Rosemary’s Baby (1968, Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon)
Pray for Rosemary’s baby
Quick plot: In a nutshell: Sex and the City Goes to Hell. A young couple moves into a New York apartment building with some strange neighbors. Things begin to spiral out of control when she becomes pregnant, and her husband seems to become very distant. It becomes apparent that these crazy neighbors are actually Satanists, and they believe the mom-to-be is carrying the son of Lucifer.
Scariest scene: Well, those hazy shots of Satan having his way with a woozy Mia Farrow are pretty icky. But hands down, director Roman Polanski saved his most disturbing shot for last when Rosemary finally takes a look at her hellspawn … and smiles.
Final say: One could argue this is more satire than horror, with the chills coming from the seeming harmlessness of the villains. Rosemary’s plight seems ludicrous at first, then horribly inescapable. Check out Charles Grodin in an early role as a creepy gynecologist.
