Scaredy Cat Watches Vintage Horror – Rosemary’s Baby Review
TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual abuse, Satanism
Need More Time?
Don’t have time to read this now? Download the pdf and read it at your leisure…
Rosemary's Baby - A Fantastic Vintage Horror Film
Rosemary’s Baby is a chilling horror movie that will make your skin crawl.
Directed by Roman Polanski, the film is based on the novel of the same name by Ira Levin. I’m going to be one of those annoying people now and say that the film is great, but the book is better. I devoured Ira Levin books in my early twenties. Rosemary’s Baby and The Stepford Wives are favourites of mine, in both movie and book form. Both have this creeping sense of panicky dread. An overwhelming feeling of being trapped and alone. But Rosemary’s Baby has a grotesquerie that The Stepford Wives has no need for. While I’m not one for body horror* that serves no purpose, the gruesome moments in this vintage horror film really bring a certain something.
Overview of Vintage Horror, Rosemary’s Baby
The story follows a young couple, Rosemary (Mia Farrow) and Guy (John Cassavetes), who move into a new apartment in New York City. After becoming pregnant, Rosemary becomes increasingly suspicious that her neighbours, an eccentric elderly couple, are members of a satanic cult who plan to use her unborn child for their own nefarious purposes.
One of the things that makes Rosemary’s Baby so effective is the slow build-up of tension throughout the film. The atmosphere is eerie and unsettling from the beginning, but as Rosemary’s paranoia grows, so too does the sense of dread. The use of suspenseful music and creepy imagery adds to the overall feeling of unease. It’s a wonderful work of art.
Mia Farrow’s performance as Rosemary is outstanding. She perfectly captures the character’s vulnerability and fear as she becomes increasingly isolated and helpless. John Cassavetes is also excellent as Guy, who initially seems loving and supportive but later reveals a darker side.
Why Rosemary's Baby Still Resonates
Loneliness & Panic
The film’s themes of paranoia, isolation, and the fear of the unknown still resonate today. Particularly in a world where we all feel threatened in our own ways. The right feels that their traditional values are under threat, and that causes them to lash out, putting vulnerable people at risk of physical harm. Both sides of the argument are in a state of panic based on the threat they face (perceived or very real) and neither side feels valued or listened to, which mimics the sense of aloneness and rising panic portrayed in Rosemary’s Baby.
There are also issues around carrying a baby to term that is harming the mother and of women’s pain being disregarded. Rosemary is in a great deal of pain during her pregnancy. Her male doctor keeps telling her that everything is normal and she feels alone and silenced. But finally she is allowed to see some female friends who know instantly that something is amiss. However, when she tries to express concern with her doctor, he again dismisses her and she is back to square one.
This leitmotif of growing concern, potential succour and ultimate disappointment cycles through the narrative and builds the tension to Hitchcock levels of tension. It dangles rescue in front of your eyes only to dash all hope to pieces at the last minute.
It reminds me of another vintage horror classic The Prisoner. Always on the cusp of escape, only to be brought back into the horrible fold by Rover.
Controversy Around Vintage Horror Film, Rosemary’s Baby
As with anything that deals with the devil, Rosemary’s Baby was controversial for a few reasons.
Satanic Symbolism & Glorification
First and foremost, the film deals with the topic of Satanism and the occult, which was a taboo subject at the time of its release in 1968. Many people were offended by the film’s portrayal of Satanists and felt that it was promoting evil and immorality.
Increasingly, the fear of satanism is on the rise. To the point where the Catholic Church is frantically training priests in the ritual of exorcism. At the point of writing this, the podcast has not yet been released, and already I’ve come up against some very scared people on social media who genuinely believe I’m going to hell. I mean… sigh… I don’t believe in Christianity (or any other organised religion), but if I did, isn’t hell where the gays are? I’m omnisexual, so nothing I can do would mean I was going to heaven. But these people seem to think that just beginning this line of thinking is going to open a door directly into the bowels of hell. I find it very worrying that in 2023, religious extremism is on the rise. We are in the second coming of the dark ages. Too much information – not enough discernment.
The Rise of the Church of Satan
It’s probably not helped by the rise of the Church of Satan. Who will tell you very openly that they do not actually worship or believe in the devil. They are instead humanists. The Church of Satan supports empathy between people, freedom, unwillingness to bow tyrannical power, and protest against injustice. Doesn’t sound very evil to me! But the panic it creates among militant Christians is profound.
So Rosemary’s Baby is not only as controversial today as it was back in the 60s, but it also risks being banned along with other entirely harmless media. That’s the scariest thing of all to me.
Pregnancy & Childbirth
Another reason the film was controversial was its depiction of pregnancy and childbirth. The film portrays Rosemary’s pregnancy as a horrifying and traumatic experience, and many viewers found this disturbing and unsettling. There is something particularly grotesque about subjecting a pregnant woman to violence or darkness.
We have this pervasive belief, in the western world, that pregnancy is pure and unadulterated. That babies are blank canvases on which we can write our own narratives and project our own beliefs. A blessed new start. Which is funny considering how prudish a lot of people are. Babies are usually born from sex, however violent that may be. They are created with genitalia, grown in a womb, pushed out of a vagina and then fed with nipples until they’re weaned. At which point, we tell them that all those things are dirty and not to be mentioned or even thought about.
There is this strange notion that pregnant women are beautiful and glowing and in the peak of health. Anything that contradicts that is seen as grotesque. So it’s understandable that people were so dismayed by the hardships that Rosemary goes through in this movie.
Sexual Assault in Rosemary’s Baby
The film’s graphic imagery and themes of sexual assault and manipulation also added to its controversial nature.
One evening, the neighbours bring over a dessert for the young couple. Rosemary complains that it has a strange “under taste.” Later that evening, she has a strange dream that a beast comes into the bedroom and brutally rapes her. In the cold light of the next day, she asks Guy if they had sex the previous night and he says that they did. She is upset and tells him off because she was too drunk. But he essentially tells her that she’s being crazy. And thus the gaslighting begins.
Rosemary finds out later that she is pregnant from this incident.
The Problem with Director, Roman Polanski
Finally, the fact that “Rosemary’s Baby” was directed by Roman Polanski, who was later convicted of sexual assault, has added to the film’s controversy in recent years. Some viewers have questioned whether the film’s depiction of sexual assault and manipulation reflects Polanski’s own experiences and attitudes towards women.
In addition to this, Mia Farrow herself has had a troubled history with men and sexual assault, both of herself and her adopted daughter, who was groomed by comedy director Woody Allen. Allen insists that he and Dylan Farrow fell in love, despite the fact that she was only seven years old at the time of her adoption.
Mia Farrow has also come under scrutiny because many believe that the father of her son, Ronan Farrow, is Frank Sinatra. A result of an affair she had with her ex husband while he was married to his fourth, last and longest-standing wife, Barbara. Frank Sinatra served Mia with divorce papers on the set of Rosemary’s Baby. You can hear more about Mia Farrow on the fantastic podcast, You Must Remember This.
Despite its controversial nature, “Rosemary’s Baby” remains a classic of the horror genre and a significant cultural artefact of the late 1960s. A true vintage horror classic and a must-see for any fan of the genre.
LISTEN TO THE LATEST EPISODE
VISIT THE SHOP FOR PODCAST MERCH
PODCAST COVER
The podcast cover art for Scaredy Cat Skeptic
LOGO
The podcast logo artwork for Scaredy Cat Skeptic
Mascot Maud
Scaredy Cat Skeptic Mascot, Maud