Rosemary’s Baby

A woman and her husband move into an exclusive hotel, where things are creepy and strange. Though people appear to have good intentions towards Rosemary and her soon-to-be-born baby, she has a feeling that all is not right- and might be down-right terrifying.

What I am about to say may get me banished from the horror community:

I have never seen the movie Rosemary's Baby. 

I mean, I know the premise of the movie. I know it's an iconic movie that is considered a classic. 

But serio- do you know how much fucken horror content is out there? From the beginning of ever??

Forgive me, my community.

But anyways, I read the fucken book. And let me tell you:

That shit was a trip. And it has pushed me to watch the movie. Eventually.

The premise is: a homemaker (Rosemary) and her actor husband get the opportunity to move into a beautiful and exclusive apartment building. After learning about the building's dark history and meeting some of the creepy neighbors, the couple decides to have a child- much to Rosemary's excitement. But during a strange night, while in a drugged haze, she vaguely recalls a nightmarish scene of lovemaking- but not with her husband. As she progresses through her pregnancy journey, things around her seem off- in the most terrifying of ways.

The book did a great job of building suspense and leaving much for the reader to infer for themselves. The book also does a great job of frustrating the fuck out of you as a reader, seeing Rosemary's POV. There is so much gaslighting of her throughout the book, and as she eventually wraps her mind around what is happening, you almost sigh with relief as she begins to react. 

Rating: I give this book 9 creepy ass hotels out of 10 because it does such a good job at drawing so many emotions out of you as a reader. Plus, the ending is great.

If you are looking for a good book, check out Legion by William Peter Blatty. It's the sequel to The Exorcist and follows the detective from the first novel as he attempts to find a serial killer. The catch? He saw this killer die many years ago. You can also check out Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. Though not directly horror, the book tells (from her own POV) the story of the woman from the attic in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. She is an unforgettable character in JE, and to see her be developed as a character amazing.

Movie-wise, you can of course watch the movie version of Rosemary's Baby. The movie is well known for a reason, so check it out (and as will I!) You can also check out Insidious for a more modern movie. A family moves into a new house, where dark entities soon take hold of a young boy. As the family attempts to save him, they learn that this might be tied to the past of the father. 

Do you trust hotels with creepy backstories? Do you know your neighbors? Can you ever really trust a baby? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time…

-M