On June 12, 1968, Paramount Pictures released one of the most influential films of all time: "Rosemary's Baby".
Based on the bestselling novel by Ira "The Stepford Wives" Levin; produced by fearless showman, William "The Tingler" Castle; and directed/adapted by Roman "The Fearless Vampire Killers" Polanski, "Rosemary's Baby" delivered its chills through sinister subtlety.
Much of the film's success stems from its spot-on leads: Mia "See No Evil" Farrow as the pregnant and paranoid Rosemary Woodhouse; John "Incubus" Cassavetes as her ambitious husband, Guy; and as the couple's cultist neighbors (Roman and Minnie Castevet), Sidney Blackmer and (in her Oscar-winning performance) Ruth Gordon. The meritorious quartet is complemented by Ralph "Wolf Man" Bellamy; Maurice "Planet of the Apes" Evans; Elisha "House on Haunted Hill" Cook; Clay "Architects of Fear" Tanner; Charles "King Kong" Grodin; and in a cool cameo, Victoria "When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth" Vetri (under her alias, Angela Dorian).
Polanski's script is deft and his direction smooth, giving "Rosemary's Baby" a supreme slow burn. We watch poor Rosemary's sanity slip as fate taints her unborn's development, and as much as we may wish to turn away, our eyes remain fixed until the unsettling, suggestive conclusion.
The film soon after inspired other satanic, witchcraft and/or prophesy propelled entries like "Mark of the Devil I & II"; "Blood on Satan's Claw"; "Werewolves on Wheels": "The Devil's Nightmare"; "The Exorcist" (and its sequels/prequels); "The Devil's Rain"; "Race With the Devil"; "The Omen" (and its sequels/remake); "To the Devil a Daughter"; "The Sentinel"; "Holocaust 2000" (aka "Rain of Fire"); and in later years, "The Seventh Sign"; "The Devil's Advocate"; "End of Days"; "The Lords of Salem"; "Devil's Due"; and Polanski's "The Ninth Gate".
Science-fiction undertakings like Larry Cohen's "It's Alive" tetralogy; Richard Matheson/Lee Philips' "The Stranger Within"; and Dean Koontz/Donald Cammell's "Demon Seed" also reference "Rosemary's Baby".
In direct relation, the film spawned a 1976 television sequel called "Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby" with Gordon reprising her role; Patty Duke (who had auditioned for the original) as Rosemary; and Stephen "James Dean" McHattie as her son, Andrew/Adrian. In 2014, A&E aired a mini-series remake starring Zoe "Guardians of the Galaxy" Solanda. In addition, Levin composed a sequel, "Son of Rosemary", which hit shelves in 1997.
From a pop-cultural vantage, "Rosemary's Baby" has stood the test of time. The movie is often mimicked, but rarely rivaled. Revisit "Rosemary's Baby" today for old times' sake, and if you've never experienced it, boy, are you're ever in for a wicked treat.
For the record, I've often thought of John Wyndham's "Midwich Cuckoos" as a forerunner of sorts to "Rosemary's Baby". To me, the alien infestation of the women was always something demonic: an evil conception of Antichrist proportions. I do believe that the original film version, "Village of the Damned", and its sequel "Children of..." insinuate this, though of course, the John Carpenter remake plays up the outer-space connection, but then what are extraterrestrials anyway, but "angels to some and demons to others" (to borrow a "Hellraiser" phrase).
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