Classic, Masterful, Horror

Rating: 10/10 (27 March 2004)

In an age of over the top visual and sound effects it's a real treat to look back on this one for an example of a horror flick built around great story telling, excellent direction and attention to detail, where implied horror is much more powerful than anything that could be shown on the screen. An expecting mother is one of the most vulnerable states of the human condition already filled with worries, doubts and insecurities and this film plays on that to the hilt. The dream, drugged scenes leading up to the encounter with Satan himself are an excellent depiction of the subconscious mind and this movie itself has a way of slowly seeping into the subconscious and getting under the skin. This one uses the technique of beginning in the most common and pleasant of situations and then slowly descending into a paranoid nightmare as well as it has ever been done. John Cassavetes does one of the best husbands as jerk roles that you'll see. Everyone in the film is excellent in their roles, Ruth Gordon almost steals the show and Mia Farrow's delivery is perfect at conveying her emotional state with the inflections of her voice in the delivery of every line. This is a must see film and well worth a revisit if it's been some time since you've seen it. One of Polanski's very best with a nod of course to the obvious Hitchcock influence.