ROSEMARY’S BABY hits the nail on the head with its villains. It’s one thing if they looked like Richard Lynch and hissed scripture from Anton LaVey’s bible, but all of these cultists seem ready for Denny’s early bird special and dress in the finest plaids of the time. They’re friendly, tacky, obnoxious and pushy… and it isn’t an act either: they really are the banality of evil. They may be plotting a conspiracy to bring forth the Anti-Christ, but they’re equally concerned about marks on their hardwood floor. One of my favorite images is of a Japanese gentleman snapping photos of the devil spawn in his crib. I always imagined thirty years later his kids going through his belongings and wondering why dad has so many pictures of a deformed infant surrounded by upside down crosses.

I also love how Rosemary’s husband turns into a complete prick. He rents out his wife’s womb and risks her sanity for a few acting roles and the promise of a Beverly Hills pool. There’s a gloss of mixed emotion running through John Cassavetes’ performance. He swings between guilt (over what he’s done), disgust (for what’s growing in his wife’s belly) and embarrassment (to the other devil worshippers that his wife is rebelling — like she’s a dog that just dropped a deuce on their carpet).

Rosemary: “This is no dream! This is really happening!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv3p8kIyqLI