Rosemary's Baby Reviews

[Highly rated reviewer]

A bit far-fetched now but still very good

I ended up watching parts of this twice because the first time I did I couln't concentrate on it and only managed to get about half way through. I watched it again after a general consensus from others who'd watched it that it wasn't good at all. When I did watch it again and got into the last hour I thought it was very good and the last hour was nigh on gripping stuff. It was definitely a different experience from watching it the first time. Definitely as the film went on I thought that Mia Farrow stepped up a gear when she was pregnant and really gave that 'I am a mum and will do anything to protect my child' approach, perhaps best exemplified by the final shot which was chilling, disturbing and sad all at the same time. When first watching it her performance didn't seem to be particularly great so I'm glad I gave it a second chance.

I watched the documentary with Rosemary's Baby and it was good,

definitely upped the appreciation of the film. It's not as good as The Tenant but the more I think about it, the more it sinks in that it's a bit of a superior horror/thriller. The producer, Bob Evans alks at the end saying that there's no gore in the film, no falling walls, special effects or cheap thrills. The whole horror is built up purely through film making and when he said that I was like, yep that's exactly what it is. It was definitely better than The Omen that's for sure.

Watch this, you won't regret it.

Quite simply, they don't make them like this anymore. Roman Polanski achieves what many modern day horror film makers don't. A sense of tension that grips you from start to finish and characters you can truly believe in.

Mia Farrow plays the lead role (Rosemary) and turns in a performance so sincere and so believable that you wonder how she has managed to make so many turkeys since.

Farrow's portrayal of an unquestioning, trusting, naive young woman is first class. It is precisely the fact that Rosemary is such a vulnerable character that gives this film the suspense that carries you from sympathy to frustration and ultimately to open eyed horror.

Turn the lights down and enjoy.

An all round good film

A good film is marked by its ability to build up a plot in a smooth way with no jerk. In a horror film this is very difficult to achieve while also keeping the audience engrossed throughout the film ,not just by terrifying them but also to intellectually stimulate them all the time. This film is so well capable of all this that it would even raise the interest of a hardcore rationalist in supernatural phenomenon, occult theories and witchcraft. All this is done remarkably without any special effects, audio or visual. It relies only on a good script, good cinematography, good use of soundtrack and good performance by the cast. In a nutshell a cool horror film.

spellbinding!

I've just finished watching this movie and am just watching the extras right now. This film is brilliant! Polanski at his best, the casting is faultless and the performances are perfectly measured. Theres a wonderful trippy feel to the film which makes you question really whether what your watching is real or not. Its hard to believe that this was Mia's Big screen debute, and as for the supporting cast well its a veritable who's who of stars either in the accendancy or in the twilight years of their careers, see if you can spot the Tony Curtis cameo!

As for the extras they're not the most numerous but the retrospective and the making of featurette offer a wonderful insight into the experince and process the team went thru to get the film made.

Oh dear

Another one of these supposed old classics. What a lot of nonsense. How this film was classified as an 18 is beyond me. Dark, scary, I dont think so. This is another Exorcist, it may have been excellent 30 odd years ago but I was most unimpressed. I kept waiting for something to happen but it never did.

In my opinion dont waste your time. TOTAL RUBBISH

Baby blues....

While clearly a milestone in cinema for it's time, Rosemary's Baby has not travelled well. Moreover, the cinematic techniques used seem dated and contrived. This only serves to make the entire plot seem shallow and fairly unbelievable. Needless to say, this work didn't leave me with the chills I was expecting. If you want a more credible, and in my opinion far more harrowing, study on similar subject matter, you'd be better off renting The Omen (part I).

Marvellously chilling

Rosemary's Baby is a perfect example of a horror thriller. All the suspense and horror is suggested and not seen, which lets the viewer decide for themselves how to interpret the reality being performed before their eyes.

The film portrays the lives of a yound couple who move into a new apartment block and start to experience strange feelings and visions. During this time, Rosemary (brilliantly played by a young Mia Farrow) falls pregnant and starts to believe that the pregnancy is intrinsically linked to witchcraft. As the plot develops, Rosemary becomes increasingly possessed by the notion she is the victim of external forces and her hsuband being involved in the conspiracy.

Polanski handles the script with great skill and the performance of Farrow is excellent, making you genuinely beleive she is the victim of witchcraft. Another great thing about this film is that he never lets you see the full horror of the conception and ultimately the baby (those who have seen the 1980s TV series V will be grateful for this!). Thoroughlt recommended as its shows a real auteur director at his finest.

Classic horror

I remember my Mum saying that she had the Mia hair cut back in the 60's - this is a classic horror film without the jumpy stupid bits - its great.

Loved it

Great story. Really liked the secondary characters, Ruth Gordon and the guy who plays her husband, were excellent. The lead Mia Farrow was also fantastic. One of the best horror films. Would thoroughly recommend.

An excellent achievement in horror film making that is superbly realised by director, Roman Polanski.

The film is genuinely chilling by just using 'everyday' characters and locations around New York and Mia Farrows performance is outstanding as the mother-to-be.

The only critisism I have is about the ending, which I thought was a bit of a let down, but without giving the game away I will leave you to decide for yourselves.

A must for not just horror movie fans but for everyone interested in cinema !