Chilling and effective horror film, one of Polanski's best

Rating: 8/10 (29 January 2005)

After putting this film off for some time, mainly due to my strong dislike for any religion-related material, I finally pulled myself together and watched it. I'm glad I did. Very, very glad. From the opening credits, which feature a chilling lullaby, I was hooked. The film is effective without actually showing us anything particularly scary... which is quite an achievement. I don't believe I've seen something like this outside of a Hitchcock film. The basic idea behind this movie is great. The way everything is merely hinted at, never shown directly is incredibly effective, and the film is thoroughly chilling and disturbing. The plot is very good, very involving and interesting throughout the films running time of just over two hours. The pacing is great, in fact, this is arguably Polanski's best paced film. Then again, I haven't seen all of his films, but still... I was never bored, not for a second. The film didn't overstay its welcome. The acting was mostly great, but there are one or two performances by the supporting cast that seem... off, somehow. Nothing big, though. The characters are very well-written, interesting and credible. One thing that bothered me a little was how the only truly likable character was Rosemary... even her boyfriend was annoying, I thought. Maybe that's just me, though. I loved how the plot evolved, and really enjoyed all the little signs given throughout the film, leading up to the end... which still manages to surprise the viewer. I certainly didn't see that ending coming. I haven't read the book which this film is based upon, but from what I hear, it's a very close adaptation. Do yourself a favor, don't ask anyone what the film is about, because they might reveal too much, and just rent or borrow this and watch it. Any fan of atmospheric horror should love this film, despite of the few shortcomings it has(among them is Polanski's love for long takes, which at times get tedious and some of the dialog being somewhat... poorly written). I recommend this to any fan of Roman Polanski, atmosphere in horror flicks and/or any of the actors. Just be prepared for some seriously disturbing stuff, even if it isn't explicitly shown. 8/10