Review of Rosemary's Baby (1968) by Scotty D — 31 Oct 2014

In the realm of horror flicks, slashers run rampant and boo/jump scares reign supreme. That's why it's such a delight to sit down with a film that, rather than go for the cheap scares, takes its time to show you something unsettling. The very idea of Rosemary's Baby makes my skin crawl, so I can't even begin to imagine how women may feel about the idea.

For those not in the know, the story focuses on (you guessed it) Rosemary and her husband Guy. They move into a new apartment, get friendly with the neighbors and then . . . things begin to get weird. After a really bizarre dream involving rape, Rosemary finds herself pregnant. After this, her neighbors seem to intrude into her every waking moment. Anyone outside the circle of folks that live within the building seem to drop off like flies. Fearing for her baby, Rosemary tries to distance herself from these new "friends" and eventually suspects them to be involved in some sort of witchcraft.

Director Roman Polanski goes for the slow burn here and it absolutely works. The first half hour or so I'd wager to say isn't the most interesting, as it just focuses on the life and times of Rosemary and her husband. Rosemary is seemingly a bit stilted at first, but after the dream sequence hits and Rosemary's paranoia grows, the audience will only identify with her more. From a technical standpoint, long shots really allow the tension to build. One such infamous shot in a phone booth was done all in one take, and masterfully done at that.

It can be a little infuriating to see how controlled Rosemary is, but given her personality established in the beginning of the film and the times . . . it's not quite in her character to just hop in a taxi and run away. Of course, when she does try to escape the hellish pit she's fallen into, it's too late.

People these days want to talk about fucked up endings. Oldboy, for instance. What a fucked up ending! Okay, Oldboy DOES have a fucked up ending, but Rosemary's Baby is the originator of fucked up endings in my book. The whole finale after the baby is born is tense and creates a wonderful sense of dread. When you think about what actually is and isn't shown, it's amazing the film pulls off what it does.

It's easy to shove an image in the viewer's face in tandem with a loud noise and call that "a scare." This is what most horror movies tend to pass off as horror. Sure, they can be well done and fun when done right, but Rosemary's Baby is the antithesis of that. It plants an evil seed inside of you and allows it grow and flourish. The effect of which is that even when the end credits have finished rolling, that macabre feeling is stuck with you.