ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968)

By Andrew Osmond     June 09, 2001

Supernatural horror with real people: Roman Polanski faithfully adapts Ira Levin's bestseller about a pregnant woman convinced she's enmeshed in a satanic conspiracy. The cast is wonderful. Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer excel as the just-too-friendly elderly neighbors, gently forcing their way into Rosemary's life. John Cassavetes is the not-caring-enough actor-husband--a workaholic, or has he something more to hide? Mia Farrow (Rosemary) is utterly sympathetic, enduring an emotional and mental rollercoaster as she strives to protect her child. A paranoid classic before they became fashionable, this mixes mundane and terrifying like no other film. If the ending tips into melodrama, the journey was more than worthwhile. A creepy lullaby-theme adds the final frisson.