No effects or action, yet this horror film's a terrifying classic

Rating: 8/10 (4 November 2016)

Polanski's undisputed classic of the horror genre fully deserves the status that it holds. This is a film packed with tension and understated terror that expertly wrings maximum unease from the audience via some great performances and an oppressive atmosphere of fear and distrust. Polanski's direction really draws out the claustrophobic confines of the apartment in which most of the action takes place, and the literate script brings to mind earlier classics like THE SEVENTH VICTIM which substituted atmosphere and style over special effects and clichés. Creepy, suspenseful, thoughtful, intelligent...these are just some of the words that can be used to describe this film.
Mia Farrow is very good as the film's lead; brilliantly conveying paranoia and mistrust as she becomes convinced of the devil cult around her. Her physical alteration halfway through the film comes as a great shock. John Cassavetes expertly conveys charisma and ambition as her actor husband; and yet there's always something slightly sinister about him too. The supporting cast here are particularly good, indeed not one person puts a foot wrong. Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer excel as the friendly neighbourhood Satanists, not of the usual variety. Maurice Evans is excellent in a sympathetic turn as a family friend. And it's great to see cameos from genre veterans Elisha Cook Jr. and William Castle (ironically this film was his biggest success... as a producer).
Most young film fans will undoubtedly find this movie to be hard going; I did too, in places, although not as bad as I thought it was going to be. The running time clocks in at just over two and a quarter hours, so there's a lot to get through. The total lack of effects, violence and action actually succeeds in making this a greater film; their exclusion brings it closer to reality that it might have been otherwise. Made in an age when characterisation and plot were more important than CGI and one-liners, ROSEMARY'S BABY is arguably Polanski's best film and a true genre classic.