Nightmarish, scary, and disgusting- and that's just the leading lady!

Rating: 5/10 (27 March 2002)

ROSEMARY'S BABY is an interesting, well shot, and occasionally scary movie dominated by the icky, talent less actress Mia Farrow. Her presence taints this movie in my mind, as it does any Woody Allen movie she appears in. After her character becomes pregnant others comment on how terrible she looks and how much weight she has lost, but she look exactly the same! If she did loose any weight she'd be about the diameter of a pipe cleaner. Was there a fashion trend in the 60s where emaciated corpses with bad haircuts were all the rage?
There are good things in this movie, though. It's definitely the best collaboration between the producer of STRAIGHT JACKET and the director of CHINATOWN. The scene where Mia gets knocked up is nightmarish and beautiful, and the surreal ending is okay, if a little anti-climactic. Ruth Gordon puts in another great performance, joining her stellar roles in HAROLD AND MAUDE, EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE, and ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN. The woman is hilarious, and sexier than Mia Farrow. There's also able support from John Cassavetes as the jerk husband, Ralph Bellamy (best known for the Fat Boys' magnum opus DISORDERLIES) as the doctor that gives illogical advice, Maurice Evans (Dr. Zaius), the great Elisha Cook, Jr (THE KILLING), and a pre-BEETHOVEN Charles Grodin as another, more competent doctor. Anton LaVey reportedly plays the devil!
As far as slow-moving devil posseson movies go, this is better than BEYOND THE DOOR but not as good as THE EXORCIST or EXORCIST III. And did I mention that I don't like Mia Farrow?