Though nearly-completely bloodless, Rosemary's Baby is still highly regarded as one of the scariest horror films ever made. Its mixture of unsettling paranoia, dark imagery and social claustrophobia are what helped sell it as a bonafide thriller. Even today, Rosemary's Baby is a creepy film to watch, which makes one wonder about the impact it had way back in 1968.
Like many classic horror films of the time period that were way ahead of their time, Rosemary's Baby has quite a few creepy facts attached to it. Here are just some of the most spine-tingling.
Mia Farrow Walked Into Real Oncoming Traffic
In the old days, filmmakers needn't have bothered with pesky things like insurance and the health of their actors and staff. That's why Roman Polanski, in his infinite wisdom, decided to send actress Mia Farrow straight into oncoming New York traffic in order to capture a scene of her distracted character wading needlessly into potential disaster.
According to the story, Polanski told Farrow that "nobody will hit a pregnant woman," which was a reference to her character's in-story pregnancy. The screeching of tires and honking horns are all genuine reactions from drivers who must have wondered what this person was doing sauntering into traffic.
The Baby's Birthdate
Many fans of the film missed an ominous marker in the script regarding the expected delivery date of Rosemary's baby. According to the book and script, the child was due to be delivered sometime in June of 1966, which is a reference to 666, the sign of the Devil.
While a small detail, it's one of those creepy little factoids in the same vein as The Shining that heightens the tension for anyone watching the film. It's especially disconcerting given that Polanski wanted to leave the supernatural element up in the air for audiences to decide what was real and what was not.
Strange Events
Although Satanic Panic didn't strike the American consciousness until the 1980s, the horror movie seeds were planted as far back as the 1960s with Rosemary's Baby. According to actor William Castle, who played a bit part in the film, the film was cursed, and he cited the murder of Sharon Tate and personal health afflictions he suffered as evidence.
A similar kind of paranoia befell the sets of other horror movies, including The Exorcist and The Omen in '73 and '76. In the end, it's highly probable that a sense of religious guilt and superstition paved the way for many of these supposed events to be self-fulfilling.
The Mia Farrow Snub
Although Mia Farrow's performance is routinely lauded as one of her best, fate didn't seem to agree with her. She took the role despite opposition from her then-husband Frank Sinatra, who was also an accomplished actor, during a turbulent time in their marriage. Farrow almost passed on the role before she was told that it would end up winning her an Oscar.
During filming, Sinatra filed for divorce, while Farrow soldiered on. She would end up getting completely snubbed at the Oscars. Speculation has arisen that this was godly punishment for Farrow taking such a controversial role shortly after considering becoming a full-time nun.
The Infamous Dakota
Rosemary's Baby starts off with a pan shot that ends on the Dakota, a building with a rather rich and ominous history in New York City. It was the city's first true luxury apartment complex when it was built in 1884 based on a design from Henry J. Herdenbergh, who created the Plaza Hotel.
Over the years, it has attracted a plethora of wealthy celebrities, from Boris Karloff and Lauren Bacall to accomplished screen legend, Judy Garland. It gained notoriety for the death of John Lennon, who was murdered right outside the building. In fact, the death of the character Terry in the film takes place eerily close to where Lennon was killed in 1980.
Hellish Numbers
The iconic phone booth scene shows Rosemary calling Dr. Hill on the rotary phone whilst mouthing a series of numbers. Eagle-eyed fans were able to discern these numbers as four, three, seven, seven, which seems harmless enough, until one takes a closer look.
When flipped upside down, the numbers spell out the word "Hell," which is another nod towards Roman Polanski's strong directorial eye and a desire to implant little Easter eggs into the story for fans to uncover.
Have A Heart
Mia Farrow was a vegetarian at the time of filming, but she scarfed down some raw liver for the scene following the party during a few takes. Fans have speculated why she chose to eat the meat in the first place before obviously convulsing and throwing it back up.
The original novel makes it clear that the meat in question was not actually liver, but a chicken's heart. Witch hunters often regarded chickens and hens as holy symbols, which is why Rosemary chose to eat the meat. However, the presence of the demonic child inside of her prevented her from holding it down.
Ulterior Motives
While the film ends with Rosemary rocking her child's cradle in what seems to be a gesture of acceptance of the situation, the novel is far more explicit as to her character's intentions. Her seeming act of compliance is actually a smokescreen to buy time and give herself options.
In the novel, Rosemary hopes that her inherent goodness will influence her child to turn away from his demonic ways. If this were to fail, her backup plan would involve notifying the Vatican of what has transpired, so that they could step in and take further action.
Terry's Death
No real reason is given for the apparent suicide of Terry near the beginning of the film, but fans have long theorized that it had something to do with the Castevets and their plans. In their eyes, Terry might have been a possible mother for Satan's child, which is why they took her in.
Her death might suggest that she found out about the plot and refused to go along with it, which necessitated her murder. This might have had something to do with the Coven drugging Rosemary before she was impregnated, as no human woman would dare do it willingly.
Subliminal Sandwich
Rosemary's Baby is peppered with a bevy of fine details that are impossible to grasp on the first viewing - a signature trait of the best Hollywood movies. Many fans remark that they notice these details only after repeated viewings when they have a chance to soak in each scene and identify things that had been missed the first time around.
A perfect example is in the scene where Guy comes home early and pretends to be surprised by Hutch visiting Rosemary. This allows Guy to take Hutch's glove and deliver it to the Castevets so they can use black magic on him. A doorbell rings moments after Guy leaves the apartment, which is him delivering the glove.