From the opening frame, I was enamored with Natalie Erika James’ sophomore motion picture, Apartment 7A. The overall production exudes a golden age film style that hypnotizes, making it the perfect way to kick off spooky season.
Given that most film fare spawning from franchises or well known properties tend to be mediocre at best (or for that matter a bunch of flim flam) I had grave concerns about a Rosemary’s Baby prequel. The track record has proven that most prequels, sequels, and reboots tend to be lackluster. Often the endeavor is unnecessary, amounting to nothing more than a cool cash grab (e.g. Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice) for the Hollywood brass. Anyone that has experienced one or all of the Rosemary renditions that followed the 1968 Polanski film are well aware that they are unable to hold a candle to the original. Take, for example, the abysmal 2014 television mini series, Rosemary’s Baby; to simply describe these versions as forgettable is being kind.
Set in 1960s, New York, Apartment 7A serves as a prequel to the famed Rosemary's Baby. The film opens with dancer, Terry Gionoffrio (Julia Garner) preparing to perform a stage musical. Sadly, all of her dreams come literally crashing down when she succumbs to an injury mid performance. This unfortunate incident finds her out of work, deeply depressed, and hooked on pills to numb the pain physically, as well as emotionally. When a chance encounter leads her to the eccentric, elderly couple Minnie (Dianne Wiest) and Roman (Kevin McNally) Castevet, her life is forever altered in the most unimaginable way possible. Suddenly the pain in her leg vanishes, her aspirations of being on Broadway with her name in lights is within reach, and her financial problems are behind her. Of course, this all comes with a heavy price tag and as the tagline of the film states, “Rosemary was not the first”.
It wasn’t until I heard James was brought on board to direct that I had a glimmer of hope about this tale. I was fortunate enough to catch her feature debut, Relic when it premiered at Sundance and have been in awe of her filmmaking abilities ever since. This incredibly well made horror proved that she not only was confident behind the camera but that she had an exceptional gift to convey stories visually. With Apartment 7A, this talent is once again on display in terms of lush production design, costuming, and superb acting.
Dianne Wiest and Kevin McNally offer commendable portrayals of the satanic duo previously played exceptionally by Ruth Gordon (who won an Oscar for her portrayal as Minnie) and Sidney Blackmer. I prefer not to compare the performances, as I truly believe they each brought their own flair to the roles and are each entertaining in their own right. Julia Garner as Terry truly holds her own and gives a captivating performance as Terry Gionoffrio. In fact, what I enjoyed most about Apartment 7A was the depth it adds to the characters that previously within Rosemary’s Baby were relegated as mere background players. The 1968 screenplay adapted from the Ira Levin’s novel Rosemary’s Baby presents some of the most interesting characters to appear on screen, some of which the audience is barely introduced to. Within Apartment 7A, characters are expanded upon, which provides additional context to the original movie, making them that much more impactful. Upon finishing Apartment 7A, I immediately found myself needing to revisit Rosemary’s Baby now, given the additional insight into the Castavet’s previous attempt to create an heir to Satan. Frankly, by having this context, it makes the tale that more sinister. Terry is not the only one that is given more depth, there is also more information about the coven as well as other key players in the rituals.
I believe Rosemary’s Baby to have some of the best cinematography put to celluloid. James and her cinematographer, Arnau Valls Colomer manage to accomplish this as well, with exquisite set design and photography that truly is a feast for the eyes. There were moments, particularly with a dream sequence that leads into a dance number, that gave Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger vibes in the absolute best way possible and had my classic film heart aflutter. I could not help but compare Terry to Victoria Page (Moira Shearer) in Powell’s and Pressburger’s famed picture The Red Shoes, in which a ballerina is prepared to go to whatever lengths to fulfill her ambitions of becoming a prima ballerina. All of this to say, I loved spending time with these characters, in particular Minnie and Roman. Wiest truly made Minnie her own and I loved the way in which she was able to go from charming to malevolent at the snap of a finger. Due to the Castavets charisma, they almost had me convinced that what they were doing was completely normal and not at all evil.
It is unfortunate that Paramount+ elected to make this a direct to stream venture. I was fortunate enough to catch it on the silver screen during Fantastic Fest and it was such a treat. Despite the lack of a theatrical release, I am so happy that others will get to experience another first-rate picture from Natalie Erika James. I believe even tuning in via streaming, the devil will still manage to razzle dazzle his way into your heart.
A WoTF ProductionPowered by teamwork. And movies. At Fantastic Fest, I was fortunate enough to attend a screening of Apartment 7A, the official prequel to the classic 1968 horror film Rosemary's Baby. The filmmakers involved with the prequel said they wanted to expand the universe of the original and tell more stories about the Bramford apartment building where the original film takes place.
I was admittedly scratching my head at the thought of them building a cinematic universe from the original film. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the direction they took the story. I do feel that it's important to note that I haven’t actually seen the original Rosemary's Baby, so watching it with a fresh set of eyes and only knowing bits and pieces of the original story gave me a unique lens through which to watch the film.
Apartment 7A follows Terry (Julia Garner), a stage dancer who needs a place to stay after sustaining a severe injury. Terry eventually falls into the hands of an elderly couple happy to lend her a hand and set her up with an apartment at the Bramford. Terry then finds herself caught in a web of sinister occult occurrences and bloodshed. The film is directed by Natalie Erika James, written by Christian White, Skylar James, and Natalie Erika James, as well as produced by John Krasinski.
The film stars Julia Garner, Dianne Wiest, Kevin McNally, and Jim Sturgess, and the cast delivers serviceable performances overall, but the standout performance goes to Garner, who consistently bounces between the highs and lows of her aspirations to be a stage actress while feeling the dread of incoming evil that's getting closer and closer. Wiest is great as Minnie Castevet, one of Terry's neighbors, and she does a solid job swinging from sweet and caring to sinister and, at times, straight-up menacing.
Another aspect of the film I was surprised to enjoy was the writing. With the film being a prequel to a classic horror film, it's put in such a box story-wise, and I'm surprised the plot and its pacing were as decent as they were. The script also carries the same social commentary as the original, focusing on women's autonomy and pro-choice ethics. At the same time, however, Apartment 7A opens up new doors with its commentary via its main character and her struggle in show business, a line of work notorious for its complicated history with women's issues. This is especially notable with a certain character in the film who looks eerily like a young Roman Polanski.
The film also lives and breathes off its atmosphere, and while the film itself has an unfortunate lack of solid scares, the eerie setting doesn't fail to give off chills. From the apartment halls to the basement laundry room and even the makeup room and backstage of Terry's theater capture a solid atmosphere. But the movie hardly delivers on the scares, which is unfortunate given the potential, with its solid performances and atmosphere above. Struggles aside, Apartment 7A still kept my attention through its 1 hour and 44 minute runtime.
Overall, the film does better than expected, despite the shadow of the classic original hanging over it and keeping it in a narrative box. Through good performances and a great atmosphere, Apartment 7A makes for some easy spooky streaming, even if it could and should be doing more.
