Remains at the high standard Polanski intended.

Rating: Null/10 (22 May 2012)

Rosemary's Baby, unlike the vast majority of horror films, remains decades after its release as terrifying and unnerving as it must have been when it was first shown to audiences. This is due mainly to writer/director Roman Polanski and the universally believable and creepy performances of the cast. Having never read the book, what becomes apparent almost immediately is the overwhelming sense of dread hanging over these characters, despite the fact that the story starts out so innocently.
Being Polanski's first Hollywood film, it remains astonishing how in control and consistent his direction of this film is. Never straining for cheap thrills or exploitative emotions, Polanski shows here why he is to be considered among the best of directors. Each shot sets up what will happen next and the screenplay does not create a situation in which he characters are acted upon by the impersonal force of the plot. Rather, it is the characters who inject the plot with occurrences, making the end result that much more believable and unsettling.
As for the performances, Mia Farrow may never have found as iconic a role as she did with Rosemary Woodhouse the sweet, innocent, somewhat naive but very observant and intelligent young housewife who finds herself caught up in situations beyond her control. We empathize with her because her motivations are pure and she is as likable as a screen character can be. This is offset by the warmly creepy presence of the Castevets, played brilliantly by Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer. Even John Cassavetes, better known today as America's first independent filmmaker, gives a quietly disturbing performance as the loving husband who turns out to be something we could not imagine.
Over forty years after its release, Rosemary's Baby continues to send chills up the spine and remains a watershed in horror film history. It needs no special effects or ugly creatures to inspire dread and fear. It does this the old-fashioned way: acting and direction.