The Castevets come creepin’ in the new Rosemary’s Baby prequel Apartment 7A. Directed by Natalie Erika James (Relic) from a screenplay she co-wrote with her writing partner Christian White, and Skylar James, Apartment 7A is an imaginative re-visit to the coven that’s taken up residence in New York’s Dakota building. The Satanic slow-burn suffers from the same pitfalls of every other franchise retread but where the story separates from its predecessor is where it finds space to get creative and carve out a creepy little corner for itself.
What sets Apartment 7A apart from the Candymansand the Halloweens of the 2020s is that the story actually takes place during the events of Rosemary’s Baby. Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse are technically in this movie but their story only exists on the edges, peaking in from time to time to as background cameos. Although the end of Terry Gionoffrio‘s story is already written for anyone who’s seen the original, where she came from and what led to her tragic end is where Apartment 7A steers its focus. In this space, before the prerequisite beats overtake everything, Apartment 7A is its own story, and it’s where all its best qualities are left behind to build that bridge toward Guy & Rosemary.
“When Apartment 7A is allowed to be itself, it’s a real showstopper. It’s got personality and polish and confidence…”
Julia Garner (Ozark) plays Terri Gionoffrio, a talented dancer struggling to find her footing in a cutthroat industry dominated by creeps after a devasting accident on stage puts a black mark on her reputation. When she isn’t dealing with a poorly healing ankle or the mean girls backstage, she’s surrounded by wolves wearing neckties. But after having a medical emergency in front of some Good Samaritans, she’s offered the chance to build herself back up under the guidance and protection of those loveable lunatics The Castevets (played by Kevin McNally and * druroll * Diane Wiest). It’s an offer too good to be true (because it is) and they don’t want anything in return (sure they don’t!) for their generosity. Of course, all that glitters is not gold and slowly Terri realizes that there is a hefty price for the success and status she is slowly acquiring through The Castevets...connections.
Contemporary Horror has been preoccupied with franchise follow-ups for a good while now, so it only seemed natural that Rosemary’s Baby (1968) would eventually take the same victory lap as so many other established properties. And since Roe v. Wade was overturned in the United States, there has been a sharp increase in body autonomy narratives from major studio releases. This year alone we’ve seen Immaculate, The First Omen, and now Apartment 7A, not to mention a whole host of indie films. Needless to say, this new movie is a very of-the-moment retelling of Ira Levin’s satanic classic but one that struggles, desperately, to find space to tell its own story without being led by a 56-year-old dance partner.
When Apartment 7A is allowed to be itself, it’s a real showstopper. It’s got personality and polish and confidence, but as soon as it approaches the gravitational pull of that Franchise Black Hole, it gets absolutely shredded. The first act is sharp and shocking (heads up for anyone that’s a little squeamish around MULTIPLE broken ankles 😬), and it looks great thanks to the costume and set teams, as well as cinematographer Arnau Valls Colomer. Natalie Erika James (whose debut feature Relic utterly destroyed me) clearly had a vision for this story and these characters, and I would have loved to see what she could have done with an original story in this setting. She has a keen focus on photographing the turmoil of her characters, and her ability to create tension and dread is put to expert use here. But it all crumbles as it incorporates itself into its predetermined path.
Apartment 7A starts with a bang but ends with uh- less of a bang. I’m much more critical of references and callbacks than the average viewer and the 2nd half of Apartment 7A is just riffing on all the beats of Rosemary’s Baby. It comes out strong, declaring itself something new and unique, but slowly loses that battle. Diane Wiest is as charming as ever, even doing a campy Ruth Gordon impression, and Julia Garner does great work with the material but it all falls apart as the pieces fall into place. It’s the death of all prequels that have a clearly defined finale to build toward, sadly, but a unique version of a doomed format that still manages to squeeze out some good tension early on, and put on a good show before taking it’s final pre-established bow.
“…struggles desperately to find space to tell its own story without being led by a 56-year-old dance partner.”
Natalie Erika James’ Apartment 7A celebrated its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest 2024, and will be streaming exclusively on Paramount+ beginning September 27th. Click HERE to follow our continued coverage of Fantastic Fest 2024 and let us know if you’re excited to see this Rosemary’s Baby prequel over in the Nightmare on Film Street Discord! Join usssss..
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