Movie Review: Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Before The Exorcist, before The Omen, and before The Shining, there was Roman Polanski’s masterpiece of horror, Rosemary’s Baby.

This is such a simple story that would go on to inspire a chain of demon-themed movies stemming from its release in 1968 all the way until today. Polanski’s film tackled a subject very rarely discussed, and something that still gives people chills down their spine, and that is Satanism and the occult.

The Church of Satan was founded by Anton LaVey (who is rumored to have aided Polanski during filming) in the 1960′s, and many people were not familiar with Satanism. This film thrust the subject into the forefront of publicity, and created, virtually on its own, a separate genre of horror.

Mia Farrow plays the title character Rosemary, who has recently moved into an old apartment building with her actor-husband, Guy, played by John Cassavetes. The husband who aspires to be an actor has had a recent string of tough breaks, and he sees the chance at having a career in film going by the wayside, until they meet their next-door neighbors Minnie and Roman Castevet, played by Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer.

Not in the history of film has an actress been more suited for a role than Ruth Gordon was for this one. She was superb as the elderly, conniving neighbor, who sticks her nose into everyone’s business. Even as the film takes a much darker turn towards the middle, and even during the disturbing final scene, she stays the same way. Gordon would be rewarded for her efforts, when she received an Academy Award for best supporting actress.

So after the two couples meet, all of a sudden, Guy begins to get big breaks and lands himself a major role, taking over for the original actor who mysteriously went blind. The film then takes a dark turn, when Rosemary and Guy decide to have a baby, but she is drugged out of her senses, and is then impregnated by a demon-like figure, or at least that is what she sees in a dream.

From that moment on, the neighbors become more involved, and Rosemary digs deeper to discover that her husband may have made a pact with the couple next door, who she thinks are witches or devil worshipers. In return for his success, they would receive the newborn baby.

The film overall has a slow, deliberate pace to it, which adds to the tension as the characters are revealed to show their true place in the story. There were incredible performances all around, and the roles played by Ralph Bellamy as Doctor Sapirstein and Maurice Evans as Edward Hutchins deserve mentions to.

Do not watch this if you are looking to scream out of fright, or if you are looking for cheap thrills. Rosemary’s Baby contains none of that. But what you will find is what I consider to be Polanski’s finest work, and one that established what the horror genre should be about. My final rating will be an 8.5 out of 10, for an incredible screenplay and a very original concept, based on the book by Ira Levin of the same name.

As a side note, in 1976 there was a made-for-TV sequel to this called Look What Happened to Rosemary’s Baby. It is not available on DVD or even VHS and I personally know no one who has seen it, but after reading some reviews of it online, maybe that is a good thing. However, the film is loaded with some big-time stars, including Gordon who reprises her role as Minnie, Broderick Crawford, Patty Duke, and Ray Milland. As one critic noted, “It was an enormous waste of talent.” For those also interested in this genre, please view Polanski’s The Ninth Gate, which was released in 1999. Although it has a much different story line, it contains much of the same themes and is even more thrilling than this one.

Exploring “Haunted” Whipporwill Road in New Jersey

Old Whipporwill Valley Road in Middletown is perhaps the single most famous road in New Jersey, made known by issues of Weird NJ, the paranormal bible of the state. The road, night in and night out, plays host to kids and adults alike, looking for a good night of fright.

A view of Whipporwill Road.

The reason why this road is so popular, is because it is one of the safest isolated places that Weird NJ has ever published, and by “safe” I mean LEGAL. Here you cannot get arrested for trespassing, because it is an actual road and not private property. There are so many legends surrounding the road, including the woods in the surrounding area serving as a meeting spot for Klansmen in the early 1900′s (some say that even continues today), a meeting spot for Devil worshipers in the 1800′s, and of course, the spot where a witch was supposedly burned in the 1800′s as well.

These three are the front-running stories, but obviously false legends have also sprung up noting people who have gotten murdered in the woods or on the road, and how when you exit the road, if you look on the back of your car, you will see hand-prints.

Out of all the stories, the only one that really makes sense is the one involving the KKK. Monmouth County and parts of Long Island, New York were hotbeds for Klan activity in the early 1900′s. The seclusion of Whipporwill Road would make it an ideal area for Klansmen to meet. The solitude felt there now would only be even worse back then, as mansion homes can now be seen from the road.

As for the Devil worshipers, I suppose it is possible, although the ritual acts of worshiping Satan really did not become popular until the mid-1900′s, with Anton LaVey’s creation of the Church of Satan. However, it could be possible that other forms of occult practice were held there.

When it comes to burning witches, the only confirmed acts of witch-hunting on record predate the 1700′s, and most come from Salem, Massachusetts. That said, it is highly unlikely that any were burned here, as this was the practice in Europe, not the newly settled colonies. Here in the U.S, drowning and hanging were the ways witches were put to death. For this to happen in the 1800′s would almost be impossible. There were more newspapers around by this time, and more reporters looking for extravagant stories to make a name for themselves. Should an event like this happen at a more civilized time in this nation’s history, it would be fact, not legend.

A street sign that has since been removed to deter curious ghost hunters.

So for the first time, last night, I made it down to Whipporwill Valley Road (the valley was added recently in order to try to confuse people seeking the road) with my friend Brett Bodner, who has assisted Jeff Huber and I on paranormal investigations at the Proprietary House. He had been on the road numerous times and was no longer frightened at the creepiness of the road. For me, it was a different story. The road we took to even get there was actually scarier that Whipporwill, I found. This was Cooper Road, which if you are heading towards Red Bank on Highway 35, it is right after Chapel Hill Road. This road was increasingly narrow and was not paved, much like the road we sought to find.

Once we turned onto the “haunted” road, my biggest concern was not Klansmen, or witches, or Satanists, or anything supernatural for that matter. The scariest part of the whole evening was thinking about what it would be like to break down. Sure we have AAA, which Brett reminded me he had on speed-dial (this really did not make me feel better), but it could be hours before they arrive, and being there are no streetlights, and the moon is blocked by the trees, you would be sitting in absolute darkness. There is also no store or gas station within at least five miles.

The other concern would be kids playing around, hiding the trees, and throwing rocks or sticks at the car, possibly causing damage. To me, those would really be the only two things to worry about if you have never been there before.

A lot of those roads in Middletown are creepy or have some historical significance to them. If one rides down East King’s Highway, directly next to Spirits Liquor Store (home of an eerie looking circus clown sign which Weird NJ has also featured), about three miles in on the right side there is a sign noting how the British army camped there on Sir Henry’s Clinton’s retreat from the Battle of Monmouth, on his way to Sandy Hook. There are also more signs about Revolutionary War history that you will see if you travel farther down the road.

Jeff and I will be heading back to Cooper and Whippoorwill tonight, as he has never seen it. I will bring a camera this time and see if we can capture anything suspicious. I highly doubt any of the lore surrounding the road is true, but that does not mean the weird in weird New Jersey can’t come out.

Greg Caggiano and Jeff Huber are the founders of Franklin and Heard Paranormal.