Ditching traditional scares for a disquieting paranoia that slowly plagues the psyche, Polanski's eerily satanic tale Rosemary's Baby remains a chillingly atmospheric masterpiece of psychological horror.
Clocking over 2 hours of running time, Rosemary's Baby issues a deliberately lengthy, torturous descent into psychological turmoil that deals with maternal fear in the face of unthinkable hell.
Taking the form of psychological horror in the purest sense, Rosemary's demonic pregnancy delivers a slow-burning tale saturated with nauseating suspense. As Mia Farrow's sinister suspicions escalate, the palpable sense of paranoia etched across her panic-striking complexion paints a harrowing picture.
Spookier still, Polanski's hazily hypnotic almost dreamlike aesthetic amplifies Rosemary's internal terror wonderfully. Thanks, in part, to starkly claustrophobic camera work and a series of deliriously intrusive close-ups that lucidly illustrate her spiraling loss of sanity.
But it's Mia Farrow's phenomenal performance that chillingly captures the true inescapable horror unraveling around her. With no one to trust except her maternal instincts, Rosemary's nightmarish reality reaches a chilling climax as her motherly senses expose a hellishly satanic truth. All the while, those around her act as if all is normal.
It's this chilling juxtaposition that sends shivers cascading down the spine.
Thanks to an exceptionally captivating performance from Mia Farrow, the discomforting sense of dread plaguing each scene, and its darkly disturbing undertones, Rosemary's Baby issues a must-watch for fans of psychological horror.
Want to gorge on more gruesome horror. Check out our horror movie review of The Night of the Hunter.
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