To start this review, I must confess something. I have never seen Rosemary’s Baby. It was one of those Halloween gems that I had always heard was a must-see, but I just didn’t take it too seriously to make time for it during the creepy season. I mean, how dramatic could it be that a woman carries the love child of the devil? How in the world do you put that story together and not make it goofy? There’s no way that it could have survived the test of time on that premise. Right? RIGHT?
It did survive, and the premise was not at all goofy. The film was so well made that I’m not sure I will feel at all comfortable about watching it a second time. It’s more relevant than I expected.
Sit back, sip a bit of tea, and let’s talk about the devil’s love child carried by Rosemary.
Official Synopsis (via IMDB)
A young couple trying for a baby moves into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, where they find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.
The devil made them do it
The official synopsis of this movie is absolutely hilarious. Of course, that is as far as the humor goes. The story of Rosemary Woodhouse starts with her and her new husband finding a steal of a deal apartment in New York City. The previous owner passed away but left quite the luxurious living space for the newlyweds. Moving in quickly, and anxious to start a family, Guy and Rosemary begin the film romantically and without a care in the world. The story gleefully plays with their brand-new love and sprinkles in the impression that nothing is wrong in the world. It’s all going to be good.
The film starts well enough, even mimicking the structure and execution of a 60s love story. While there was bound to be some serious drama to put their love to the test, as romantic films went during this period, the first part of the movie establishes how much love Guy and Rosemary have for each other. The playfulness, the young lovers’ dream of a family, and the light and breezy way they walk through life help establish such a beautiful vibe that it’s tough to see how any of this could go south. Polanski knew what he was doing with this innocent setup, as he toured the typical expectations of a romantic drama and purposely led the audience into thinking they were safe, much like Guy leads Rosemary. And then the vibe begins to turn.
The next part of the story begins with the introduction of the neighbors. They’re a kindly, creepy old couple that is up in everyone’s business. They start as someone harmless and slowly begin to attach themselves to the young couple while bringing Guy and Rosemary into a bigger circle of older neighbors. As things progress, the story hints at something not being quite right. Guy attaches himself to the neighbors, inviting them over any chance he can get, and eventually starts to push away from his wife. The neighbors show up so much that Rosemary begins to feel uneasy about the entire neighborly relationship. The zenith of the neighbors’ involvement in the young couple’s lives is when they introduce a younger lady named Terry into their household who seems planted to befriend Rosemary, helping to avoid a sense of detachment from her husband. Soon after the introductions are done between Rosemary and Terry, the latter is found dead on the streets of their apartment, having mysteriously jumped from the upper-story window to her death. At this point in the story, the romantic features have all but disappeared and the veil is slowly starting to come off to reveal something far more terrifying.
This section of the film is when Polanski finally starts to push the demonic buttons of what you might expect from the plot. He still methodically gets the audience to the point where they’re uncomfortable. , dropping breadcrumbs that all is not well with the neighbors or Rosemary’s situation. Polanski begins to introduce a real sense of danger for the first time and eludes to Rosemary being in potential danger. All this comes to a beautiful climax when Terry dies. While she is a throwaway character, literally and figuratively, her death is unsettling, especially considering the closeness she has with Rosemary from the first moment they meet and talk. Terry’s untimely and brutal departure sets the tone for the rest of the film, as Rosemary’s situation begins to freefall and there is absolutely no one around her that can catch her from what is about to occur. It’s devastatingly disturbing and the story is just about to go further with how much it wants to push things.
The big freefall happens fast yet surgically precise in its intentions. Rosemary wants nothing to do with the neighbors, her husband is no longer by her side, and their attempt at creating a family simply isn’t working. As she falls deeper into the madness surrounding her, and the depression that is gripping her, Guy suddenly starts going off the script in their lives. He rapes her after she is drugged, as she imagines the devil doing so with her in her nightmarish hell as naked neighbors watch on with glee. Guy tiptoes innocently around the subject when she awakens, claiming that she wanted it and that it was their conceiving time so that is why he did it without her permission or involvement. All this uncomfortable and unhinged combination of moments ends with Rosemary becoming pregnant. It’s not a happy occasion because of how it happened, nor is it a healthy situation for a young couple that was in love but is so disconnected from each other that they are more strangers than lovers. And as bad as it is at this moment in the story, the situation is only going to become worse.
This part of the film left me angry, disturbed, and wondering how the hell this film survived in the theaters in 1968. The subject matter and how it was approached were crafted to disturb, and it certainly achieved its goal. Polanski’s portrayal of Rosemary said a lot about the expected role of a subservient wife back in the late 60s, and how questions weren’t permitted outside of those stereotypical expectations. The rape on film, while not as graphic as you would see in other films these days, was maybe worse because of how the reactions were afterwards. Rosemary couldn’t dispute what had happened, nor could she turn to anyone because Guy had isolated her from everyone in her life. The sadness from Rosemary was real and incredibly impactful in its delivery. This part of the story seemed to be almost a warning of how women needed to break free of these confines they were locked into and push through to become who they were truly meant to be – themselves. The message was as powerful as it was frightening. How this was portrayed in the film was disgusting as it was meaningful in its intentions. I can see how this movie was horror and terrifying. And yet, it got worse.
The final part of the film begins with Rosemary going through her stages of pregnancy. Her neighbors are fully entrenched and invested in her pregnancy, her husband is no longer on her side about anything, and Rosemary is told to essentially stop acting odd and get with the program. As Rosemary gets into her later stages of pregnancy, she becomes outspoken, easily rattled, and hard to deal with. Eventually, Rosemary’s pregnancy hits a wall, and she passes out, gives birth to the child while she is asleep, and when she awakens, she is told that she lost the child. Icing on her life’s cake and just another layer of sadness for her to take on. It’s awful. The neighbors and her husband are disappointed, and she is constantly kept in check through sedatives and lies to keep her from doing any more harm to herself. Eventually, she becomes suspicious of what she is told, as she hears a newborn baby crying through her apartment walls. She ends this act by finally realizing that she has been gaslit by everyone, including Guy, and becomes strong enough to uncover the truth.
The final piece of this film is alarming as it is uncomfortable. Rosemary’s situation is out of control and finally hitting its fifth gear of madness. Polanski really brought it all with this act, showing the worst part of humankind while building independence with Rosemary. It’s commendable what her character becomes by the end but it’s horrible the cost she must pay to get there. There’s a deeper meaning to her journey and an ending that shows all the cards that the dealer had kept close to the chest. The end of the story is just one to behold as it sews up all the loose ends. I’m sure you can guess how it goes but guessing how Rosemary reacts is a mystery until the final reveal.
Rosemary’s Baby is a marvel at showing off the true horrors of humankind. It touches a heavy amount of supernatural while using that as a vessel to deliver several relevant messages that still echo in 2023. While most viewers might walk away from this experience thinking it’s just about a woman having the devil’s baby, there’s more to it than that, as it crafts its wonderful and terrifying web so very brilliantly. If you have not experienced this masterful horror classic, there is no better time than this week. It will certainly set a new bar for you that will make every other horror film seem like child’s play.
Extras
Paramount did one of the better 4K jobs with Rosemary’s Baby. This version has been cleaned up, colorfully brought out, and ended up simply stunning in its 4K-ness. It’s probably the best way to see the film.
On the extra side of things, here’s what to expect with this 4K release:
-
- Rosemary’s Baby – A Retrospective
- Mia and Roman happened.
- Theatrical Trailer
- 50th Anniversary “Redband” Trailer
The additional content makes this more than worth the price of admission.
