This psychologic horror, which is considered to be a hall mark of art-horror, revolves around a pregnant woman who believes that an evil cult wants to take away her baby.
Cast – Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy
Director/Writer – Roman Polanski
Based on – Book Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
Plot
Guy and Rosemary Woodhouse (John and Mia) shift to a new apartment in an old Gotham building called Bramford, which has a dark and murky past.
An old neighbour couple, Castevets befriend the young couple and suddenly become over involved in their lives. Rosemary finds them intrusive but Guy seems to be completely taken in. Curiously, Guy, who is an actor bags a coveted role when a rival actor looses eyesight in an inexplicable way.
When Rosemary becomes pregnant, things get murkier, worrisome and perplexing. Instead of her own doctor, she is recommended to an obstetrician known to Castevets. As she continues to loose health and feel abnormal, she is discouraged from moving out and meeting people.
When an old friend, Hutch happens to see her and meet the Castevets, he gets suspicious. Bizarrely, the day Hutch was to meet her to tell something important, he falls severely sick and eventually dies, but not before sending her a book which has something shocking and the title is an anagram. She is now sure that her child is under the evil eye.
Is Rosemary able to solve the puzzle? Is it all her paranoia? Or is an evil satanic cult really after her child?
Analysis
Despite not being a fan of old films, the reviews and acclaims of this film lured me to go for it. And I must say I was mighty impressed with the intrigue factor, the suspense and the atmospherics. It was so unlike the typical horrors that we see.
No shock factors, no gory scenes, just an impending looming feeling of grey. It keeps you hooked right from the word go. No wonder the film is considered a classic. In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress being deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
The film is definitely recommended for those who are fans of psychological horrors or Roman Polanski Or Mia Farrow or have an interest in watching something that is part of art classics.