By George & Josh Bate
Rosemary was not the first. That’s the tagline of Apartment 7A, a prequel to the 1968 horror classic Rosemary’s Baby that premieres at Fantastic Fest 2024 and debuts on Paramount+ on September 27. Although the horror genre is widely known for featuring long-winded, oftentimes misguided franchises to classic genre entries, Rosemary’s Baby stands apart as a film (mostly) untouched by the tradition of seemingly endless offshoots. With the exception of a made-for-TV sequel in 1976 and a two-part miniseries remake, the industry has somehow avoided making a substantial franchise out of Rosemary’s Baby and expressed reluctance to explore this world further. That is, until now.
Apartment 7A is written and directed by Natalie Erika James, who made her feature directorial debut with the 2020 horror flick Relic. Apartment 7A stars Julia Garner as Terry Gionoffrio, a young dancer who has moved to New York City with the hope of making it big. After suffering a near career ending injury, Terry finds her fortunes reversed when an elderly couple (played by Dianne Wiest and Kevin McNally) offer her a place to stay for free. Little does Terry know that her fellow residents of the Bramford apartment building she now lives in actually have secret, insidious motives.
Over 50 years since its release, Rosemary’s Baby remains one of the most well-crafted horror films of all time. Rather than relying on overt scares or stark imagery, the film is a masterclass exercise in dread and atmosphere. It’s a film that unsettles in a more nebulous way that makes it difficult to put your finger on what exactly feels off. The journey of titular character Rosemary taps into themes of paranoia and gender stereotypes, which only deepen the cerebral horror achieved by the film. Any prequel or sequel, especially one running as chronologically closely as Apartment 7A, faces a high bar to reach given the sheer achievement that was Rosemary’s Baby. And, while Apartment 7A certainly doesn’t achieve the iconic status of the original, there is plenty to admire and appreciate about this prequel.
Narratively, Apartment 7A plays out in extremely similar fashion as Rosemary’s Baby. Both films focus on a young woman coming to a big city, who has recently moved into the Bramford apartment building. The central characters, although recast, are the same in both films (Minnie and Roman Castevet are major players, for instance). And the plot, with some deviation, unfolds in almost identical manner as the original. Such similarities to Rosemary’s Baby inevitably invite comparison, especially as the film even presents, at times, like a remake of the original. Running so similar to its predecessor means the absence of the sense of dread and atmosphere that was so palpable in Rosemary’s Baby particularly stands out here, as does the lack of more nuanced explorations of paranoia and gender stereotypes.
But these components that make Apartment 7A feel a tad too similar to Rosemary’s Baby actually open the door to some of the film’s more effective elements. Apartment 7A is to Rosemary’s Baby what Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was to the original Star Wars or what Halloween (1978) was to Halloween II (1981). That is to say that Apartment 7A is a prequel in the truest sense of the word, very closely rubbing shoulders with the chronology of its original. Taking place so close to Rosemary’s Baby means Apartment 7A gets to provide additional context to the events of the 1968 classic, which, in turn, actually alters your perception and understanding of that film in retrospect.
For instance, the lead character in Apartment 7A – Julia Garner’s Terry Gionoffrio – plays a minor, yet pivotal role in Rosemary’s Baby that sets the stage for the events of that film. Watching Rosemary’s Baby in isolation, Terry Gionoffrio is likely perceived as a fleeting player in the grand scheme of things. But, when considered in the context of Apartment 7A, Terry Gionoffrio’s presence in Rosemary’s Baby now feels substantially different. The same can be said for Minnie and Roman Castevet, the elderly couple who befriend Rosemary in Rosemary’s Baby and Terry in Apartment 7A. It is a testament then to James’ prequel that it manages to add layers to a classic film over 50 years old that enhance and do not contradict what made the original so great. Given this, those interested in watching Apartment 7A will likely benefit from a viewing of Rosemary’s Baby (either right before or right after watching Apartment 7A) in order to fully appreciate the detail this prequel has to offer.
Where Apartment 7A deviates most substantially, at least from a narrative perspective, from Rosemary’s Baby is the background of its lead character. Julia Garner, best known for her role as Ruth in Ozark, plays a decidedly different protagonist than Mia Farrow’s Rosemary. Garner’s character Terry is a young woman from a small town, whose dreams to make it big as a dancer have led her to New York City. While making her way up the career ladder, devastation hits as Terry experiences a serious ankle injury that threatens to derail her grand aspirations. Hoping to recover as quickly as possible, Terry turns to abusing painkillers and continues dancing, despite the immense pain it causes her. Terry’s fortunes begin to turn around though when she meets Minnie and Roman Castevet, who offer the cash-strapped Terry a fancy apartment to live in. It’s not long before other things start to go Terry’s way and her dream, which seemed to be quickly floating away, suddenly becomes achievable again. In this sense, Apartment 7A charts different territory than Rosemary’s Baby by more heavily focusing on the desperation that comes with a desire to be famous and the warning signs people are willing to ignore when things are too good to be true. Rosemary’s Baby touches on this theme slightly with Rosemary’s husband Guy. The struggling stage actor similarly finds the insidious motives of the residents of Bramford to align with his desperation to make it as a stage actor, which leads to him being cast in a big play after the lead actor inexplicably goes blind. But, while themes related to the pursuit of and sacrifices to achieve fame were more on the periphery of Rosemary’s Baby, they are front and center of Apartment 7A and, ultimately, prove to be the film’s most unique element.
Similarly strong is the ensemble cast of Apartment 7A, spearheaded by a commanding lead performance from Julia Garner. Garner steps into the gargantuan shoes left by Mia Farrow, whose performance in Rosemary’s Baby landed her a Golden Globe nomination. Garner brings incredible subtly to the role of Terry in masterfully conveying an underlying vulnerability and pain masked by outward pleasantries. There are several moments in the film in which Garner deftly balances dialogue, which suggests she is doing fine, with body language and facial expressions that convey far deeper struggles. The body language in particular plays a large role here as Garner’s character Terry is a dancer struggling to overcome an injury. Garner clearly went above and beyond to prepare for the film’s dance sequences, but what is more impressive is how she captures the physicality of someone pushing through immense physical pain in order to achieve their central life goal.
Garner is not the only one who impresses in Apartment 7A. Similarly stepping into big shoes is Dianne Wiest, who takes over the role of Minnie Castevet from Ruth Gordon (whose performance in Rosemary’s Baby earned her an Academy Award nomination). Rather than imitate Gordon’s iconic performance, Wiest adopts a completely different approach to playing Minnie. This approach enables Wiest to craft a performance that stands apart from Gordon’s, while also somehow not creating inconsistencies in the character between Apartment 7A and Rosemary’s Baby.
Also among the ensemble are Kevin McNally and Jim Sturgess. While McNally plays Minnie’s husband Roman, Sturgess plays Alan Marchland, a producer of dance productions who takes a special interest in Terry. McNally and Sturgess, coupled with Wiest, represent the elusive antagonists in the film, although much of the film is spent showing them as overwhelmingly kind and helpful toward our lead character. McNally and Sturgess are both terrific in roles that allow them to outwardly portray kindness, while inwardly harboring motives far darker. This juxtaposition of inward feelings and outward presentation is a theme throughout the film, as also evidenced by Julia Garner’s portrayal of Terry and her inner vulnerabilities conflicting with her outward positivity.
Where Apartment 7A concludes, Rosemary’s Baby begins. And, as such, the prequel ends on (mostly) strong footing as the audience knows that there is more of this story to come. Nonetheless, Apartment 7A closes out on a rather somber note, which, while fitting for the story and its proximity to Rosemary’s Baby, leaves the film on a saddening note.
VERDICT: 7/10
Apartment 7A is to Rosemary’s Baby what Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is to the original Star Wars or what Halloween (1978) is to Halloween II (1981). The prequel film from writer/director Natalie Erika James lacks the craft and thematic nuance of the 1968 horror classic, with a story that unfolds much like a remake of Rosemary’s Baby would. Proximity to the original film, however, allows Apartment 7A to exist as an interesting complementary piece to Rosemary’s Baby that actually changes one’s perception of the classic. A strong ensemble, led by a commanding Julia Garner, are offset by an absence of the dread and atmosphere that made the original so iconic. Unlike other classic horror movies, Rosemary’s Baby has had relatively few offshoots (prequels, sequels, and remakes, etc.), which only makes the task taken by the filmmaking team behind Apartment 7A to be that much more daunting. And, all things considered, the team excels with an admirable, well-made prequel that, despite lacking some of the polish and thematic nuance of the original, still captivates and leaves a lasting impression.
