Rosemary's Baby

This is how horror films need to be made. Aside from The House of the Devil (a beautiful throwback to this period of the genre) there aren't any films that can so perfectly create this kind of a chilling atmosphere that keeps your skin tingling from start to finish. From the haunting echo of Mia Farrow's voice eerily leading us in, Rosemary's Baby immediately absorbs you into it's world and never lets you out. That's the perfect word for this; absorbing. Roman Polanski is one of cinema's finest directors and what makes him stand as such is how perfectly he can create an atmosphere. Even in his few failures he crafts a unique and full atmosphere that is expertly made for the film he's creating. He's one of the few directors who always know what he's doing and always creates a complete vision that never wavers. That's on display in spades in Rosemary's Baby, a film that drives mystery, supernatural paranoia and the fears of any pregnant woman into the heart of the viewer. With the help of a revelatory performance in terror from Farrow, Polanski creates a truly perfect film.

Rosemary, in Mia Farrow's performance, is so immediately recognizable that everything that happens to her, happens to us. Her explanation to Dr Hill (Charles Grodin) about the absurdity she's at the center of, is so brilliantly written that she becomes more than just one of us, she becomes us in all the depth of our unspoken fears. To see this film in 2007 is really amazing. Perfection! And that for our benefit. Polanski is not one of those directors who concocts camera tricks to feed his own ego. Everything is at the service of the story. John Cassavettes is a scarily convincing weakling with an ambition bigger than his talent. Ruth Gordon got, what I, in my modest opinion, consider one of the most deserving Oscars in the history of the Oscars. Her performance is beyond superb. Okay, I'm running out of superlatives but let me finish with one more...Roman Polanski is the greatest.

This one stays as part of you for a long time after you watch it. Every detail of this movie is so beautifully portrayed. It is not scary , it's creepy as hell.. But so enjoyable .. And every time you catch it on tv again you'll enjoy it again and again... and you will find some new details you missed the previous time. It is very intelligent, very deep, very dark, but also kinda feels hypnotizing. I just love it! Absolutely love it no matter how sick it is. If you like psychological movies, not fast paced, this one is for you.

Polanski successfully sets the tone right from the beginning as the strange and somewhat scary lullaby plays as the opening credits appear. In the background we see Rosemary's neighborhood while the focus is on her window. This tone is maintained throughout the entire film. The film is quite well executed. Polanski creates a gloomy, isolated and chilling mood. 'Rosemary's Baby' is a horror film but unlike most movies of this genre, this one is very subtle and is more dependent on the atmosphere rather than the 'horror creatures'. It is only in the excellently executed nightmare sequence, which is comprised of fragments of scenes, that one witnesses something 'out of the ordinary'. I was initially dissatisfied by the ending but after some thought, I couldn't think of a better more effective conclusion. The ending itself is so spine-chilling and makes the movie experience more horrifying. The haunting lullaby replays in the end capturing that moment of horror like a photographic memory. The cast does a fine job though clearly this is Farrow's film. Mia Farrow is spellbinding. The way she captures Rosemary's kindness, agony, anguish, fragility and courage is noteworthy. She is simply amazing to watch. I can understand why it is still so popular after 40 years. There has been hardly anything else like it.

Every bit of acclaim that Rosemary's Baby has earned is totally deserved. The Dakota, located at 72nd and Central Park West, is the perfect setting for the demonic events; all that rich Gothic detail in the heart of Manhattan provides the perfect atmosphere, serving as a dark fairy-tale world of its own within the modern setting. Roman Polanski knows this and utilizes it brilliantly, opening the film with stunning aerial shots of the skyline and focusing in on the ornate castle amongst the skyscrapers and tenements.

The acting is fantastic, particularly Mia Farrow, who is the only person I can envision as Rosemary. Her fine-boned fragility makes her the ideal target for terror. She goes from obliviousness to suspicion to fear to near madness without showing a seam, and we as the audience are with her all the way. And Mia is given a run for her money by the delightful Ruth Gordon, a comical yet sinister presence popping in on a deliberate schedule with pale green drinks and sandpapery advice. She's scary because we know her--a batty old broad with a seemingly sweet nature beneath her caustic surface. That such a person could possibly be a vessel of evil is a thoroughly unnerving concept.

Unnerving is the proper adjective for the entire movie. Unnerving, eerie, and penetratingly frightening in a very subtle manner. The subtlety is key, since a more explicit treatment would've spoiled everything. As the tension heightens, we feel what Rosemary feels: Curiosity, then vague suspicion, then paralyzing terror at the final revelation. At all times, the movie retains its dignity, from the opening and closing shots of the building to the flourishing title script to the beautiful music. Even on TV, this picture can chill you to the bone. The best big-budget horror movie of all time.