Rosemary’s Baby
| release date | June 28 1968 |
| studio | Paramount |
| director | Roman Polanski |
| writer | Roman Polanski |
| starring | John Cassavetes, Mia Farrow |
| rating | R |
| tagline | Pray for Rosemary's Baby |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
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****Review Contains Minor Spoilers****
“One might argue Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby is not a horror film, since it lacks almost everything you’ll find in almost all of them: shock moments, vampires, werewolf, serial killers, even blood. The most graphic scene is a nightmare sequence that displays a rape scene so stylized it isn’t actually disturbing. But one might also argue that Rosemary’s Baby is a horror film in its purest form, since it doesn’t depend on all those gimmicks to create its atmosphere. I prefer the latter point of view.
So what is happening in this film? Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse move to a new apartment. Their neighbors are Roman and Minnie Castevet, an elderly couple. Although they are very friendly, there is something strange about them – the sounds that come from their apartment, the fact they remove all the pictures from their walls when the Woodhouses visit and other things like that. While Rosemary tries to keep a certain distance from them, Guy is very fond of the relationship to his new neighbors, and especially Minnie becomes more and more obtrusive, especially when Rosemary finds out she’s pregnant – she recommends her another (better, as she says) gynecologist’s and mixes a (healthy, as she says) herbal drink for her every day.
The pregnancy, however, develops rather unpleasant: Rosemary keeps feeling pain in her stomach and she becomes thinner (Pregnant women are supposed to gain, not lose weight, a visiting friend observes), and when the pain doesn’t stop after several months, she begins to believe that her neighbors, her gynecologist’s and even her husband conspired against her and want to harm the baby she’s carrying.
All this is told by Roman Polanski in the perfect tone; the mood for the entire film is already set during the opening credits when we hear that weird lullaby, sung by Mia Farrow. And a lot of strange things happen throughout the entire film: Guy and Rosemary are told by Hutch, a friend of theirs, about the horrific past of the house they’re now living in, a young girl that lives with the Castevets commits suicide (really a suicide?), Guy, an actor, gets the role he wanted so badly after the contestant who was originally supposed to play it turns blind, and Hutch, who might have found something out that would help Rosemary, suddenly is in a coma and dies three months later; all these (and a few other) events are precisely dosed by Polanski to draw us more and more into the film, while he makes sure on the other hand that the film doesn’t become absurd. And he manages to give the film an ending that works, makes sense and is observant, slightly (but only slightly) funny and very disturbing, all at once.
Rosemary’s Baby also contains two of the most memorable performances ever: Mia Farrow is haunting as Rosemary Woodhouse. She looks like she is physically suffering from her pregnancy and close to complete despair. And Ruth Gordon is amazing as the curious Minnie Castevet, always friendly, but also giving you the feeling that, hidden behind her generosity, she actually follows her own, obscure motives. If you have a helpful elderly female neighbor, you’ll see her with other eyes once you’ve encountered Minnie Castevet. So, if you think a real horror film needs shock moments, vampires, werewolf, serial killers or at least blood – watch Rosemary’s Baby and you’ll change your mind.” — RWiggum, imdb.com
This film deserves a place in every horror fans library. I didn’t know they showed nudity back in 1968, and Mia Farrow is HOT. Te story is good, and very well directed. I loved it!
I was very young the first time I watched this. I only recall the place I was, a couple of emotions attached to it and the main subject in which the movie dwelt.
For all of this, the movie left its mark at that time.
I’ve watched again recently.
Several times.
Polanski is a genius. No doubt about it. But what he is able to accomplish with Rosemary’s Baby goes slightly beyond that.
This movie is horror. But it’s not today’s horror.
It’s horror in its purest form.
True evil, darkness, madness, paranoia, delusion… it can all be felt here. And all wrapped in an apparent context of normality. Brilliant.
“At first I thought I started reading a soap opera. But then I found myself reading it at four in the morning with my eyes burning.”
This was what Roman Polanski said about the time he began reading the novel.
I completely understand him. And that is what you get if you truly let yourself be involved in the movie.
One of Polanski’s greatest achievements as a director is his ability to suggest. No visual effects. No big budget scenes. Pure mental and spiritual suggestion. This is superbly done in Rosemary’s Baby.
But what he suggests, and the way he suggests it is so unspeakable that we find ourselves wondering if we should believe it.
But we do.
And, at a certain level, we want to.
At least I did.
And the seemingly normal atmosphere in which he involves the story is as simple as it’s perfect.
The actors (specially the six characters more focused throughout the movie) are pretty close to emotional incarnations. They are so drawn into the story that, at some point, you feel inclined to be drawn with them. You can actually feel their feelings and experience the relationships between them.
Another note goes to the year of its release. 1968. With Rosemary’s Baby, Polanski dared to go where no other director had gone before.
At least not like this.
You can appreciate this movie at many levels.
But the best way for one to experience it is to regard it for what it really has to offer.
And that you can only discover by looking deep inside yourselves.
One of the greatest horror films ever made.
Classic, total classic. A little slow at times, but it’s a slow burn that pays off at the end.
This is a classic movie and its slow intill the ending comes….they shouldn’t try to remake this movie at all some horror movies don;t need to be made again just leave it as it is.
Truly, genuinely creepy. This movie’s all about tension and suspense. You can really feel the anguish Mia Farrow is subjected to in this movie and, even though this story has been duplicated numerous times of the last 4 decades, I’ve never felt so wholly chilled to the bone by the end of a “my baby’s evil incarnate” film.
And the ending! Don’t even get me started. The chant borderlines on cheeseball, but somehow the bluntness of it all and how they all believe it with such passion is beyond disturbing. Not to mention Mia Farrow’s ultimate decision and final action in the film…
This is more of a horror film for women, especially young women because imagine that you were raped by Satan and your baby is the anti-christ.
This is still a good movie though for everyone to watch, because the performances and suspense is well maintained throughout and the ending is o_o
What a fantastic movie, classic!
a little slow at some parts but stll a very good movie
loved it, definatly a classic
Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby is the kind of film that the term “classic” was designed for. It is a nearly perfectly executed work in everyway, and it is the exact antithesis of what we have come to identify and expect from horror films. Instead of jump-scares and gore we are given slow-built tension and subtle hints of macabre events. Truly, it is not a particularly scary film, though it does expertly create an anticipation of dread.
The script is elegantly adapted from its source material (a novel of the same name) and crafted with realistic dialogue. It provides the viewer with clues that are neither obtrusively obvious nor invisibly vague, all of which tie together neatly in an ending that is as memorable as it is plausible. The film, though filled with the sense that danger lurks behind every corner, is not without its humor, especially in the final scenes. Polanski was a master filmmaker who, though taking his works seriously in an artistic sense was always aware of the nature of his chosen medium and of the audience that would view it.
The story follows Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse, a young couple who move into an Upper West Side apartment building (exteriors shot at the infamous Dakota building where John Lennon would be killed). An elderly couple, Minnie and Roman, live next door, who they alternately avoid and befriend. Rosemary and Guy decide to have a baby, but after she becomes pregnant she begins to suspect that Guy, Minnie, Roman and even her doctor are witches who want to harm her baby. The truth, however, is much worse. The film begins slowly but very gradually quickens its pace as more and more pieces fall into place. The audience and Rosemary begin to discover disturbing information, punctuations throughout what is the everyday life of a typical young couple of the time.
Part of what makes this film so mesmerizing is the performance of its cast, most notably Mia Farrow (Rosemary) and Ruth Gordon (Minnie). Farrow is perfectly waifish and sympathetic in her role, playing a well-balanced character that is slightly naive without being irritatingly daft, and is able to effectively carry the nearly two-hour film. The audience catches on to the conspiracy long before Rosemary, but it is a testament to Farrow’s performance that we do not become frustrated with her. Gordon, even in her seventies, exudes a manic energy that captures the viewer’s attention each time she enters the screen. The lines spill from her lips in the most natural way as she embodies her role completely as the nosy, overly helpful neighbor who may harbor darker motives. At times she can even be accused of over-acting, but this is all done in the intentional humor that peppers the film. Similar praises can be laid upon the rest of the cast, and there are some easy-to-miss but great cameos, such as Tony Curtis’s voice on the telephone (watch Mia Farrow’s real confusion as she tries to identify the voice) and a quick appearance by the gimmick master of low-budget horror films, William Castle, who plays a man ominously waiting outside a phone booth. That latter scene, in particular, is a wonderful continuous shot.
The cinematography is likewise top-notch, and Polanski fills the frames with carefully chosen color schemes that grab the eye. His direction is patient and methodical, allowing the actors to really explore the scene and make the most of their sets. Even the more graphic episodes are tastefully artistic, most notably the surreal, drug-induced rape scene, as well as other dream sequences. Indeed, the film is effective in blurring the lines between sanity and paranoia, the dreamscape and reality, through Rosemary’s experience.
Rosemary’s Baby works on other levels as well. The dangers that lurk are amplified by Rosemary’s pregnancy, which is in itself a terribly vulnerable status. But perhaps what makes the film so memorable is not what is in the movie, but what is absent. At every turn can be found Satan’s hand and influence, and his agents seem to saturate every corner of high society. However, nowhere is Jesus and/or God or anything to oppose him. The world is the devil’s playground, and it seems as though nothing can or will stop him. In the end, however, we feel that his coming would change nothing, as we have been in his domain all along, and what is unsettling is how comfortable we feel within it.
A+
Just because of the hype created about this movie, I was excited to have a watch at once, but what a nightmare it turned out to be for me. It was utter crap and it really sucked big time. The climax was a real disaster. I felt like give me back those 2 hours and 16 minutes of time that I have wasted on this piece of bullshit.
To be honest, I thought that I’d find this film boring but I was actually pleasantly surprised! It built the suspense up perfectly and I wasn’t bored at all through it! It held my interest and the last half an hour was fantastic edge of your seat viewing. This movie is a true classic and should be watched by all horror fans!
I HATED this film when I first saw it, understandably since I was like 12 and all I cared about seeing was balls to the wall blood and gore, which this film does NOT have in the slightest bit. Now that I am older, I’ve come to appreciate this film a whole lot more. It’s terrific. The acting is great, and the story is really creepy. I only prey that michael douchebag bay doesn’t remake this…i can’t even begin to imagine a remake of this. the thought just makes me cringe
A very weird film but I ended up enjoying it.
Undoubtedly Roman Polanski’s best movie and of course one of the greatest horror movies in history. Unbelievably atmospheric and haunting, tense, thrilling and scary, with an interesting plot, great-looking settings, terrific cinematography, a beautiful soundtrack and a brilliant cast (Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes…). An absolutely outstanding classic.
My favorite film ever, and One of the greatest films of all time, by one of the most fantastic filmmakers ‘Roman Polanski’ What more can I say about this movie, words can’t express how much I love this film! It’s a masterpiece and perfect in every way possible. Mia Farrow gave an absolutely amazing performance, along with the whole entire cast. It’s full of suspence and paranoia, and the best and most eerie dream sequences ever put to film! I promise you will never find another film like this, it’s completely flawless. This is how you make a horror film.
`Rosemary Baby’ is a 1968 American horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on the bestselling 1967 novel by Ira Levin (while it was produced by William Castle). The American Film Institute ranked the film 9th in their 100 Years…100 Thrills listed and it is also ranked number #23 on Bravo’s 100 Scariest Movie Moments for the scene where Rosemary is raped by Satan, also won one & nominated one in the 1969 Oscars Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Ruth Gordon, winner)& Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee) which is really rare for a Horror Movie to be in the category of the Oscars (The movie is held as a Cult spooky Horror Movie).
The Movie starts out pretty classically, light texture & alight hearted until thing started to pan out (showing elements & mystery of what’s happening), it builds up the terror & suspense, it has creepy & eerie atmosphere (in the whole film) & a weird group of religion & a cultural of mostly the whole people in the hotel & they are mostly old people, the special are ok not great as you can tell as it really showing its age, the movie is a different kind of thriller & horror blend that I’ve ever seen & I have to say a quit liked the way it was all coming to give, showing & for its format/style and I also felt sorry for Rosemary being raped by the devil (which was something new & original to watch but very disgusting) & nobody to trust or believe her (and many more nasty things).
The acting was prefect well acted in there crazy & bizarre characters by Mia Farrow (absolute prefect as Rosemary), John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon (Fanatics performance), Maurice Evans, Sidney Blackmer, and Charles Grodin, while the directions by Roman Polanski was cleverly sharp, stylish, a brilliant take direction for it type & year it was made (in 1968) & loved the why he got close & up person to the characters and for the ending which capture brilliantly and the ending was where Rosemary finds what’s been going on & who was involved, as the greatest mystery ending of the 60′s is what did Rosemary baby looks like & it’s a great mystery (especial from the way Mia Farrow as Rosemary lookers when she first saw the baby spooked & creepy me out with goosebumps) of thinking what the baby is like & what it look like (will never know).
(Even know it does make a landscape in Horror & Mystery Movie, I think it’s just a little bit over-hype, but is a brilliant Movie & would watch again).
It was a good movie. It kept me interested all the way, and I couldn’t wait to see what I thought was gonna be a “big ending”.. I was really disappointed at the end! They could have at least shown the baby! Overall, it’s pretty good and creepy, but don’t expect a “grand finale”.
I have never really been a fan of the satanic cult horror sub-genre. But wow is this an exception. This film is woven with elegance and style but holds the ultimate creep factor. What if the people you trusted most, were plotting against you? It is mysterious and will have you guessing. If you haven’t seen this classic, its a must watch film.
Score: 9.5
Decent film.
I can’t say what hasn’t already been said. Rosemary’s Baby is just an amazing film.
This is one of the few movies that lived up to the title of “classic”. I’m an athiest and I was still completely creeped out by this movie. The acting is sensational, the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat, the whole time I wanted to jump into the movie and help her. I strongly suggest watching it, this is now in my top 3 favorite horror movies of all time
Great music and a great performance from Mia Farrow.