ROSEMARY'S BABY for some is the greatest horror movie ever made. It's horrors are many fold; the paranoia of others, betrayal of those you trust, violation of the body, secret societies, conspiracy, and the manifestation of ultimate evil. It's a very real life story interwoven with elements of the fantastic. And it touches on so many of humanity's basic fears. The success of this film can be attributed to many reasons; brilliant direction from Roman Polanski, incredibly powerful performances by Mia Farrow, Ruth Gordon, and the rest of cast, and an intriguing and frightening narrative based off the expertly written novel by Ira Levin.
All these elements combine to create one of the most frightening horror film experiences of all time. Many have attributed the film to the popularization of the Devil/Anti-Christ theme in mainstream horror cinema that would later produce such seminal classics as THE EXORCIST and THE OMEN. And the film is the second entry in Polanksi's "Apartment Trilogy" of psychological horror films, the surrounding films being REPULSION (1965) and THE TENANT (1976).
THE PLOT
Rosemary and her husband, Guy, have just moved into one of New York City's oldest and ostentatious apartment buildings. In an act of full disclosure, the building manager tells of how the previous tenant went insane. In spite of further warnings from an old friend about the building's horrific history, Rosemary and Guy take the apartment. Soon, after a tragedy, they meet Minnie and Roman Castevets, a peculiar yet friendly elderly couple living in the apartment nearby. The Castevets grow closer to Rosemary's husband but Rosemary herself can't shake the strange feeling she gets from them. While trying to conceive, Rosemary has a vivid nightmare of being raped by the Devil while Roman, Minnie, and several others watch. Days later Rosemary discovers that she's pregnant. What ensues is a series of strange and nightmarish events that may be true or may all be in Rosemary's fragile mind.
WHAT I LIKED
Evil. One can view Rosemary's Baby in two ways: the threat is all in Rosemary's head or there really is something satanic at work. The more straight forward approach is that Rosemary is our reliable narrator and everything she believes is happening is real. It begins with little things such as a gift or poisoning in the food and grows from there. The paranoia sets in and you start questioning everyone and everything. And what's so scary about it all is that there is no presence of God or a force for good in this film. Once Rosemary realizes the truth she's already completely ensnared in their web. The thought that if the devil wants you, through his agents, he'll get you, is incredibly frightening. According to this movie we are all at the mercy of dark forces. Grim, yes?
The Slow Burn. This movie clocks in at two hours and seventeen minutes. For a horror film, that's pretty long. For someone used to a spectacle, fast paced, bloody gory film this is even longer. This is a sloooooow movie, but in that pace lies the film's strength. It begins with something small, so small it flies in under the radar but comes in just enough to seem mildly peculiar. From that moment we're doomed only we don't know it yet. Everything builds slowly a tiny piece at a time until the dreadful ending where... evil wins? And we hear that haunting lullaby. This film is the perfect example of the "slow burn."
NITPICKS
Who am I to nitpick one of the most important horror films of cinema history? In an interview with director John Landis, he said that back in the 50's and 60's some horror films used to be a wonderfully twisted and clever narrative built around a schlocky monster. And then in the 80's some horror films were nothing but a schlocky narrative built around a wonderful looking monster. In the case of Rosemary's Baby, the only weak link I can find is in the ritual scene where we are allowed to see the devil. I thought the devil was poorly designed. Now, make-up effects and costumes weren't the things they were in the 1980's and today, but even so, there were some really good monster costumes done before and around this film (Creature From the Black Lagoon being a prime example). And with the budget this film had, there's no excuse for this costume being so bad. That same year Hammer Studios released THE DEVIL RIDES OUT and their devil costume is far better. At least the scene in Rosemary's Baby is fleeting and the camera doesn't linger on the devil too much.
THE VERDICT
Considered by many to be one of the greatest horror films ever made and an important film in cinema history, Rosemary's Baby is a potent psychological horror movie. The narrative plays out realistically and works on multiple levels. The film can be viewed in different ways, playing on our insecurities, paranoia, and emotions. There's a real presence of madness and evil culminating in one incredible slow burn. Rosemary's Baby isn't an easily digestible piece of cinema. It requires patience, endurance, and a little work to get through but the payoff is worth it. A true classic that set the bar for so many others to come.
Overall Ranking: 10 out of 10
Nude-O-Meter: 2 out of 10
For more psychological horror check out the films below
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