Natalie Erika James (who delivered 2020’s impressively depressing RELIC)’s recent ROSEMARY’S BABY prequel APARTMENT 7A is commendably detailed and admirably respectful of its source material yet it lacks any punchy impact and for every fine, nuanced acting performance there’s a regrettably awkward dance number. As a huge fan of Ira Levin’s novel and Roman Polanski’s film adaptation, I have to admit it kept me reasonably entertained by stuffing me to the gills with fan pandering Easter eggs throughout but unfortunately its inability to bring anything new to the table ultimately makes it hit more like an aperitif than a satisfying meal. An unrecognizable Julia Garner (WE ARE WHAT WE ARE, THE LAST EXORCISM PART II) is Terry Gionoffrio a would be Broadway star who falls victim to the same Satanic cult that would soon torment Rosemary Woodhouse in the classic tale (this minor character appears briefly in both the OG book and film, she’s the gal who Rosemary meets in the laundry room who eventually jumps to her death out of a window of the Bramford building (portrayed by the legendary Dakota) and inadvertently introduces Rosemary to the adorable yet diabolical Castevets. Frankly, the character doesn’t quite sync up with her previous incarnation but I’m willing to blame her tannis root necklace for any inconsistencies).
Something tells me I might be a little more generous with this harmless companion piece (It’s certainly less egregious than say, the 1976 made for TV sequel LOOK WHAT’S HAPPENED TO ROSEMARY’S BABY, Ira Levin’s own wanting literary follow-up SON OF ROSEMARY and the convoluted rehash miniseries from 2014 starring Zoe Saldana) if only earlier this year we hadn’t been gifted the remarkable on every level prequel THE FIRST OMEN. As it stands, I’m going to give this one a pass for housing the great Dianne Wiest’s interpretation of Minnie Castevets as it’s worth the price of admission alone (Kevn McNally as Roman is no slouch either). I wish this seemingly sincere attempt had the capacity/audacity to knock it out of the park, it almost seemed like it might for a while, but I left it feeling like the highest point of excitement it delivered for yours truly Involved the late in the game appearance of the same painting of a burning church that ominously hung in the Castevet’s apartment in the original. Sure it had me excitedly pointing at the TV but I’m thinking in retrospect that I deserved richer revelations.
As much as I worship Tobe Hooper’s vividly traumatizing 1979 miniseries based on Stephen KIng’s Classic (and my personal favorite) novel SALEM’S LOT (I wouldn’t kick the 2004 re-do starring Rob Lowe out of bed for eating crackers either), I have no qualms about a fresh take on the endlessly viable material. The fact that it was announced that a new vision would be helmed by Gary Dauberman whose horror credits include writing the screenplay for 2017’s successful adaption of King’s IT and directing the spooky romp ANNABELLE COMES HOME had me about as optimistic as I could get about such a thing. Ultimately, on many fronts, Dauberman delivered; the casting is top notch, the seventies setting is splendid, the counterintuitive crispy brightness adds a level of freshness, it successfully develops its own visual style (seemingly influenced by Mike Flanagan’s oeuvre and Carpenter’s THE FOG), it offers a brand new, unpredictable climax (involving a Drive-in theater no less) and there is a clear overall understanding of which set pieces are most potent. Sadly, its artistry is frequently betrayed by its format as wild, careless pruning inflicts this by rights, epic tale. It’s almost like watching a Viewmaster version of the film as grand, impressive scenes click by with an absence of connective tissue and characters are rushed along with the patience of attention deficit speed dating.
I can understand the greedy urge to lessen the runtime to get more showings out of a theatrical release but once this flick was bound for cable someone really should have cared enough to loosen its corset (especially considering its been said that the main reason it premiered on cable rather than in theaters was due to a desperate need for content; I’m no math wiz but a longer runtime would have meant even MORE content). Now I’m hearing that an entire opening sequence was filmed involving hero Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman, who like the rest of the cast is quite good) as a child being traumatized in the Marsten House (which looks incredible here constantly looming over the entire town) and my mind reels at just how much that springboard scene would have added to the film in regards to Mears’ motivation and the town’s history in general. I truly hope at some point we get to see exactly what the director fully intended (apparently, more than an entire hour was excised) because what’s present intrigues and I hate to see such an earnest offering undeservedly hobbled (a MISERY reference seemed appropriate). That said, I’d say this condensed version is still worth a watch due to its unique style and its clawed handful of effective scares but it’s quite clear it could have had much more bite if it was allotted the properly sized real estate its grand source material unquestionably deserves.
Hey, maybe I can curb my expectations by watching something original rather than relying on prequels, sequels and remakes! IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE sorta fits the bill although I suppose it could be argued that nothing new is under the sun and this body-switching bonanza could just as easily be titled FREAKY FRIDAY PART 12 (sorry, I refuse to do an ELECTRIC BOOGALOO joke). A bunch of attractive yet charm deficient post college couples gather at another isolated estate to flirt, quarrel and dredge up past grudges (are we sure this is original?) before a wedding. Everything goes horribly awry when a harmless game of body switching made possible by a smuggled-in, state of the art device ( just go with it) muddies waters and puts your truly's ability to remember character’s names to the ultimate test (wish I brought a pad and paper!). Just when you think things could not get worse, two hapless attendees fall to their deaths resulting in a impromptu contentious game of “musical chairs” except with bodies that is made even more stressful by the threat of cops on their way to surely muck up things further (as they do). Wait a minute, this movie is actually really great once you get used to it! I admit I was about to turn it off when I realized it would require me using dusty parts of my brain but after maneuvering past a few fuzzy curves, and getting a handle on the kindly markers set in place (thankfully the young folk often wear name tag Polaroids of their true selves or are filmed in red when their real identities are in play) I was good to go. I’m happy to say this movie really can lay claim to being its own wild beast, sports many a clever camera trick and is pretty damn innovative all around. I’m even going to go so far as to say it’s genuinely funny and clever as hell! I’m glad I didn’t jump ship after all, and now I’ve even got that strange itch to watch it again! Huh, whatdoyaknow, I’m now highly interested in whatever writer/directer Greg Jardin does next! Bravo, sir! You won this old, long-COVID suffering, curmudgeon over!
Never been a fan of Rosemary's Baby; I think it's the weakest, least interesting of the 60's/70's satanic/occult films. It's also unfortunate that Roman Polanski wasn't at home with Sharon Tate when Charlie's friends came knocking or alternatively, that he wasn't liquidated in the Krakow ghetto.
I like the original Salem's Lot, as it has pretty good atmosphere; to me, it's one of three good Tobe Hooper films (TCM and The Funhouse being the others). Other than a few extremely quick shots of old fang face in the dark, this remake "sucks".
I feel like I need a rabies shot after watching it (such a stupid line) or maybe I should ward it off with a glowing Lite-Brite cross (you gotta be fucking kidding me that they actually did that).
Besides the by now ubiquitous boring characters with uninteresting backstories (when the most effective and interesting character is an unfunny Steve Urkel, you done fucked up, son) and general meandering go nowhere tone, this remake suffers from another fault which basically all modern movies do; it is overproduced looking.
Using the bar and cars as just two examples, everything looks lacquered, brand new, crystal clear and perfect, even though it's supposed to be rundown and dingy. Of course everyone is also a model with perfect styled hair and museum piece clothing that look as though it's never been worn.
The whole thing has a CGI greenscreen cheapness and unreality to it which just completely takes me out of it (I lost count of the terrible CGI background shots and vampire attack scenes). It all just makes me miss old school filmmaking.
The conceit is that time is linear and everything is constantly "progressing", well that notion is quickly dispelled when one compares this Salem's Lot (I also want to mention the trailer for the forthcoming and equally guano-esque looking, Nosferatu) remake to the original and realizes it is bested by a now 45 year old network television film (to say nothing of a 102 year old silent film).
This is yet further evidence of filmic retrogression.
You summed up my thoughts pretty closely regarding Apartment 7A. Rosemary's Baby is one of my all-time favorite novels and I love the film as well. All the 'easter eggs' are great and I adore Dianne Wiest in anything but she really does a fantastic job as Minnie. However the more I think about it I really take issue with the changes they made to Terry's backstory as written in the original. I went back and re-read her parts in the book and very little lines up with Apartment 7A's depiction, both in character and timeline. (I was waiting for a recreation of the laundry room scene with Rosemary from the original but it wouldn't have worked with the way Terry's story was playing out in this version.) I also felt like the film was a bit rushed. The impregnation scene happens so quickly with no buildup of tension. And that character is such a non-entity in the film there's no sense of betrayal and no emotion when she finally confronts him. Another review I saw said it's basically a slightly rewritten rehash of the original and I can't disagree. I enjoyed it while watching but I don't imagine it's one I will revisit often as I do Rosemary's Baby. (You are correct in that it's worlds better than the TV movie sequel from the 7os and I would even say better than Levin's own Son of Rosemary sequel which thankfully hasn't been adapted. So far…)
It may be sacrilege as a horror fan to say but Salem's Lot has never really been my thing. I like the 70s TV version well enough but vampires don't really scare me. I feel really old because I had trouble even making it through the trailer for this new version because everything was so dark I couldn't tell what was going on. Nothing about it looked very compelling so I haven't checked it out yet. Maybe I'll wait in hopes that a director's cut appears at some point down the line. IT'S WHAT'S INSIDE sounds a lot more fun so I'll probably seek that out instead. Thanks for the recommendation!
Ghastly1,
I had the scariest thought while reading your comment. Suddenly I wondered what if you were not a real person but an alternate personality of mine? And I was writing reviews and then commenting on my own reviews with a separate personality all DARK HALF/ SECRET WINDOW style. But it turns out you are commenting from another state so I’m not sure how I’d be able to pull that off even with multiple personalities so…. phew.
Very shocked to hear you do not appreciate ROSEMARY’S BABY because I remember you do like Mia in SEE NO EVIL and I’d say that is a lesser film. Btw really LOVE Farrow in SECRET CEREMONY with Taylor and Mitchum too.
I love Polanski’s apartment series, REPULSION, ROSEMARY’S BABY and especially THE TENANT which blew my mind when I saw it in a tiny art house revival theater in college. Could not believe my eyes! Thought it was like JACOB’S LADDER and was not prepared! I need to watch it again soon. I get Polanski is sorta a creep but honestly I think that about nearly everyone (who isn’t a cat) so no biggy.
If I had my choice I’d do SALEM’S LOT in Black and white and try to make it resemble the found footage in DEAD AND BURIED as much as possible because that was the tone I got from the novel but obviously that wouldn’t be very commercial. I understand your gripe with the look of this one (it does have a glassy/glossy quality probably due to the CGI) but I really dug that it differentiated it from the other takes in that way. It looked different and I applaud originality even when it’s not quite what I would have chosen.
Loved the glowing crosses (and eyes- sucker for glowing eyes), reminded me of THE FOG and again thought it differentiated the movie from others. Loved the Mark character (anyone with a SUGAR HILL (’74) poster in their room is cool with me) but did wish he interacted with Mears more because that’s usually such a big part of the story.
I’m resigned to the fact that nothing will ever hit me the way Tobe’s take did not only because it struck me at the exact perfect age but because Hooper really is a master. He may fuck up sometimes like all good artists do but he’s really got the goods when it comes down to it. TCM is obviously a stone cold classic but FUNHOUSE, LIFEFORCE and TOOLBOX MURDERS are soooo criminally underrated.
And I am highly interested in a longer cut of this movie, I think it would really help. I don’t think I’ve ever been more aware of over-editing, it was clearly widdled down to the bone.
DekesYellowBikini,
I decided to watch ROSEMARY again right after APT 7A and it did strike me as off-putting how much Terry did not match up considering how much all the other characters do. She even tells Rosemary that she is living with the Castevets so not sure why they couldn’t have matched that instead of giving her their “extra” apartment? Plus her drug addiction seems way less serious in new incarnation. I could easily get past all that though if something we hadn’t seen before was brought to the table but sadly it only amounted to a couple clawed hands. Again, I did enjoy watching it out of my love for the OG and the simple pleasure of being in the same spaces again. Plus Weist was an inspired choice and kept me entertained as well!
I have to try to read SON OF ROSEMARY again. I hated it so much! I had to stop! It can’t possibly be as bad as I recall!
LOOK WHATS HAPPENED is terrible too but did give me a real kindertrauma when Patty Duke is trapped in the bus! There is no possible worse fate than being trapped on a bus!
A good recent vamp movie (imo) is that LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER (2023) really loved that but I am partial to boat horror! Check it out!
And yes, do try IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE! It really won me over and I was such a hard sell at the beginning!
SON OF ROSEMARY was such a disappointment. I've read some theories and reviews online that made me reevaluate the ending so it's not quite the let-down I originally thought but overall it's still a pretty pointless exercise. If you do reread keep in mind the 'roast mules' anagram when you get to the very end.
I agree the bus scene in LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED… is a standout. I just wish Patty Duke had been in it more. Now that APARTMENT 7A is fresh in mind, I might do a Halloween rewatch of the original, the TV sequel and maybe even the Zoe Saldana version from a few years back.
Unk,
Lmao, that is funny; it's also a distinct possibility. I suppose I am a "person" in the loosest possible sense of the term; doubtless, some sort of Dasein is at work. Alternatively, perhaps I'm merely a manifestation of your unrestrained id and we've got an In the Mouth of Madness situation here, ay, Sutter Cane? haha.
Leaving aside my hatred for him as a person, I give Polanski credit for some of his films: Knife in the Water, Repulsion, The Fearless Vampire Killers, Chinatown and The Tenant; Rosemary's Baby just never did anything for me- I find it boring (with very few exceptions, I think the 60's was a bad decade for film in general and American film in particular).
As an aside, while I have nothing personal against him, I've never been a fan of John Cassavetes as a filmmaker, either; stuff like The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and Gloria I cannot stand (we do, oddly enough share a birthday-Redd Foxx as well). Also R.I.P. Gena Rowlands.
Richard Fleischer on the other hand, is one of my favorite directors of all time and as you mentioned, I much prefer Mia Farrow in See No Evil (Secret Ceremony and The Haunting of Julia, as well). He did so many great films:
Follow Me Quietly, Armored Car Robbery, The Narrow Margin, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Violent Saturday, Compulsion, Fantastic Voyage, The Boston Strangler, See No Evil, The Last Run, 10 Rillington Place, Soylent Green, The Don is Dead, Mr. Majestyk, The Spikes Gang, Tough Enough, Conan the Destroyer and Red Sonja.
He was churning out awesome film after awesome film on the regular for decades like it was nothing, sometimes multiple ones in a single year; he was a hit making machine. If you haven't seen his stuff, I highly recommend you do so.
I have actually never read Salem's Lot, I think the glowing crosses are in the book, but that is just something that I don't think translates to film; similarly, I am thankful Kubrick didn't put living hedge animals in The Shining.
Haha, Sugar Hill is goofy as hell- Blacula and Scream Blacula Scream, despite the ridiculous titles actually aren't too bad, I remember seeing Abby very early on and being angry on behalf of The Exorcist, but my favorites by far are Petey Wheatstraw (the devil's son in law) Black Devil Doll From Hell and Black Devil Doll; those three are hilarious.
I do have to modify what I said about Tobe Hooper; I forgot he did Spontaneous Combustion which isn't great but is entertaining enough and Body Bags, which is also entertaining; I haven't seen The Mangler, so I reserve judgment on that until I do.
I know you will disagree but Poltergeist never hit a nerve with me, Eaten Alive was just kind of there, I have never understood why people like TCM 2- it is not scary, not funny and was for me a huge let down, Lifeforce and Invaders From Mars had a couple of cool shots and I want to like them because they're good concepts, but I think he just dropped the ball with those two and the original Toolbox Murders I love (my only real gripe with it is the holding Laurie captive bit could have been trimmed a bit for pacing) but I thought Hooper's remake was like a bad made for cable movie, I don't know what he was thinking with that one.
I gotta agree with Ghastly on Rosemary's Baby. I know that Unk digs it, but I have never been able to figure out why it has this reputation as a horror great. I've tried looking at it from all different angles – social commentary, campy sendup, satire, straight horror – I just don't get it. Mia Farrow's bug-eyed histrionics demolish any sense of horror and there is a dearth of dread and suspense.
IMHO, "7A" was in many ways a superior take, but if the genre is "devil stuff" it really has to have something extra for me to appreciate it. 7A is limited by a story that I will likely never find to be scary. Contrast to: I was watching a VHS short (don't know which one) wherein a guy builds an alternate-universe portal in his basement and immediately meets his counterpart. They agree to switch places temporarily. As the explorer from our world enters into the other, he comes to realize that the other universe is one where Christianity is replaced with Satanism, and the rituals of the dark religion have supplanted daily prayer. It is low-budge but creepy, humorous and highly memorable.
The new Salem's Lot…
I liked the way that the vampires looked – often a tricky feat. Still, even this did not stray far from the original luminescent-eyed vamps of the Hooper take.
I felt that it was a decent film – it just offered little justifying a remake. I had more fun with "Chapelwaite", based on the King short "Jerusalem's Lot". The "tile" or "icon" or whatever you call it on the streaming home page makes it look like another period drama starring Adrien Brody.
I've been having a good time watching "From" on MGM and am thinking I might be interested in "Teacup" on Peacock (episode two took it from "meh" to "whoa").
I also accidentally re-watched "Malignant" a couple days back. I liked it well enough the first time and I think I actually liked it more the second. So bonkers.
Unkle Lancifer, I couldn't agree with you more regarding Salem's Lot. I loved Dauberman's visual style and set pieces, especially the scene where Danny is attacked in the woods, which he filmed in silhouette. The new ending was very inventive.
But it was obvious that key scenes were cut, and the story rushes by a bit implausibly without connective tissue (how did Susan know to tape the tongue depressors to make the cross work?). It is known that Dauberman filmed the scene from the book where Ben as a child visits the Marsten House. I hope that an extended director's cut becomes available on HBO Max some day.
I'm also on board with you regarding Tobe Hooper. Along with Toolbox Murders, I'm a staunch defender of The Mangler and Mortuary as two of Hooper's later films that deserve more attention. The Mangler is one of the deepest attacks on capitalism in the horror genre I've ever seen, and Hooper had a knack for using the class issues in Stephen King's fiction that many movie makers gloss over.