Rosemary's Baby, director Roman Polanski's masterful horror thriler exists in the realm of dread more than shocks and scares. The picture works as a sow build and a patient revelation, where the final result is something the audience knew was inevitible but could not do anything to prevent. Mia Farrow plays Rosemary Harris, a happily married young socialite living in a posh area of Manhattan with her actor husband, played by John Cassavettes. The Harris's neighbors, the Castavets, seem nice enough. They are an older couple, very welcoming for Rosemary as she supports her husband's struggles to get steady work. But it isn't long before strange occurences and curious behaviors change the complexion of the relationships. Rosemary's husband seemingly makes a deal with the devil to get work, and the trade off turns out to be the devil's child.
There are some shocking moments in Rosemary's Baby, but those moments are told by Polanski with an eerie calm and sense of dread. Are the Castavets what they seem? Or are they Satanic worshipers who are using Rosemary and her husband to bring about doom? Those are the questions that the audience knows the answers to, only they cannot tell the players in the picture. The performances in Rosemary's Baby are more vital to the story than in most horror films. And the final shots, where the child is never revealed, are more horrifying than if we caught a glimpse. Polanski is a master at the art of suggestion, and his strength is never more on display than it is here.