Sinfully Fantastic, A Landmark In The Psychological Horror Genre And Leading Ladies

Rating: 8/10 (6 April 2020)

So I haven't seen this film until recently. I finally watched it because the film was referenced in Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". Seeing as Polanski was a character within that film. I find it incredibly ironic and sad that Polanski makes this film surrounding a pregnant woman and then not long after his then pregnant wife Sharon Tate is brutally murdered. How crazy is that?
However, going back to the film, it's of course fantastic but I wasn't surprised that it was. The film has been described to me as nothing short of a psychological horror masterpiece, which is my favorite genre type. This movie has so many layers, as soon as I watched it I sought out a video explaining all of its themes and symbolism. Some of the themes in which I gathered were that of of course the occult and satanism. But also feminism/women's liberation, paranoia and mental health. That's a huge amount of plot in one film and it somehow maintains its pacing and composure. It's actually really incredible! This could be because a lot of it is very subtle and not so in your face obvious.
I feel like I'm going to have to rewatch this film to get all of what it has to offer. Obviously I can still fully appreciate it for what it is though. This film is also stylistically very fascinating to look at. Accompanied with a fantastically creepy and unsettling soundtrack, you have an incredibly powerful movie. We also have an Oscar worthy performance from Mia Farrow (who honestly I thought was Twiggy at first lol) and a frustratingly fantastic performance by John Cassavetes whom I wanted to punch in the face so badly in this film.
Please see this movie if you haven't. You'll be incredibly unsettled and be warned there is a very explicit sexual assault scene. It's done in a way that's unrealistic but followed up with a scene that's way too real between a wife and husband. Done well, but can be triggering so please be aware.