WTF REVIEW: "LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ROSEMARY'S BABY"

WTF Review: “Look What’s Happened To Rosemary’s Baby”

WTF REVIEW: "LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ROSEMARY'S BABY"

In 1968, Roman Polanski shocked the cinema world with Rosemary’s Baby, starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, and  Sidney Blackmer. Seeming rather tame to today’s standards, the age-old story of trading eternal damnation of your soul for a bit of luxury was fresh entertainment over 50 years ago and remains a tried and true horror classic to the genre that the movie helped progress into more risky territory. So why not give it a worthy sequel, eh ? What became of little Adrian Woodhouse and his Antichrist fate?

Umm. Hmm.

Now, I hear a lot of shit about The Exorcist II: The Heretic being the worst sequel of all time- but I’d challenge anyone that makes that statement has surely never seen Look What’s Happened To Rosemary’s Baby. I had only found out about this sequel a few years ago, and then compeletly forgot about it’s existence until a conversation with my step-mother who was looking for the film- which understandably, had fallen into obscurity. BUT, when there’s a will, there’s a way and thank goddess for YouTube where I found a full version of the movie to indulge my curiosity.

Man. I wished I hadn’t.

The film made as a special Halloween presentation airing on ABC, premiered on October 29, 1976 continues the story of Rosemary, Guy, and their bastard Antichrist child, Adrian- whom Rosemary refers to as Andrew which is what his name had intended to be before he was reveled to be the spawn of Satan. Rosemary (this time played by Patty Duke) and “Andrew” have been lying low with Minnie and Roman (Ruth Gordon and Ray Milland) as with the rest of the cult for the past eight years. The pair flee to LA in the hopes of finding ex-husband Guy Woodhouse (George Maharis) and demanding help. However, “Andrew” is kidnapped by a curious woman who had promised help to Rosemary and the little satanic spawn while running on the road and we never see Rosemary again during the rest of the film.

Fast-forward a few years where Adrian (Stephen McHattie), as he is now being called, is a party rock star with hair that even 1978 John Travolta would envy and has all the looks of what you would envision a cocaine- fueled disco dickhead would look like. At the very least, they left out the clichĂ© medallion off his half-exposed chest. He is still living with his abductor, Ellen, who he obviously has no clue of who she truly is. Minnie and Roman re-appear on the eve of Adrian’s non-specified-age birthday; where they intend to consecrate Adrian’s birthright and move forward only if he hasn’t been too tainted as they put it and his vessel can fully embody his demonic destiny. Following a few rituals and bizarre dream sequences, this turns into one real drugged-out comatose of a film. Now normally I can appreciate that fuzzy 70s’ B-Grade artistic experimental film, but this is a fucked up mess. It’s almost trying to be like De Palma’s Phantom of the Paradise, but far less interesting and done very badly . Adrian with white face paint and a black vest strutting across dance floors to a funky disco, and through a crowd of mindless disco-dancing nimrods as the Castevets, Guy, and the cult stare on as though they are mesmerized by his booty shakes and dream-like Pazuzu transformations is really… something.

I suppose the only redeeming quality to the movie is that Guy Woodhouse gets what he finally fucking deserves, but that’s about the best it gets. It truly doesn’t surprise me that a good majority of fans have never even heard of this film, as it seems to be just an embarrassment to the legacy of what is considered, one of the greatest horror films of all time. If you want a real sequel, I suggest picking up Son of Rosemary by Ira Levin.

Or.. If you dare, here’s the movie generously uploaded by Youtuber Ethan Terra. Either way, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

2 thoughts on “WTF Review: “Look What’s Happened To Rosemary’s Baby””

Leave a comment