"The Shining" 1980

"The Shining”

This movie is a great divide among my Stephen King friends. That is right, I have Stephen King friends. And I met them on the internet! When we planned a meeting my mother was horrified. She was positive that I was going to end up on a milk carton. Or the news. I don’t think they put grown ups on milk cartons.

Anyway, as an adaptation, “The Shining” sucks. As a horror movie it is good. They did attempt a more faithful adaptation some years back in the form of a mini series, but I had some problems with that one too.

Jack Nicholson is Jack Torrance. He is a teacher who wants to be a writer. He has had some issues with alcohol and one bad night he dislocated the shoulder of his toddler son. He decides to take a caretaker’s position at a secluded mountain resort. The hotel is shut down for months and has a testy boiler that needs attention so the things don’t freeze up.

Stuart Ullman: When the place was built in 1907, there was very little interest in winter sports. And this site was chosen for its seclusion and scenic beauty.
Jack Torrance: Well, it's certainly got plenty of that, ha, ha.
Stuart Ullman: ...The winters can be fantastically cruel. And the basic idea is to cope with the very costly damage and depreciation which can occur. And this consists mainly of running the boiler, heating different parts of the hotel on a daily, rotating basis, repair damage as it occurs, and doing repairs so that the elements can't get a foothold.
Jack Torrance: Well, that sounds fine to me.
Stuart Ullman: Physically, it's not a very demanding job. The only thing that can get a bit trying up here during the winter is, uh, a tremendous sense of isolation.
Jack Torrance: Well, that just happens to be exactly what I'm looking for. I'm outlining a new writing project and, uh, five months of peace is just what I want.
Stuart Ullman: That's very good Jack, because, uh, for some people, solitude and isolation can, of itself become a problem.
Jack Torrance: Not for me.
Stuart Ullman: How about your wife and son? How do you think they'll take to it?
Jack Torrance: They'll love it.

My main problem with Jack is that in the beginning you know he isn’t right. He just looks crazy. He laughs and there are chills. It isn’t a surprise when he descends into madness.

Shelley Duvall is Wendy Torrance. She has the same issue. You immediately see that she isn’t very stable. She seems to be a woman that has already survived a horror movie. I always have the desire to just shake her and tell her to buck up.

Dick Hallorann: Mrs. Torrance, your husband inroduced you as Winifred. Now, are you a Winnie or a Freddy?
Wendy Torrance: I'm a Wendy.
Dick Hallorann: Oh. That's nice, that's the prettiest.

Danny Lloyd is Danny Torrance. Even in the beginning of the movie you get the sense that he is terrified whenever he is in the same room with his father.

Scatman Crothers is Dick Hallorann. He immediately sees Danny’s gift and reaches out to him. It gives us the exposition we need to understand where the movie is going.

Dick Hallorann: I can remember when I was a little boy. My grandmother and I could hold conversations entirely without ever opening our mouths. She called it "shining." And for a long time, I thought it was just the two of us that had the shine to us. Just like you probably thought you was the only one. But there are other folks, though mostly they don't know it, or don't believe it. How long have you been able to do it?... Why don't you want to talk about it?
Danny Torrance: I'm not supposed to.
Dick Hallorann: Who said you ain't supposed to?
Danny Torrance: Tony.
Dick Hallorann: Who's Tony?
Danny Torrance: Tony is a little boy that lives in my mouth.
Dick Hallorann: Is Tony the one that tells you things?
Danny Torrance: Yes.
Dick Hallorann: How does he tell you things?
Danny Torrance: It's like I go to sleep, and he shows me things. But when I wake up, I can't remember everything.
Dick Hallorann: Does your Mom and Dad know about Tony?
Danny Torrance: Yes.
Dick Hallorann: Do they know he tells you things?
Danny Torrance: No. Tony told me never to tell 'em.
Dick Hallorann: Has Tony ever told you anything about this place? About the Overlook Hotel?
Danny Torrance: I don't know.
Dick Hallorann: Now think real hard now. Think.
Danny Torrance: Maybe he showed me something.
Dick Hallorann: Try to think of what it was.
Danny Torrance: Mr. Hallorann, are you scared of this place?
Dick Hallorann: No. Scared - there's nothin' here. It's just that, you know, some places are like people. Some "shine" and some don't. I guess you could say the Overlook Hotel here has somethin' almost like "shining."
Danny Torrance: Is there something bad here?
Dick Hallorann: Well, you know, Doc, when something happens, you can leave a trace of itself behind. Say like, if someone burns toast. Well, maybe things that happen leave other kinds of traces behind. Not things that anyone can notice, but things that people who "shine" can see. Just like they can see things that haven't happened yet. Well, sometimes they can see things that happened a long time ago. I think a lot of things happened right here in this particular hotel over the years. And not all of 'em was good.
Danny Torrance: What about Room 237?
Dick Hallorann: Room 237?
Danny Torrance: You're scared of Room 237, ain't ya?
Dick Hallorann: No I ain't.
Danny Torrance: Mr. Hallorann. What is in Room 237?
Dick Hallorann: Nothin'. There ain't nothin' in Room 237. But you ain't got no business goin' in there anyway. So stay out. You understand? Stay out.

Of course he doesn’t. This movie scared me as a kid. I saw it before I read the book. I think my biggest problem with this movie is the casting. I get the feeling Kubrik cast the actors as the people they are at the end of the movie. There is no descent into madness. You see some of the every day life, but not enough to believe and care about this family. Every time Shelley Duvall says “hon”, I just cringe.

The remake tried to fix some of these things. While Steven Weber and Rebecca DeMornay resembled the couple in the novel they still weren’t quite right. Weber was that goofy guy from “Wings”. DeMornay was the evil woman from “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle”. I had a hard time letting their prior roles go.

The kid was COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY WRONG! He was too old. In the book Danny has seen the letters spelling out REDRUM in one of this visions. He becomes desperate to learn to read so he can understand what the word means. The kid in the mini series was about ten years old. There is no way the child of two educated people wouldn’t know how to read. I’m sorry, but just because you put footie pajamas on a ten year old doesn’t fool me into thinking he’s five.

Kubrick changed enough things that it didn’t feel like an adaptation. It is a decent horror movie with some truly creepy moments.

There are evil little girl ghosts.

A gross demon in the bathtub.

The picture at the end, showing Jack at the party from the twenties.

And of course the blood rushing in a tidal wave out of the elevators.
 

It is visually incredible. It has a stark, overly bright atmosphere.

The ending leaves you a little cold.

I have avoided the obvious quotes. It is a highly quotable film as well. And don’t get me wrong, it is well acted. If you consider it as totally separate from the book it is easier to enjoy.

But read the book and try to keep from seeing Jack Nicholson in Jack Torrance.

"Scream" 1996

“Scream”

I am not usually a fan of the slasher flicks. Really any movie that gratuitous in any respect usually falls off my radar pretty quickly. I don’t like action movies that are just about how high the body count will go. For me, if the story is good, I can watch just about any genre.

Wes Craven has made some good horror movies. “Nightmare on Elm Street” is a classic. I had heard about “Scream”. I didn’t rush to the theater to see it. It wasn’t until it came to video that I caught it. I was working for the movie distributor and the studio had a screening. There was a theater in town that specialized in second run movies and was also a lounge. You could get pizza and beer. They had midnight showings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” every Saturday night. It also allowed smoking at the time. Now it is illegal to smoke in bars and restaurants in my state. It is still strange to go somewhere that still allows smoking like a casino.

Anyway, they had a screening of “Scream”. My husband loved the screenings. They always had unlimited pizza and snacks. You had a table to hold all your stuff and the chairs were super comfy. It was really a fun place to see a movie. It closed down a few years ago.

This movie was surprising. It followed the “Psycho” format of taking a well known actress and killing her off pretty early in the film. Drew Barrymore was easily the most famous cast member when the movie came out. She plays Casey who is getting ready to watch a scary movie. She is waiting for her boyfriend to show up when the phone rings. The call starts flirty but takes a serious turn. Soon she is playing a game of Trivial Pursuit for her life.

Phone Voice: Name the killer in Friday the 13th.
Casey: Jason! Jason! Jason!
Phone Voice: I'm sorry. That's the wrong answer!
Casey: No, it's not. No it's not. It was Jason.
Phone Voice: Afraid not. No way.
Casey: Listen, it was Jason! I saw that movie 20 goddamn times!
Phone Voice: Then you should know that Jason's mother, Mrs. Voorhees was the original killer. Jason didn't show up until the sequel. I'm afraid that was a wrong answer.
Casey: [Weeping] You tricked me.
Phone Voice: Lucky for you there's a bonus round, but poor Steve... I'm afraid he's OUT!

Casey and her boyfriend Steve are the first victims. But the teens in this town aren’t stupid. They know the rules.

Randy: There are certain RULES that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie. For instance, number one: you can never have sex.
[crowd boos]
Randy: BIG NO NO! BIG NO NO! Sex equals death, okay? Number two: you can never drink or do drugs.
[crowd cheers and raises their bottles]
Randy: The sin factor! It's a sin. It's an extension of number one. And number three: never, ever, ever under any circumstances say, "I'll be right back." Because you won't be back.
Stu: I'm gettin' another beer, you want one?
Randy: Yeah, sure.
Stu: I'll be right back.
[crowd cheers]
Randy: See, you push the laws and you end up dead. Okay, I'll see you in the kitchen with a knife.

Neve Campbell is Sydney Prescott. Her mother died the year before and she fingered the man that went to jail for the crime. She is still struggling to move on with her life when the new murders bring it to the forefront. She is also familiar with the rules but not a fan of the movies.

Phone Voice: Do you like scary movies?
Sidney Prescott: What's the point? They're all the same. Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can't act who is always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door. It's insulting.

Courtney Cox is Gale Weathers, a tabloid reporter who is always looking for a way to further her career.

Gale: If I'm right about this, I could save a man's life. Do you know what that would do for my book sales?

David Arquette plays Dewey, a typical small town cop who is ill-equipped to handle murders of this magnitude.

Gale: You look awfully young to be a police officer.
Deputy Dwight "Dewey" Riley: I'm 25 years old.
Gale: You know, in a demographic study, I proved to be most popular amongst males 11 to 24. I guess I just missed you.
[giggles flirtatiously]
Gale: Of course, you don't look a day over 12. Except in that...
[She looks him up and down, admiringly]
Gale: ... upper torso area. Does the force require you to work out?
Deputy Dwight "Dewey" Riley: [Charmed, despite his common sense:] No, ma'am. 'Cause of my boyish good looks, muscle mass has increased my acceptance as a serious police officer.

The movie is well acted, has a decent back story and is just plain fun. I have the first three movies, but haven’t seen the fourth one yet.

It was fun seeing it in a smoky theater in comfy chairs with pizza. I jumped a few times, but it was really good. It really launched a new horror movie era which has produced some smart and funny movies. Of course the gratuitous slasher flicks are still out there.

You just aren’t going to catch me seeing any of them.

Unless the pizza is free.

Maybe.

"The Dead Zone" 1983

“Dead Zone”

Another excellent adaptation of a Stephen King novel. It stars Christopher Walken before he became an unfortunate parody of himself. He plays Johnny Smith, a high school English teacher who is madly in love with his girlfriend and generally happy with his life. Then one night he is driving home in a rain storm and loses five years in a coma.

I am always bugged a little about how fast people recover from comas in movies. My sister who is a nurse told me that you have to plan a week of recovery for every day you are unconscious. So a five year coma should take a while to get back. Other than his new “gift” and a limp, Johnny recovers pretty fast physically. Of course he has the issue that his mother has gone crazy and his girlfriend is married with a baby, but now he can predict the future.

He soon discovers the gift. He finds the mother his doctor thought he’d lost. He saves a kid from drowning while playing hockey. He wishes that he could just live a normal life.

Johnny Smith: It reminds me of a line from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" the last story I read to my class before... the accident. Ichabod Crane disappears... the line goes: "As he was a bachelor, and in nobody's debt, nobody troubled their head about him anymore."
Sarah Bracknell: Is that what you feel?
Johnny Smith: Is what I want... what I want.

His girlfriend, Sarah played by Brook Adams, drifts back into his life. She is committed to her marriage and her child, but needs closure from Johnny. They come together for an afternoon and she moves on.

He arrives home to discover there is a serial killer stalking Castle Rock. His gift/curse leads him to someone close to the police force, actually on the payroll.

To fill his hours, he starts going to political rallies to shake hands with future leaders. One of those politicians is Greg Stillson played by Martin Sheen. When he shakes his hand he sees a frightening future. It leads him to ask questions.

Johnny Smith: What about my question?
Dr. Sam Weizak: Huh? Huh? Oh, you mean the one about Hitler?
Johnny Smith: What would you do?
Dr. Sam Weizak: I don't like this, John. What are you getting at?
Johnny Smith: What would you do? Would you kill him?
Dr. Sam Weizak: All right. All right. I'll give you an answer. I'm a man of medicine. I'm expected to save lives and ease suffering. I love people. Therefore, I would have no choice but to kill the son of a bitch.
Johnny Smith: You'd never get away alive.
Dr. Sam Weizak: It doesn't matter. I would kill him.

So Johnny has a mission. He has to kill Stillson.

It is interesting seeing this from the potential assassins point of view. Martin Sheen plays Stillson as a little oily, which is in keeping with the character. He used to sell bibles door to door. It makes you really wonder why he wants to be president.

The final scene is a culmination of the whole movie. I don’t recall Sarah campaigning for Stillson in the book, but she seems to have a big part in the movie. She is standing on stage during Stillson’s last rally.

Johnny has deteriorated while working toward the goal of taking Stillson down. He makes his way onto the balcony overlooking the scene. Stillson takes the stage.

There is music and cheering. Stillson feels unstoppable. Johnny stands to take his shot and is spotted. In the mayhem of gunfire, Stillson grabs Sarah’s young son and uses him as a human shield. Photos flash. Johnny is shot and falls from the balcony. He struggles as he dies to reach out and touch Stillson. He sees the magazine cover showing Stillson with the baby and then sees Stillson’s suicide.

Moments later he dies in Sarah’s arms.

[last lines]
Johnny Smith: Goodbye.
Sarah Bracknell: I love you.

It is a good adaptation. It follow a lot of the main points of the book. There are some changes. The kid he saved from the thin ice was a teenager going to an ill-fated prom. Not Carrie’s prom!

King must have had a bad prom experience.

There was a television series a few years ago based on the same theme. It starred former geek, Anthony Michael Hall, all grown up as Johnny Smith. It made key changes to the story. In the original, part of the reason that Sarah comes to Johnny is that they hadn’t consummated the relationship. In the series, Johnny and Sarah are engaged and her son is Johnny’s.

It is updated in an interesting way. Johnny isn’t as driven to kill Stillson, although there is an episode in which they re-imagine his fate where the movie ending happens. He just keeps working toward stopping him from taking leadership. It was enjoyable if you watch as a different view of the same story. It ends ambiguously but in a satisfying way.

But no one is going to mix up Christopher Walken and Anthony Michael Hall.

"Cujo" 1983

“Cujo”

This movie has made me uneasy around really big dogs. Not freaked out standing on a chair like if I saw a rodent scared, but nervous. I love dogs. Since getting married we’ve had two dogs, both of the medium variety. I am not a fan of the really little dogs either. I like a dog I could pick up if I had to, but not one I could carry in my purse. So medium dogs are for me. I had a border collie for thirteen years and a corgi for the last six. Both sweet dogs were always up to date on their rabies shots.

That is another thing this movie helped with.

It is also an extremely good adaptation. It follows the book until the end, which veers in a completely different direction.

Part of the book’s story is told from Cujo’s point of view. He is a good dog who loves his boy and has a healthy respect for the man of the house. He loves to chase rabbits. One day while chasing he happens upon a hole that houses some rabid bats and then the bad things start happening.

Donna Trenton played by Dee Wallace, is having a rough time. It isn’t really explained in the movie. In the book it tells of her desperation. She hates living in the town with nothing to do. Her son Tad has started preschool and she is having a hard time filling the hours. An itinerant carpenter/writer gives her something to do.

Her husband Vic is having a hard time as well. His advertising firm is in charge of a campaign for a cereal company. When the cereal has a frightening but harmless side effect he has to leap into damage control to save the company. His distractions keep him from fixing his wife’s car.

Joe Camber has a farm and an auto repair business out of his farm. His wife and son leave to visit relatives and Joe is ready to enjoy a little alone time. But when he goes to a buddy’s house he discovers that his sweet dog has a problem.

[Joe Camber has encountered Cujo in the garage. Cujo glares at him menacingly & growls]
Joe Camber: Cujo?
[the dog snarls again, and approaches him menacingly]
Joe Camber: Oh my God... you're rabid!
[Cujo barks savagely and charges at Joe. He puts his arms up to defend himself as Cujo attacks]
Joe Camber: [yelling] NO! NO! CUJO!
[the dog jumps on him & knocks him down]

It doesn’t end well.

So, Vic finds out about the affair Donna is having. He leaves on his business trip and decides not to call her.

Tad is a typical little kid. He just knows there is a boogeyman in his closet. An upset mom and absent dad don’t reassure him or give him any sense of stability. So when Mom needs to get the car fixed, he goes along.

Then really bad stuff starts to happen.

Donna drives her Pinto out to the Camber farm. It stalls in the driveway and won’t start again. Soon Cujo makes a frightening appearance and Donna and Tad are trapped.

As a mother, being trapped in a car with a pre-schooler who wants his dad is a nightmare enough. When my son was four I took him to the mall for a movie. After the movie we were going to go to McDonalds for lunch. As we were walking to the car, my son spotted a Dairy Queen. He decided that he wanted ice cream. I explained that we were going to McDonalds. This wasn’t cutting it. He was probably a little tired after a delayed nap. My husband was out of town and I just wanted to keep him entertained. I stood my ground and told him no.

This wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Soon he was crying. I grabbed his hand and started to half pull, half drag him through the mall. I don’t know why I parked on the opposite side of the mall from the theaters. Soon he started screaming.

“I’M HUNGRY!!!”

No amount of cajoling or threatening was working. He did the boneless drop to the floor. My little protester staging his personal sit-in for ice cream. But I didn’t want to give in. So I kept walking. I was about fifteen feet in front of him when he started following me. He was still screaming at the top of his lungs about his plight. I remember all the eyes on me as I made my way to the door. Then I grabbed him up and carried him to the car.

I got to the car and resisted the urge to throw him in. He was still sobbing about his extreme hunger. I was sobbing from pure frustration and feeling like the worst mother in the world.

We didn’t go to McDonalds.

That ten minutes in my life encapsulates what Donna and Tad go through. I love the Donna gets frustrated and swings from wanting to protect Tad one minute and wants to shake him the next.

In the end, Donna reaches the house and saves her son. This is different from the book. In the book Vic comes in just as Donna is finally defeating Cujo. When he checks Tad he discovers that the little boy has died. Stephen King reportedly regrets killing Tad in the book.

In the movie we see Vic and Donna work together to revive their son. He starts breathing and then it goes to an odd freeze frame.

This is a very realistic horror movie. It is frightening because it could happen. If they remade the movie they would have to get rid of Donna’s cell phone. Heck, they might have to get rid of Tad’s cell phone.

I am always amused by the trend of people buying dogs that are in movies. I doubt this movie sold any St. Bernards.

"The Exorcist" 1973

“The Exorcist”

This movie is creepy. It is interesting because it goes from almost no action to some crazy stuff. There is no middle ground.

When I was in high school I would have sleepovers with my two best friends. We would lay on the floor in the living room and watch movies. Usually they were comedies but we liked the occasional horror movie. I remember the night we watched the “Exorcist”. As the movie got progressively scarier we squeezed closer to each other with the blanket creeping over our eyes.

At one point my father came in the room to check on us.

Dad was a cop. A big, tough cop. He was over six feet tall and built like a brick wall. I had never recalled seeing him scared of anything to that point in my life.

He sat on the couch and watched the movie with us for a few minutes. It happened to be the moment that Regan, played by Linda Blair is having her “moment”. She has done some unspeakable things with a crucifix and then does the head rotation thing and the green pea soup thing.

Dad, even in the darkness of the living room looked a little pale.

“I don’t need to see this $hit.” He announced as he walked out of the room.

Years later I went to see the re-release of this with a group of friends. We were all horror fans, brought together by our love of Stephen King. It was impossible to pass up a viewing of a horror classic on the big screen.

It didn’t have the same impact as the viewing when I was younger. I remember noticing the smoking. They were smoking everywhere. When Regan is brought to the hospital for tests, the doctor takes the mom out in the hall to discuss the results. In the middle of the hospital he lights her smoke and has a cigarette himself as they talk.

Anytime they aren’t trying to expel the demon from Regan they are having a smoke break.

We laughed in the theater and I am sure that we ruined the movie going experience for others, but the smoking was just ridiculous and over the top.

It is funny how this movie sinks into the psyche. It has been parodied so many times that it is hard to watch it without thinking of the jokes.

A few years ago I was at a baby shower at my job. They brought the baby in and I asked about the name. The couple told me happily that the little girl’s name was Regan.

“Really?” I asked, “Isn’t that the name of the girl in “The Exorcist?”

They were horrified. But the birth certificate was all filed and everything.

It is interesting when a movie like this sinks in to the culture. It is instantly recognizable and I don’t think it could really be remade in a serious way. Even the sequels were kind of self parodies of the original. But I still remember that dark living room and seeing my big, strong dad being grossed out by a possessed girl.

"Rosemary's Baby" 1968

“Rosemary’s Baby”

This is the beginning of my reviews of horror movies for Halloween. This is a movie that should never be watched while you are pregnant. When I was pregnant with my son I watched this movie and it scared the crap out of me. I had seen it in the past, but there are hormones in play that make the ridiculous seem possible. I remember being extremely pregnant and seeing a tabloid that had the cover story “Woman Pregnant For 12 Years!” I fell apart just knowing that this would be my fate.

“Rosemary’s Baby” feeds on all the paranoia that comes with pregnancy.

It starts with Mia Farrow as Rosemary Woodhouse and her husband Guy played by John Cassevete’s looking for an apartment. They are the perfect late sixties couple. Rosemary is a housewife. Guy is an actor who gets work but hasn’t broken through yet.

Mr. Nicklas: Are you a doctor?
Rosemary Woodhouse: He is an actor.
Mr. Nicklas: Oh! An actor! We're very popular with actors! Have I seen you in anything?
Guy Woodhouse: Well, I did "Hamlet" a while back, didn't I, Liz? Then we did "The Sandpiper"...
Rosemary Woodhouse: He's joking. He was in "Luther" and "Nobody Loves an Albatross" and a lot of TV plays and commercials.
Mr. Nicklas: That's where the money is, right? The commercials.
Guy Woodhouse: And the artistic thrill too!

They find the perfect apartment in a historic old building. Not long after they move in Rosemary meets a young woman in the laundry room. She is a former drug addict that has been taken in by an older couple. A quick conversation and then suddenly the young woman is dead.

Guy and Rosemary are soon befriended by the same old couple who happen to live next door, Minnie and Roman, played delightfully be Ruth Gordon and Sydney Blackmer. They are nosy and imposing and seem harmless enough. There is an uncomfortable dinner that leaves Rosemary feeling a little cold.

Roman Castevet: I think we're offending Rosemary...
Rosemary Woodhouse: I wasn't offended, really I wasn't.
Roman Castevet: You're not religious, my dear, are you?
Rosemary Woodhouse: I was brought up a Catholic... now, I don't know.

But Guy is fascinated with the couple and goes to see them alone. Things start getting weird. Suddenly an actor that beat Guy out for a great job is struck blind and Guy gets the role. In his enthusiasm he announces that they should try for a baby. He has even picked out Rosemary’s fertile days.

She gets caught up in the excitement and plans a big night. Minnie brings some dessert.

Rosemary Woodhouse: It has an under-taste.
[pause]
Rosemary Woodhouse: A chalky under-taste.

Then things get funky.

Rosemary passes out and has strange dreams. She is on a yacht with the Kennedys and then she is in bed with something inhuman. She wakes to Guy letting her know that “baby night” went on despite her absence.

Rosemary Woodhouse: You... you had me while I was out?
Guy Woodhouse: It was kinda fun in a necrophile sort of way

This doesn’t sit well with her.

Rosemary Woodhouse: I dreamed someone was raping me. I think it was someone inhuman.
Guy Woodhouse: Thanks a lot.

But soon Rosemary discovers she is pregnant. Even though it is early Guy can’t wait to tell the neighbors. Minnie and Roman insist on referring her to their friend who is a famous obstetrician rather than the hot young doctor she is going to.

Guy Woodhouse: [on Rosemary's decision to switch doctors] You know what Dr. Hill is? He's a Charlie Nobody, that's who he is!
Rosemary Woodhouse: I'm tired of hearing about how great Dr. Sapirstein is!
Guy Woodhouse: Well, I won't let you do it Ro.
Rosemary Woodhouse: Why not?
Guy Woodhouse: Well, because... because it wouldn't be fair to Sapirstein.
Rosemary Woodhouse: Not fair to Sap... - what do you mean? What about what's fair to me?

Rosemary starts having a pain. Every time she asks about it, she is told that it is normal and will go away in a few days. But instead it gets worse.

Her friend visits and expresses his concern.

Edward "Hutch" Hutchins: Pregnant women are supposed to gain, not lose weight!

Next thing you know, Hutch is in a coma and not expected to get any better.

Her fears are written off as pregnancy vapors. Finally the pain stops and she feels the baby move. We have a montage of happiness with Rosemary getting bigger and decorating a sunny yellow nursery.

She is close to term when it gets weird again. Hutch dies and she gets a book he was holding for her. Rosemary starts to suspect that her neighbors have nefarious intentions about her newborn. She finds out that Roman had an unusual childhood as the son of Satan worshipers.

Rosemary Woodhouse: They use blood in their rituals, and the blood with the most power is baby's blood!

She expresses her fears to her doctor. Suddenly Minnie and Roman are off on a trip and Rosemary thinks she can relax.

But the heat is oppressive. As it gets closer her fears multiply and she realizes that Guy made some sort of deal with the devil. She wanders the city and finally goes to see her original doctor. After spilling her outrageous tale, he lets her rest. She thinks she is finally safe, but he calls Guy and Dr. Saperstein.

Dr. Abe Sapirstein: Come with us quietly, Rosemary. Don't argue or make a scene. Because if you say anything more about witches or witchcraft, we're gonna be forced to take you to a mental hospital. You don't want that, do you?

She is taken back to the apartment and is found to be in labor. She is given a shot to calm her down and wakes up to be told her baby has died.

Rosemary Woodhouse: You're lying. It didn't die. You took it. You're lying. You witches! You're lying! You're lying! You're lying! You're LYING!

Her paranoia escalates and the people around her don’t help matters. And she can hear a baby crying in the apartment next door.

After drugging her keeper, she finds the secret doorway to the neighbors apartment and slips in with a butcher knife. There is a party going on and a bassinet in the corner draped in black fabric. She makes it to the cradle and her newborn isn’t like any baby she’s ever seen.

Rosemary Woodhouse: What have you done to him? What have you done to his eyes, you maniacs!
Roman Castevet: He has his father's eyes.
Rosemary Woodhouse: What do you mean? Guy's eyes are normal!

Soon she discovers that Guy isn’t the father and all her suspicions were true but not the complete truth. She is the mother of Satan’s only son. Despite her fears her maternal instinct kicks in when she sees an old woman rocking the cradle too fast.

Roman Castevet: Rock him.
Rosemary Woodhouse: You're trying to get me to be his mother.
Roman Castevet: Aren't you his mother?
[She starts to hum a lullaby]

What mother hasn’t been paranoid during pregnancy? Imagined a horrific delivery where no one listens to her? Lives in fear that her child is the spawn of Satan?

Again, don’t watch this movie pregnant. Nightmares will ensue.