 'Em Straight]] philosophy. She creeps out Peter and Morag so much they suspect she murdered her previous employer. On investigation [[spoiler: they find his body in one of the many nooks and crannies in the house. Mrs Ferdinand's reaction to this discovery is to burst into tears and even thank them for solving the mystery.]] When the Bogle enters the picture [[spoiler: she begins to soften, taking pity on the afflicted Johnny and later on Morag when she falls victim. On seeing both of them suffer she realises her philosophy has done more harm than good and morphs into a [[KindlyHousekeeper Kindly Housekeeper]], even supporting the local witch in getting rid of the Bogle despite her strong Christian beliefs.]]
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
79	* ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'': Frankenstein-esque Lurch. "You Rang?" Though he's hardly the scariest member of the family. Heck, he's the LEAST scary. Except for Wednesday in the original series, who is really sweet; she just likes headless dolls and spiders.
80	* Mrs. Bale from ''Series/AsTimeGoesBy'': Subverted, since she is secretly quite nice, just extremely strange. Lionel does, however, make a Mrs. Danvers joke at her expense. As is revealed in the wedding episode, she also has a secret crush on Rocky, her employer.
81	* ''Series/DeadMansGun'': Not exactly evil, but in "Black Widow" [[TheBluebeard Sanford Hogan]] has a crabby elderly housekeeper who is not shy about vocalizing her dislike for her master's new wife Tanya. Tanya arranges for her to take a fatal StaircaseTumble to clear the way for her own plan.
82	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
83	** Mrs Pritchard in the serial "Ghost Light". [[spoiler:She turns out to be the lady of the house, brainwashed into serving the main villain Josiah Smith.]]
84	** And the ExpandedUniverse has Satthralope, housekeeper of Lungbarrow back on Gallifrey. She's married to the [[GeniusLoci house]] and spends most of her time sitting in her room spying on the house's inhabitants via the mirrors.
85	* Marge Longacre in the episode "Scarecrow" of ''Series/FridayThe13thTheSeries''. The episode wastes no time in revealing either her villainy or creepy insanity, with much of the suspense stemming from when the heroes Micki and Ryan will finally figure out what all [[EvilIsHammy her big-eyed looks, strange turns of phrase, and husky, low voice]] mean. (The fact her first meeting with them had her turn on a dime from the usual rural suspicion and resentment of city outsiders to welcoming them to stay at her inn should have been a clue.) Still, her switch from [[DissonantSerenity calmly knitting and smiling in satisfaction]] as the titular scarecrow chases a screaming Micki in another room, to [[AxCrazy wildly attacking]] with a pair of scissors, is disturbingly effective.
86	%% * Mary-Anne plays a parody of this trope in a Vampire-spoof dream sequence in ''Series/GilligansIsland''.
87	* Hannah Grose in ''Series/TheHauntingOfBlyManor'', especially with her fixation on lighting candles for departed, tormented souls.
88	* On ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack'', Miss Claudette has this reputation among the other inmates; they only know her as a NeatFreak who seems suspicious of everyone and everything, and she is reputed to have murdered someone. [[spoiler: She ''did'' kill someone, but not for the reason her fellow inmates seem to think. She ran an illegal maid-service (illegal because the girls were, just like she once was, underage and undocumented Haitian immigrants), and [[MamaBear she found out that one of her clients had sexually abused a 14-year-old girl that she had sent to him. So she killed him in retaliation.]]]]
89	* Karla Grunwald in both ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'' and it's spinoff ''Series/{{Ravenswood}}''. Subverted in that she's also CreepyGood.
90	* Miss Stolz from ''Series/QuantumLeap'': In the episode "A Portrait for Troian," the Creepy Housekeeper is used to her full potential, and we find out that Miss Stolz was actually a ghost the entire time. If that's not creepy, I don't know what is.
91	%% * In ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', Mrs Templeton in Captain Janeway's Gothic romance holonovel is one of these.
92	* Sam and Dean Winchester in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' run afoul of one in the episode "Hammer of the Gods". Said housekeeper is first shown killing a man, and then confirms his credentials with [[StealthHiBye inexplicably disappearing]], [[IAmAHumanitarian preparing other people for food]], and cutting Sam to collect a blood sample [[SuperSpeed without ever being seen]]. [[spoiler:It is eventually revealed that he's the Roman god, Mercury. He's also hardly the worst thing in that hotel.]]
93	* ''Series/ShakespeareAndHathawayPrivateInvestigators'': Deirdre, Alban's housekeeper and cook in "Die We Must", looks like Mrs Danvers, runs the house with a rod of iron, and keeps referring to Lu and Frank as 'unbidden intruders', Lu forgives her because she is an excellent baker.
94	* ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' has David Mitchell doing a hilarious spot-on version of Mrs. Danvers playing this trope to Rebecca herself, comparing her disdainfully to the second Mrs. De Winter!
95	[[/folder]]
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97	[[folder:Music]]
98	* The Music/{{Vocaloid}} song "[[https://youtu.be/SBuMStRTsmI Sweet Shackles]]" could be this trope's anthem! GUMI portrays a maid in [[{{Yandere}} deeply devoted love]] with her master, who has become engaged to another woman. Knowing this, GUMI has a VillainousBreakdown, [[BoundAndGagged ties her master in rope]] and holds him hostage in his ''own mansion'' (with the implication she'll [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty have her way with him]]) and [[AndNowYouMustMarryMe forces him into marrying her]].
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Theatre]]
102	%% * Jane Twisden from Charles Ludlam's ''Theatre/TheMysteryOfIrmaVep''. Mainly a parody of Mrs. Danvers.
103	* ''Theatre/TheCatAndTheCanary'' has "Mammy" Pleasant, a voodoo woman from the West Indies. For twenty years after Cyrus West's death, she tended his OldDarkHouse with her "friends from the shadow world" to keep her company.
104	%% * Frau Lurker in ''Theatre/TheHouseOfFrankenstein'' is a very broad parody of the trope.
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Theme Parks]]
108	* Subverted in ''Ride/TheHauntedMansion'', as the unnamed Groundskeeper that guests encounter at the beginning of the Graveyard scene is just as spooked by the ghosts as (presumably) you are. You'd think that he'd be used to it by now. [[note]]Fan theories have suggested is that he's not scared of the ghosts, but by seeing you be thrown out of the attic window and subsequently killed by the Black Widow Bride/Constance Hatchaway. Other theories suggest that the guests' appearance has made the ghosts materialize, and that he has never seen the ghosts before, or that he was an [[LaserGuidedKarma unknowing grave robber caught in the act by the ghosts]].[[/note]] Also subverted or straight in that the Cast Members running the ride are dressed as members of the Mansion's service staff, and depending on their disposition, can be creepy or quite cheery.
109	* Played straight in ''Ride/TheTwilightZoneTowerOfTerror'' for the same reason as the above Haunted Mansion; the Cast Members running the ride are dressed as the Hotel's bellhops, elevator attendants, and so on. In a moment of NeverTrustATrailer, most ads show the Cast Members as ghoulish looking, gray-skinned bellhops with white eyes. Whether this was an AbortedArc or never intended to happen is not quite clear (it would be monumentally expensive and difficult to teach every Cast Member who works on the ride to do the makeup themselves, to the level of having them essentially be performers ''and'' running a ride).
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Video Games]]
113	%% * Cainhurst Castle in ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' has an army of these, with just as many engaged in cleaning as [[BattleButler attempting to murder you with blowpipes and swords.]]
114	* In RPG Maker horror game ''VideoGame/{{GUL}}'', Kaske immediately has a bad feeling about Azumi, the blue-haired housekeeper that welcomes his school group into her master’s mansion with a creepy stare.
115	* Daniella from ''VideoGame/HauntingGround''. And she's like that ''before'' [[GirlWithPsychoWeapon attempting to kill you with a shard of glass/fire poker]].
116	* Martha from ''VideoGame/RuleOfRose'' gives a distinctly creepy, unfriendly first impression, and the orphans in the Rose Garden Orphanage believe she's a witch. [[spoiler:Subverted as it is revealed in the epilogue that she was the only definitely sane and well-meaning person in the house despite her unpleasant demeanour, and her attempts to contact the police about the strange happenings were implied to have gotten her killed.]]
117	* ''VideoGame/TheSims1'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheSims3 3]]'' take this to another level with the buyable maid Bonehilda. She is a [[DemBones skeleton]] who performs much of the same functions as a maid. While she doesn't actively try to scare Sims, they will sometimes run in terror from her. Additionally, if you already have hired a maid and the maid sees Bonehilda, she will quit.
118	* Corin Wickes of ''VideoGame/ZenlessZoneZero'' comes off as this to new employers, thanks to her perpetually anxious, nervous, and scared demeanor, alongside the giant [[ChainsawGood circular saw on a stick]] she carries around with her at all times. Subverted, however, because, like all the other employees of Victoria Housekeeping Co., she's an amazing maid while also capable of ''[[NinjaMaid violently]]'' [[NinjaMaid taking on the]] extradimensional threat of the Hollow.
119	[[/folder]]
120
121	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
122	* The Maid in ''VisualNovel/TheHouseInFataMorgana'' is extremely enigmatic and creepy and is implied several times to be the witch Morgana who haunts the mansion.[[spoiler: She's eventually revealed to be the main heroine and love interest.]]
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder:Western Animation]]
126	* Consuela for ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. Although she is (rarely) found working in a mansion, she is pretty creepy. If you don't think she belongs here, you're going to have to get her to leave yourself.
127	--> "No, no... I stay... I clean."
128	* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' has Fred inheriting a mansion from a distant relative but, if something happens to him, the fortune will go to the very creepy (and apparently homicidal) butler, cook, and gardener. HilarityEnsues.
129	%% * The deformed butler and the creepy maid in ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters''’s episode "Loathe Thy Neighbor" (a spoof episode of Series/TheAddamsFamily) working for [[CreepyFamily the Micawb family]].
130	[[/folder]]
131	----
132	->''BLUCHER!''[[note]][[RunningGag WHINNY]][[/note]]

Context Main / CreepyHousekeeper