Two of the shots in this film were equally disturbing and uproarious- the film stands as one of Polanski's crowning thrillers

Rating: 10/10 (25 July 2003)

Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby was adapted by Polish director Roman Polanski, who in his American directing debut, created a horror film that contained no gore, practically no blood, no characters with knives and other weapons. Just the feeling of constant dredd and confusion over the fate of a woman's child. Mia Farrow plays Rosemary Woodhouse, wife of a struggling actor, who finds a new apartment in New York called the Dakota. Here, they meet some neighbors (one of which is the impecable, Oscar winning Ruth Gordon) who befriend them, invite themselves over whenever, and even bring food as gifts. Rosemary and her husband, played by director John Cassavettes, think about having a baby, but aren't sure if the time is right. Then one night, after having a drink that the "friendly" neighbor brings over, they make love to concieve, though that may or may not be how Rosemary sees it "this is not a dream, this is really happening!" From then on, the film develops as Rosemary gets pregnant, is recommended a doctor (Ralph Bellamy) who may or may not be giving her the right medical advise, and as she enters her thirs trimester, she starts to realize something is fishy about her neighbors, and her un-born child.
Like Polanski's 1965 film Repulsion, the viewer gets a feeling of something that one could feel in such horror films as Texas Chainsaw Massacre or, more appropriately, the Blair Witch Project- we feel scared or in a state os suspense not because of what we see, but of what we don't see and can't figure out. Those who want to compare this to The first Exorcist need to know that this is the European perspective of a Satan story, and that this builds more brilliantly on claustrophobia while the other builds on the un-expected with style. Overall, Rosemary's Baby is a remarkable achievement in the genre, and in the very last moment in the end, the sense of acceptance Rosemary achieves is possibly the most scariest thing about it.
As I mentioned in the one line summary, there are two shots that to me represent the kind of startling and, bizarrely, even funny double edged sword Polanski can pull in films like this (see also John Huston in Chinatown): the one shot of the "devil" on top of Rosemary will make some drop their mouths open in shock, as did I, but I was sort of laughing at it too, in the manner of how she's so calm in the scene. Another is in the climax, when the witches are gazing proudly at their master's new bouncing baby boy, and out of nowhere there's a little Chinese guy with a camera taking pictures. I'm not sure if this is a detail Polanski took from the book, or if he threw it in himself, but it's rather amazing that this person appears in a group of Satan galvanizers. Grade: A+