The new film comes 56 years after the Oscar-winning original.
Apartment 7A, the prequel to one of the greatest horror movies of all time Rosemary’s Baby, is now available to watch at home via Paramount+.
Based on Ira Levin’s novel of the same name, the 1968 original starred Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes as a young married couple in Manhattan in New York who move into a new apartment block.
After Rosemary becomes pregnant, a series of strange occurrences plague the mother-to-be – happenings she comes to believe are linked to her seemingly friendly elderly neighbours, the Castevets (Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer).
An Oscar-winner – Gordon took home the Best Supporting Actress prize for her performance in the horror – Rosemary’s Baby is still regarded as an absolute classic and now over 55 years later, we’ve gotten a prequel.
Apartment 7A provides the backstory for the minor but pivotal Rosemary’s Baby character Terry Gionoffrio, now played by Ozark’s Julia Garner.
In the new film, we’re introduced to Terry as a struggling young dancer. Early on, she suffers a devastating injury and becomes addicted to the drugs she takes to deal with the pain as she tries to continue to perform.
Fearing the end of her career, things start to look up when she has a chance encounter with the Castevets (now played by Dianne Wiest and Kevin McNally). The elderly couple take pity on the dancer, giving her the chance to rent the apartment next to them at a cheap rate.
The more time Terry spends with the Castevets, the more dancing opportunities she seems to be offered. She soon learns, however, that these opportunities come with a great cost.
Apartment 7A has earned mixed reviews, with some taking issue with its predictable story and its lack of viscerally scary scenes – particularly when compared to 2024’s similar in plot horrors The First Omen and Immaculate.
That said, we here at JOE would argue that Apartment 7A is very compelling as more of a drama about an injured classical dancer getting in over her head in ’60s New York.
Director Natalie Erika James (Relic) nails the period vibe and stages some brilliant sequences revolving around Terry’s dance routines, while the performances – particularly Garner’s hugely sympathetic lead turn – also help with keeping viewers invested.
Without spoiling, the climax puts a brilliantly haunting bow on the story, though we’d advise people to not skip over the end credits which tie Apartment 7A directly into Rosemary’s Baby.
You can read a sample of some other positive reviews for Apartment 7A below:
IGN Movies: “Although the film’s themes and horror are rote, creative choreography and strong performances from the core cast make it an entertaining watch.”
IndieWire: “It doesn’t blow open or reinvent the Rosemary’s Baby mythology, but it’s a decent primer to attract younger audiences back to the 1968 classic film.”
io9.com: “Rosemary’s Baby really didn’t need a prequel, but Julia Garner is compelling as a dancer caught in a devilish dilemma.”
MovieJawn: “The overall production exudes a golden age film style that hypnotises, making it the perfect way to kick off spooky season.”
Apartment 7A is available to stream on Paramount+ right now.
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