Rosemary's Baby

Rosemary is a newlywed in Manhattan, pregnant and increasingly suspicious of the people living around her. She thinks her neighbours may have sinister intentions towards her and her baby. That is all the set-up I’d want before pressing play. If someone started explaining more while I was settling in, I’d have to ask them to leave the sofa.

This is the sort of horror that makes an ordinary situation feel unsafe. Pregnancy already asks someone to live with a great deal of uncertainty; here, even the neighbours become a reason to worry. The fear is in that suspicion. Who do you trust when you think something is wrong, but the people nearby might be part of it? I find that thought more unsettling than a sudden noise, though I would still spill my coffee at one.

I’d put Rosemary’s Baby on for a quiet, dark evening when you want to pay attention and let the unease build. It suits anyone who likes horror rooted in people, doubt and the possibility of something sinister close to home. Keep the lights low if you like. I’d leave the hallway light on, personally. Nothing dramatic. Just sensible relations with the neighbours.