Rosemary's Baby has always been one of my favorite movies and actually ranks as one of my favorite horror movies, too.  There's just something about Roman Polanski's movie that captivated me so much growing up.  I was hesitant to read the book by Ira Levin because I was so familiar with the story.  I thought I would know everything that was happening (which I kind of still did) and that I would be bored (which I most absolutely WAS NOT).   We horror book fans owe Levin a lot because the success of this book helped launch what is referred to as the "horror boom" in the literary world.  This book was also so good that in just one year after its publication the movie was made.  This may not seem like a huge deal nowadays, but in the sixties that was a feat and screamed success.

Ok, on to the book.  I just love Levin's style of writing.  It is so simple yet descriptive.  And page after page just flows together and you do not even realize how quickly you are turning them.  He knows how to write seductively in a way that makes you want to stay up super late just to finish.  He writes real people (mostly) and you want to know what happens to them.  Take Guy Woodhouse, Rosemary's husband, for example.  He basically trades his wife's womb and its future baby to some witches just to get a bigger paycheck.  He's a greedy, selfish success whore.  But we all know people like him these days I bet.  People that we think, "You are such a bastard and workaholic obsessed with climbing the corporate dick sucking ladder.  Your poor family..." I mean maybe not to that extreme, and most certainly (I hope not, anyway) not as part of some witchcraft plot.  

Rosemary. Oh, honey.  I wonder if I would be rolling my eyes and screaming at her if I was in the same time period and do not know what I know about this kind of stuff.  Like... why are you taking a smoothie from your nosy ole neighbor made with stuff you've never heard of while she watches you drink it and won't leave until you do?  Or how about when she has stomach pains and cramps for like five months and every week the doctor tells her it is only going to last for a couple of days?  And who actually believes LOSING weight after months and months is a GOOD sign?  I mean I know there are difficult pregnancies out there, but come on, Rosemary.  GET IT TOGETHER.  Girl, GIRL. Get yo'self a second opinion!!  Poor Rosemary.  She just wants so badly to have a healthy baby and I truly believe she would be a wonderful mother.  But she starts looking so pitiful...

The Castevets.  They are the epitome of the most annoying old neighbors ever.  I wanna go to Minnie, shake dust out of her cobwebby ole cooch and tell her to find someone else to manipulate, deceive, and lie to.  Why someone as nice as Rosemary and with such a promising future?  Could they really not just find some homeless woman off the streets that had no one (not that I condone that EITHER, but I mean... the lesser of two evils?  I dunno...) The homeless woman would at least have a place to live and food ready for her.  But back to the Castevets, I think we have all known some people that are like that.  Not witches, of course.  Just overly nosy and annoying.  And smothering.  And anytime we turn around they are there.  Imagine seeing this face every single time your doorbell rang... sigh...

Book gets 5 out of 5 stars from me and I will be moving on to the sequel, Son of Rosemary, soon!