Appartamento 7A

Serving as a prequel to Rosemary's Baby, Apartment 7A is an unnecessary outing that does create intrigue due to its connection to the 1968 horror classic but is unable to sustain it for long despite featuring a similar premise. Slow, boring & forgettable for the most part, the only element that works in its favour is the neat production design and although the cast tries to capture the nuances of the reprising characters, the performances aren't compelling enough. It is devoid of the escalating paranoia that the original captured so well, is tediously paced from start to finish, and goes full cringe in its final moments to finish as yet another dull, derivative & disappointing attempt at reviving an existing classic.

I get that there are quite a few fans of the original (if you can call it that since this is a prequel), I understand that stories could have been tied better... But, you know what? This is a good movie. The main character is likeable, smart, and relatable. The story is interesting and well-paced. There are some creepy characters but they never felt cartoonish. I enjoyed it a lot and it's one of the best horror movies of 2024.

By now you probably know the story and even how it ends, but try to enjoy this movie as a stand-alone. Try not to bother yourself "nobody asked for this, originality is dead", watch it and you just might like it.

Okay. So I liked the period part of this.

And did I remember before I started watching this that it was a prequel to Ira Levin's novel/Roman Polanski's film? No. Didn't dawn on me until I said to myself, "Self, there's Dianne Wiest! And she's doing a Ruth Gordon impression? Oh, duh. This is that Rosemary's Baby cash grab that was put into production because Satanic pregnancies are all the rage in this post-Dobbs landscape." I think this is the 8th devil fetus movie this year alone. But here we are.

I like Dianne Wiest. I don't think Julie Garner was horrible. But this seemed more like a rehash of the Mia Farrow classic - with some aspects a scene-for-scene matchup. Yeah, it's with a single unwed mom set in the pre-Roe era. I mean that is the film's entire premise and reason for existing.

But the film doesn't expand on the Leviniverse beyond saying that things at the Bramford go back before the Woodhouses moved in.

Also, I don't get why they didn't just get Josh Groban for the Josh Groban guy. The did-get guy was easy to look at but the entire time I couldn't stop thinking he was supposed to be Josh Groban.

The movie is watchable. Nothing groundbreaking, nothing must-see, nothing revelatory narrative-wise. It's fine. I did find the ending somewhat pleasant while odd but entirely foreseeable.

Apartment 7A" is surprisingly a very strong film. The storyline stays closely aligned with the original, and the cinematography, both inside and outside the apartment, evokes strong memories of the original masterpiece.

The performances are outstanding, particularly from Dianne Wiest and Kevin McNally, who excel in their roles as the Castevets. The film features thoughtful nods to Rosemary's Baby throughout, and as a prequel, the plot is well-crafted and cohesive.

One of the highest compliments I can offer is that Apartment 7A left me eager to immediately revisit Rosemary's Baby. Together, they would make a fantastic double feature.

Rosemary's Baby is one of my favourite films ever, still stands strong almost half a century later. I watch it time and time again and still notice new things.

When I seen there was a prequel made I gave it no notice, proper eye roll stuff. Why? Can't they just leave a classic as is?

Anyway! Was at a loss and put it in tonight, and I actually enjoyed it. The story line was good, I loved the Easter eggs of the original... its made me want to put on the OG again ha.

I think the low score for this is unjustified, I think you need to have seen the OG for the groundwork of this story to understand it. If watched as a stand alone it would seem abit meh.

So yeh pleasantly surprised... not a patch on OG but a welcomed reimagining using the original story and characters before beloved Rosmary moved in.

On that note. I urge anybody that hasn't.... please watch ROSEMARYS BABY like now!