Rosemary's Baby will be screening tonight at the Nuart Theatre in West Los Angeles (July 25th) at midnight.
I recall when the intense thriller first graced the screen.
The intense horror flick - starring Mia Farrow - caused quite a sensation.
Although the special effects no doubt pale to the offerings today - what with all the advances in technology over the years - Rosemary's Baby still ranks high as one of the top scariest films of all time.
The sensational feature was adapted from a novel by known Satanist Ira Levin.
The movie version produced at Paramount was directed by the celebrated (now somewhat infamous) Roman Polanski. Levin was hired as a consultant on the high profile project.
Anton La Vey - founder of the Satanist Church - appeared briefly as the devil.
La Vey touted the film as,
"The best paid commercial for Satanism since the Inquisition."
When Ms. Farrow was asked to play the role, she was married to Frank Sinatra at the time.
During the course of the film - Mia's normally luscious locks of hair - were cropped quite short (a la "twiggy-style") to accommodate a storyline which caused one former flame to quip to the press,
"I always knew Frank would end up with a boy."
Concerned that Mia would be on location a lot, and out of romantic reach, Frank issued an ultimatum: pick me or the movie.
Ms. Farrow chose to continue filming; consequently, shortly thereafter she was served with divorce papers on the set one day just as she was about to shoot a dramatic scene.
Curiously, events surrounding the film, caused many to consider the real possibility that dark forces were at work behind-the-scenes.
On June 5 (1968) - ten days before Rosemary's Baby was released - Polanski and his wife Sharon Tate dined with Robert Kennedy in Malibu. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Kennedy was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.
A year later - on August 7th (1969) - Charles Manson disciples brutally murdered Sharon Tate and her unborn baby - along with four other people at the Director's in the Hollywood Hills in California.
Rosemary's Baby was shot at the legendary Dakota Apartment complex in Manhattan.
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