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Rosemary’s Baby 55th Anniversary Release (2023, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray) Review


Studio:  Paramount
Release Date:  10/10/2023
Rating:  R
Film Grade:  A

The Story:  Married young couple Guy and Rosemary Woodhouse are looking for a new apartment to start their new lives together. Guy is looking for big breaks in his acting career while Rosemary is eager to start a family.  Their search leads them to a recently vacated apartment in The Bramford, a historic building that also has a tragic and bizarre past.

Shortly after moving in, they are befriended by the elderly couple next door, who are eager to help them with both goals.  As Guy becomes more devoted to forwarding his acting goals tensions develop between the couple, which lead to some unexpected events.

My Take:  This was my third time watching the movie, and it continues to be an excellent example of a restrained horror movie grafted onto a family drama.  There are no jump-scares, little in the way of violence, a minimal soundtrack; hardly what one might expect.  But it’s the epitome of a slowly-built psychological tale of escalating horror.

While supernatural elements are vital to the plot, it also deals with down-to-earth topics.  The planning, anticipation, excitement, and trepidation over becoming new parents weigh heavily throughout the film.  Other strong themes include how far one is willing to go to reach life’s goals, how couples in love can slowly drift apart, differing attitudes about medical care and the choices that can be made, temptations, desires, paranoia, and the role of religion in modern society. 

Despite being made 55 years ago, much of that remains relevant today.  Subtract the 60’s fashion trends, rotary phones, black and white TVs, paper address books, and lack of instant access to the world’s knowledge via the internet and the movie feels like it could take place today.  Not that I’m looking for a remake; there’s no need to try and improve on this film; I completely skipped the 2014 TV miniseries.

The movie’s cast is remarkable.  While Mia Farrow is the main focus as Rosemary, Ruth Gordon dominates every scene she’s in and earned an Oscar for the part.  One thing that struck me with this particular viewing was just how good John Cassavetes is in his role as Guy.  I didn’t pick up on it the first time I saw it, but knowing the full events in the movie made me really appreciate the nuance of his performance. The whole cast is filled with classic film actors, and really makes you appreciate those lost talents from decades ago. 

In that vein, it was interesting to see how many innocent-looking things are placed in the early parts of the movie that have a later payoff, rewarding repeat viewings.  Event builds upon event to create a trap of sorts that is slowly played out over the course of the film. 
   
Video:  This is very clearly a movie filmed in the 1960s.  The grain remains intact.  While this may annoy some, I much prefer the natural look of the movie versus a smoothed-over, waxy, denoised version.  Comparing it to the included HD Blu-ray copy, there is some improvement in sharpness and also black levels.  A scene in a dark closet is mostly a mass of black in the BD copy, but the 4K version shows a little more detail.

The differences are not as dramatic as one might expect, with some shots still looking a little soft, likely due to what was originally captured on film.

Audio:  Both the 4K and HD discs contain a mono version of the soundtrack delivered in two channels.  The dialog is crisp and clear, and even though there aren’t any enveloping sound effects, the movie does do a good job of reproducing the sense of space within the scenes.  The sound shifts as characters move to different rooms, and it does make one appreciate the work that went into capturing the environment. 

Little touches like children playing in the distance, voices over old landlines, a ticking clock in others, all affect the mood of the various scenes.

Special Features:  These are only included on the Blu-ray.  With the exception of the 50th anniversary trailer, the others appear to be from prior releases.

  • Rosemary’s Baby: A Retrospective – 17 minute feature.
  • Mia and Roman – 23 minute feature.
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • 50th Anniversary “Redband” Trailer

Final Verdict:  If you’ve somehow missed watching this movie, it is definitely worth checking out.  It holds up as one of the most acclaimed examples of horror in the post-Universal-Monster era and has influenced psychological horror movies in the decades since.

While it may be a bit of a slow-burn for some, the surprisingly tight script easily holds one’s attention through the entire duration as the audience wonders what’s happening and what to believe as the movie builds to its dramatic conclusion.

It’s an excellent example of how horror can be more than just a series of cheap scare tactics, instead digging into relatable situations melded with ancient fears that linger just past the light, on the darkest edges of society.

While the 4K disc isn’t a night and day improvement over the Blu-ray version, there are differences.  If you don’t already own the Criterion copy, this is definitely the set to add to your library.

The movie is also featured in the Paramount Scares Vol. 1 collection, hitting store shelves on 10/24/2023.  In addition to Rosemary’s Baby, the set also includes Pet Sematary (1989), Smile (2022), Crawl (2019), and a mystery title, along with some fun collectable items.

Fun Fact:  At one point in the movie Rosemary calls an actor.  Unbeknownst to her, the voice on the other end was an uncredited Tony Curtis, who she knew personally.  While she wasn’t able to identify him, his voice was familiar to her, adding a real connection between the two characters that carries over into the film. 

The 50th anniversary trailer gives away much of the story, so here's the original:



My Review System:
JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup

My Room:  26’-1” X 17’-4” X 10’
Equipment:  Monolith HTP-1 feeding X7 and X9 amps, JVC RS3100, Elite Screens 135"", JBL Studio 590 for L, C, R, W, R, 580s for sides and four SCS8 for tops, JTR Captivator 1400 x 4, Panny DP-UB420K, Toshiba HD-A35. Nvidia Shield, Sonos Connect, MX-780 remote

See Youthman's actual tour of my room here: https://youtu.be/PHEaG2xKVhg

Craig Peer

  • *****
  • 4904
  • Home Theater Lover
I haven't seen this movie in decades. 

I haven't seen this movie in decades.
I think it was still on DVD or laserdisc the last time we watched it, so we're in that same ballpark.

My wife didn't care for it at the time, but she really liked the story this time around.  It was well worth the rewatch.

Scott
My Room:  26’-1” X 17’-4” X 10’
Equipment:  Monolith HTP-1 feeding X7 and X9 amps, JVC RS3100, Elite Screens 135"", JBL Studio 590 for L, C, R, W, R, 580s for sides and four SCS8 for tops, JTR Captivator 1400 x 4, Panny DP-UB420K, Toshiba HD-A35. Nvidia Shield, Sonos Connect, MX-780 remote

See Youthman's actual tour of my room here: https://youtu.be/PHEaG2xKVhg

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