Not The Classic "Horror" Movie You Might Expect - More Of A Psychological Mystery

Rating: 7/10 (29 September 2018)

This movie is a classic, and 50 years old, and yet strangely enough I had never watched it until now. And, to be honest, it wasn't really what I was expecting it to be. I had the impression that "Rosemary's Baby" was more of a straight horror/thriller type of movie. Instead what I found was more of a suspense/mystery type of story. I didn't find there to be anything particularly frightening in it. It was more mysterious, and for me the question hanging over the whole story was whether any of what Rosemary came to believe was real or if it was just a figment of her imagination. I'll give credit to Roman Polanski, who both directed this and wrote the screenplay - there are plenty of scenes and events in this movie that add to that uncertainty. Things happened or would be said that maybe at first seemed innocent, but as they added up I could see how they began to appear suspicious to Rosemary. But there's also enough going on that causes you to think - "No - this is just Rosemary's imagination going wild." So, although I have to confess that at first I was struggling with this just a bit (probably because it was so unlike what I was expecting) after a while I became quite fixed on the story. Once you're into it (even if you have to struggle a bit with the beginning) you have to see it through to the end. And I will say this about the ending (which I won't give away) - I don't think the resolution was as clear as some make it out to be. I was still left thinking that what was happening could be real - or maybe was still in Rosemary's mind. If I could hazard a guess I'd say that the intent was that what Rosemary believed turned out to be true, but it just wasn't crystal clear to me.
I had mixed reactions to the performances in this. No one really came across to me as outstanding - this in spite of the fact that Ruth Gordon won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Minnie Castevet - Rosemary and Guy's annoying neighbour. I truly did find the character annoying - which perhaps does say that Gordon pulled off the part perfectly, but my reaction to the character perhaps clouded my appreciation of Gordon's performance. I would say that if you wanted to make a movie that in some way features Satan, you could do worse than simply have a young couple move in to a new place who then have to put up with Minnie and Roman as their neighbours. "Neighbours From Hell" you could call it, even without a supernatural angle! As for Mia Farrow as Rosemary - she grew on me over the course of the picture. At first she seemed a bit wooden for lack of a better word, but I thought she did a good job of portraying Rosemary's "evolution" as she begins to suspect that something evil was going on.
This was OK. Once I adjusted my expectations of it - after realizing that it wasn't going to be the traditional horror movie I was expecting - it managed to draw me in. I would say that I think it's perhaps a little bit over-rated, and if you are looking for a traditional horror/thriller type of movie, this is going to be a disappointment. It doesn't have many traditional frights involved with it and it's a little bit slow paced at times. It's a psychological thriller at best; more akin to a mystery than anything. As long as you keep that in mind, it's enjoyable enough. But don't expect to be scared out of your wits, or even to jump or be particularly startled by anything. (7/10)