Blog-o-ween: Rosemary's Baby

This movie freaks me out not from adrenaline spikes but rather a relentlessly escalating sense of dread. Rosemary's behavior during her pregnancy becomes more and more "unusual" (a craving for raw meat; some truly hideous nightmares), but what is really frightening is that she knows something is wrong with her, and no one will listen. Her husband, her neighbors, and her doctors all dismiss and belittle her concerns (and isolate her from her female friends) until she begins to doubt her own sanity. The way everyone around Rosemary conspires to disassociate her from her own body and sense of self is unsettling because of the way it resonates in the non-horror-movie world. Sure, not all women are at risk of being raped by Satan and impregnated with his spawn, but being manipulated into not trusting ourselves to our own detriment? It's scary because it's real.

Though I love this film, I don't believe anyone associated with its production should be immune from international extradition laws.