ROSEMARY’S BABY (1968)

• Director: Roman Polanski
• Cast: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon
• Film: 137mins | USA | Subtitles | Intermission
• Event: 18:30 – 21:30 / Doors 18:00 [18+]

Cult film night BAR TRASH concludes our 13th sensational season — SCREAM FOR YOUR LIVES! — with the slow-burn psychological horror masterpiece, ROSEMARY’S BABY (1968).

Just as SCREAM FOR YOUR LIVES! opened with the film that inspired William Castle to unleash his decade-long cycle of ‘chill-n-thrill’ gimmicks — LES DIABOLIQUES (1955) — so we end the season with an epilogue: his last great roll of the cinematic dice.

Castle bought the rights to Ira Levin’s best-selling novel before it was published and pitched it to Paramount. He landed a spectacular deal to produce but not direct, claiming he received a fixed fee of $250,000 and 50 percent of the impressive profits! The maestro was superseded by rising talent in the director’s chair but would still oversee one of the most critically and commercially successful horror films of all time. ROSEMARY’S BABY also sees the swift return of Ruth Gordon (HAROLD & MAUDE) to our BAR TRASH screens, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Minnie Castevet.

If the ‘King of Gimmicks’ stood accused of plunging horror into a juvenile cycle of pseudo-scares (his horror films are all very Scooby-Doo), ROSEMARY’S BABY re-instated the capacity of horror to truly ‘scare the pants off America’. Castle received some truly poisonous pen letters for his efforts (quoted in his not entirely trust-worthy autobiography…):

“Your immortal soul will live forever in the pits of hell where you belong… I am your mortal enemy and will see that you are destroyed. You have unleashed evil upon the world.” 

and…

“ROSEMARY’S BABY is filth and YOU will die as a result. Lover of Satan, Purveyor of Evil, you have sold your soul. Die. Die. Die.” 

Of course, this might have something to do with the film’s legendary curse!

Police notice: We are showing ROSEMARY’S BABY with subtitles from the best available digital source. The evening will end at the slightly later time of 21:30 due to the longer running time of this film. 

/// BAR TRASH is a celebration of cult and curious cinema, hosted by queer film fanatic Token Homo and friends. Films are served with introductions, intermissions, prize giveaways, and subtitles / captions where possible. Tickets from £3.50 + fees. Adults 18+ only. Follow @tokenhomo on Instagram for updates. ///