Maybe it's a blessing that the made-for-television sequel to ROSEMARY'S BABY, LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ROSEMARY'S BABY has fallen into obscurity. You'd have to be out of your mind to expect a PATTY DUKE television movie to compete with ROMAN POLANSKI's masterpiece, but you wouldn't be so out of line to expect something a bit more interesting than what's been done here. To tell you the truth, I remember catching this on television as a kid and finding parts of it seriously scary. An early scene that shows DUKE as Rosemary trying to escape the clutches of the seemingly all-powerful devil cult with her satanic tot in tow, I'm happy to say actually held up to my memory. Conned by a brainwashed (by phone no less) TINA LOUISE, DUKE enters a bus ahead of her child and finds the door slamming shut behind her with great force. Trapped and alone she bangs on the window at the back of the bus to no avail as it goes screeching off leaving her son in the clutches of the enemy. If that were not disturbing enough, a quick investigation of the sinister vehicle (while demonic voices chant naturally) reveals it to be without a driver and operating itself! Gotta admit it still kinda gives me the willies. Unfortunately there's a lot more movie after that well done bit and it's all downhill from there. Considering that the 1976 production was obviously riding the coattails of the recently released THE OMEN, one wonders why the makers of this film didn't crib more liberally from that success. Everything involving DUKE and her young child on the run from evil Satanists is cheaply done but automatically fun. Flash-forwarding the "action" years into the future is a mistake that the film should never have attempted in the first place. Lizard-faced STEPHEN McHATTIE is well cast as the adult demon seed Andrew/Adrien, but has little to do but act confused. RAY MILLAND is a great pick to take over for the deceased SIDNEY BLACKMER as cult leader Roman Castevet, but it doesn't make up for the sinful waste of a downgraded returning RUTH GORDON as wife Minnie, who rarely does more than echo her husband. The ending that involves the birth of Andrew/Adrian's baby daughter after a drugged rape by secret Satanist DONNA MILLS might be a little more chilling if it didn't negate everything that we've just viewed and pushed us right back to square one again. Hopefully Satan's satanic granddaughter will have something more diabolical in mind then donning mime make-up and doing interpretive dances to mid-seventies glam rock as a way of expressing her devilish heritage.
- Rosemary's hellish fate of being trapped on a bus for eternity (It could be worse, at least a mentally challenged ROSIE O'DONNELL is not seen on board with her)
- TINA LOUISE's faulty southern-ish accent is as convincing as her decade plus age progression that is achieved by putting her hair up into a Mrs. Garrett-sized bun
- Pre-dating ABRE LOS OJOS (OPEN YOUR EYES), duel identity symbolism is achieved with a face mask worn on the back of Andrew/Adrien's head (although in this case a sub-CAPTAIN KOOL AND THE KONGS rock act is playing in the background)
- Satan's son not only has a questionably close relationship with his soon to be mock-crucified pal Peter Simon (DAVID HOFFMAN), but saves most of his rage for leather daddy motorcyclists
- Rape by DONNA MILLS
One question, in two parts:
1. Does anyone in the cast ever show Patty Duke a hot dog?
1.a (if "yes") Does it make her lose control?
Vicar, you just solved a mystery that's been haunting me for ages: How did TINA LOUISE lure PATTY DUKE onto the devil bus with such ease? I re-watched the scene in slo-mo and YES! you can definitely see LOUISE pull a hot dog out of her purse and discretely toss it into the bus ahead of DUKE who simply "looses control" and follows her beloved Pavlovian Scooby snack to her doom!
I have yet to make ti through this whole movie , it's just kind of… there. It doesn't move at all, and I'm a fan of slow movies, so this must be S.L.O.W. But I might go back after the hot dog revelelation!