PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Historic horror royalty made another trip around the sun this month: a time capsule of what pushed the boundaries and broke ground for a thrill quenching thirst audiences didn’t know they had. We learned hailing Satan can get you off heroin and obtain you a successful acting career, Tannis Root necklaces aren’t good luck while smelling like ass, and the traumatic constraints forced on pregnant women that destroy their individualism through sexism. Now let’s take a look back into the experience of Rosemary Woodhouse, witchcraft in the city, and what really put Rosemary’s Baby on the map.
Rosemary’s Baby (1968) Synopsis
Rosemary’s Baby is a 1968 American psychological horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski (Chinatown -1974), based on Ira Levin’s 1967 novel of the same name. The film stars Mia Farrow (The Watcher – 2022) as a young wife living in Manhattan who comes to suspect that her elderly neighbors are members of a Satanic cult and are grooming her in order to use her baby for their rituals. The film’s supporting cast includes John Cassavetes (Love Streams -1984), Ruth Gordon (Every Which Way But Loose -1978), Sidney Blackmer (The Count of Monte Cristo -1934), Maurice Evans (Planet of the Apes -1968), Ralph Bellamy (The Wolf Man – 1941).
Who could forget this iconic movie poster?
The Setup
The film centers on Rosemary Woodhouse, an intelligent but naive young newlywed who, with her husband Guy, moves into an old apartment building in Manhattan. Their neighbors Minnie and Roman Castevet are eccentric and nosy, but seemingly harmless, and after befriending them, Guy’s acting career suddenly takes off. Rosemary’s subsequent pregnancy, however, is fraught with difficulties. After reading a book that suggests that Roman is the son of an infamous Satanist, Rosemary begins to suspect that her neighbors have persuaded Guy to make a pact with the devil involving her unborn child in return for his professional success.
Feeling helpless, she soon becomes consumed by paranoia. After giving birth at home under heavy sedation, Rosemary is told by Dr. Sapirstein, a friend of the Castevets, that her baby has died during labor difficulties. Upon hearing an infant’s cries elsewhere in the building, however, she finds a coven of Satanists gathered in the Castevet’s apartment with Guy and her newborn son. Informed that Satan is the child’s father, Rosemary initially reacts with horror but then seems to accept her role as the mother of the demon offspring.
The Payoff
From the opening credits, which feature a chilling lullaby, I was hooked. The film is effective without actually showing us anything particularly scary…which is quite an achievement. I don’t believe I’ve seen something like this outside of a Hitchcock film. The basic idea behind this movie is immense. The way everything is merely hinted at, never shown directly is incredibly effective, and the film is thoroughly chilling and disturbing. The plot is exceptional, compelling, and alluring throughout the film with a running time of just over two hours.
“They use blood in their rituals, and the blood with the most power is baby’s blood!” ~Rosemary Woodhouse
The pacing is superb. In fact, this is arguably Polanski’s best-paced film. The film doesn’t overstay its welcome. The acting was mostly great, but there are a few performances by the supporting cast that seems off. Still, it’s nothing too cumbersome that takes too much away. The characters are well-written, interesting, and credible. One thing that bothered me a little was how the only truly likable character was Rosemary. Maybe that’s just me, though.
I loved how the plot evolves and progresses. Rosemary’s Baby has fun foreshadowing throughout the film, leading up to the end, which still manages to surprise the viewer. I certainly didn’t see that ending coming. I haven’t read the book which this film is based upon, but from what I hear, it’s a very close adaptation.. I recommend this to any fan of Hitchcockian atmospheric horror flicks. Just be prepared for some seriously disturbing stuff, even if it isn’t explicitly shown.
Rosemary’s Baby Final Thoughts
A box-office hit, Rosemary’s Baby offered audiences a contemporary and highly intelligent take on Satanism, in which the devil worshippers hide their devotion to evil under a veneer of affability and sophistication. The film is even darkly humorous at times, as exemplified by Roman’s famous line about the baby: “He has his father’s eyes.” The dreamlike scene in which Rosemary is raped by Satan broke new cinematic barriers, overtly mingling sex with frightening imagery. However, Polanski wisely preferred to leave the horrors unseen, even during the movie’s climactic finale.
You can stream Rosemary’s Baby on digital and demand today. Check out the trailer below!
