Rosemary's Baby (R, 1968)

Pregnancy is difficult – especially if yours is the focal point of an occult ritual. ROSEMARY'S BABY follows the trials of Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow), a young wife whose desire to start a family goes horribly wrong. Her husband Guy (John Cassavetes) joins an occult group, using his wife's uterus as a bargaining chip in a deal to advance his acting career. Guy and Rosemary move into a new apartment building inhabited primarily with elderly people. Shortly afterward, strange things begin happening. A young woman who had been living with the Woodhouse's neighbors leaps to her death. Rosemary hears chanting late at night. As Guy makes a name for himself on stage and screen, Rosemary's pregnancy drains her physically, leaving her frail and in excruciating pain. Despite the reassurances of her doctor, Rosemary grows uneasy about her pregnancy and is suspicious of her husband and neighbors' activities.

Roman Polanski's artful film renders an eerie and frightening world. Mia Farrow is perfect as the increasingly frantic Rosemary. Although scenes of gore and violence are somewhat limited, occult themes are pervasive and may be unsettling even to adults. Based on the novel by Ira Levin, Rosemary's Baby is a film strongly tied to the era that produced it, addressing a number of social issues central to the women's movement of the '60s and '70s, particularly those concerning mental health and pregnancy.

Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Roman Polanski
Cast: Mia Farrow, Ralph Bellamy, Ruth Gordon
Genre: Horror
Run time: 136 minutes
Theatrical release: June 12, 1968
DVD release: October 3, 2000
MPAA Rating: R