The iconic status of Rosemary’s Baby puts the film on a ton of peoples lists of best horror films of all-time. This makes a prequel film appealing, but also extremely hard to accomplish well and Apartment 7A just didn’t hit as hard as the original 1968 film.
When a struggling, young dancer suffers a devastating injury, she finds herself drawn in by dark forces when a peculiar, well-connected, older couple promises her a shot at fame.
While the film as a whole fell a little flat, the performances of Julia Garner and Dianne Wiest stole the show. Garner is undeniably compelling; her portrayal of Claire is nuanced and emotionally rich. You can feel her pain and desperation seep through each frame she occupies. Wiest also delivers a powerful performance as one half of the eerie couple who promise Claire a glimmering future at an unimaginable cost. The chemistry shown on screen is palpable and unsettling at times, creating moments that are haunting and captivating.
The narrative is where the film falters. What promises to be a great and engaging story soon meanders into unnecessary filler. The pacing is sluggish as we wade through scenes that contribute little to character development or plot progression. The slowish tempo detracts from what should be an increasingly tense atmosphere; instead of heightening our anxiety levels, it leaves us yearning for something more gripping to happen.
Apartment 7A has some jump scare type moments, but overall wasn’t as frightening as I had hoped it would be. What the filmmakers did succeed at was capturing some elements reminiscent to the original film without tarnishing the classic. The eerie ambiance is there; you can sense the lurking dread almost akin to Roman Polanski’s film but without achieving its full intensity or impact.
While the acting of Garner and Wiest are outstanding, the overall film fails to add to the Rosemary’s Baby lore like it had could’ve. Apartment 7A confirms our suspicions that horror prequels are largely unnecessary ventures unless handled with exceptional care (something rare given how much time has lapsed since their originals). Despite these promising performances the narrative disarray couple with pacing issues reduces what could have been a fun addition to the horror genre.
Apartment 7A was directed by Natalie Erika James from a screenplay she co-wrote with Christian White and Skylar James. It is a prequel to Rosemary’s Baby and the third film in the Rosemary’s Baby franchise. The film stars Garner as Terry Gionoffrio, Wiest as Margaux “Minnie” Castevet, Kevin McNally as Roman Castevet, as well as Jim Sturgess as Alan Marchand.
Apartment 7A released on Paramount+ on September 27, 2024 and is currently streaming.
