Following yesterday’s film The Tingler, director Willian Castle had purchased the rights to book that he wanted to make. Rosemary’s Baby (1968). Paramount Pictures agreed to finance the film if Castle didn’t direct the film. Castle did get to make a cameo appearance in the film though.
Mia Farrow stars as Rosemary Woodhouse who moves into a new apartment with her husband Guy (John Cassavetes). Everything seems fine, the neighbours are pleasant. Minnie and Roman Castevet (Ruth Gordon in a role that won her an Oscar and Sidney Blackmer) are an older couple but seem to try to be helpful to the new tenants. Later Rosemary meets another tenant who seems nice until she apparently thrown herself to her death from Castevet’s apartment window. That’s just the beginning of the creepy things that happen around the apartment.
After a supper with the Castevet’s, Guy’s luck starts to change as he is given a role after the main actor is suddenly struck blind. Guy then tries to convince Rosemary that they should have a child. On their special date night, Minnie Castevet gives them some chocolate mousse, which Rosemary finds distasteful and then passes out. What follows is a bizarre dream where several naked people seem to watch as Rosemary is raped by a demonic looking fellow. She wakes to discover that Guy decided to take advantage of her unconscious state. Later she discovers that she is pregnant and then things really start to get terrifying.
Directed by Roman Polanski, Rosemary’s Baby is one of those legendary films you always hear about. I seem to recall renting the movie at least three times before I actually managed to watch it. No real reason why I didn’t watch it but it just seemed that something always prevented me from seeing it. The tape was busted. Random emergencies arose but when I finally saw the film, I couldn’t help but wonder what the fuss was about. Upon a second and third viewing though I seemed to appreciate it more and more. It’s a creepy film that has weird touches of humour throughout it but the end effect is quite good. I can’t help but wonder what kind of film it would have been if William Castle had been allowed to direct it.
