Rosemary's Baby (1968)

ROMAN POLANSKI

ROSEMARY'S BABY

USA, 1968

10/10

"You're trying to get me to be his mother." "Aren't you his mother?"

ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968) may be one of the few technically perfect films ever created. Everything, from the screenwriting to the acting to the direction to the pacing, every little detail, of this film is flawless. It is often described as being in a Satanic Trilogy of sorts with THE EXORCIST (1973) and THE OMEN (1976), though ROSEMARY'S BABY is the far superior over the other two films (though, honestly, I find THE EXORCIST scarier, but as far as film making, there's no debate, this film is top-notch).

This film may be the perfect example of subtle suggestion. Upon initial viewing, one may find oneself believing that the film is moving too slow, but in reality, Polanski is merely hinting upon the greater reality at hand. And what a wonderful, twisted, and terrifying reality it is. Sure, because of all the build-up (over two hours worth of it), one may believe that the finale fails to deliver, but I couldn't disagree more. (Very, very small spoilers are ahead) From the second Rosemary walks in to the apartment of the Castevet's, my eyes were glued to the screen, and I sat on the edge of my seat. As Mia Farrow's lullaby begins playing in the background once more, and the screen finally goes to black, I still sat there, transfixed upon the film that I had just watched, or rather, experienced. I stayed there for five minutes before I finally got up, just in awe of the wonderful work of art that had been presented before me.

A huge factor in horror is how the film holds up to rewatch. Out of my top five horror films (in no particular order, THE SHINING (1980), PSYCHO (1960), THE EXORCIST, HALLOWEEN (1978) and ROSEMARY'S BABY), I find myself returning to ROSEMARY'S BABY much more often than any of the others. And the film is so wonderful at foreshadowing and subtle hints that I love finding pieces of information hinting towards the direction in which the film is going.

The acting in the film is wonderful, Mia Farrow being able to completely convince and demonstrate the pains of her pregnancy, those both natural and supernatural. The Castevets are both wonderful, giving off the feeling of being friendly and supportive, though something darker lurking underneath. Ruth Gordon was awarded an Oscar for her role, and she definitely deserves it.

To fans of psychological and supernatural horror, ROSEMARY'S BABY is highly recommended, being not only one of the best horror films of all time, but one of the best films in all of cinematic history.