Hell Cometh As a Child.

Rating: Null/10 (30 October 2002)

The first horror film that dealt directly with Satan instead of some conjured up manifestation was Roman Polanski's atmospheric and highly disturbing "Rosemary's Baby". A film that definitely paved the way for other great horror films of the next 20 years or so (most notably the superior "The Exorcist" and the equal "The Omen"). A young couple (Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes) has moved to an apartment in New York City. Everything seems fine, but the elderly next-door neighbors (played by Oscar-winning scene-stealer Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer) seem a bit strange. Soon more elderly people start hanging around and after a very odd dream Farrow becomes pregnant. It seems that Cassavetes is the father of course, but the audience knows much better. The most unholy one of all has come up from the fires of Hell and impregnated Farrow in reality. Now the tension builds as Farrow is guarded by her husband and elderly friends as they all try to keep the real truth from her. Polanski's tone is the real thing that keeps "Rosemary's Baby" highly entertaining and very difficult to sit through at the same time. The finale is a bit of a let-down to some (including myself to an extent), but overall the film does enough good things to become a cinematic horror classic. 4 stars out of 5.