Rosemary's Baby (1967)

Holy cow this book freaked me out. I just loved it! ( )

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of ROSEMARY'S BABY BY IRA LEVIN . ROSEMARY'S BABY is a classic in the horror genre. As you read this book you may wonder what is so scary about a young husband and wife living in an apartment building in New York? The more you read this book the more weird seems to be occurring, and I warn you , read it all so you can get the full weird effect! I love this book and all of Mr. Levin's books. He takes a rather mundane subject, like a couple living in New York and twists and turns it into the extreme bizarre! If you have read ROSEMARY'S BABY before or its your first shot at it I highly recommend it!

I received this book free from goodreads in exchange for an open and honest review. ( )

Review originally posted on Goodreads.

I wasn't sure what to expect after hearing high praise for this book. This is my first time reading the book and I haven't seen the movie either. I'm a sucker for horror, but was hesitant to read this because I'm also a big scaredy pants. Surprisingly, this wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. There were strange moments and a lot of suspense. The book was definitely creepy, but not horrific.

I did enjoy it and am considering the second book, though there isn't as much high praise for it. Still seems interesting. ( )

The story of Rosemary's Baby has undoubtedly been heard of around most of the world. Rosemary is a young housewife who begins to suspect her neighbors of witchcraft, wanting her unborn child for some sort of satanic ritual. If only she knew the truth was much, much worse...

The plot is pretty simple when it all comes out, but during the book the reader is given the impression it is not so straightforward. Around every corner a new doubt leaks into Rosemary's mind; different arrows point at different conspiracies that may or may not present.

And then, of course, there is always the question of whether or not it's simply the case of poor Rosemary losing her mind.

Ira Levin effectively stirs up an ideal sense of mood; isolation for the young pregnant woman in a constant upheaval of confusion; the feeling of being trapped as it seems no one believes her in the big bad world, and even the loved ones she has always trusted come into doubt. There are plenty of suspenseful moments throughout the novel, although not heart-stopping. The story moves at a quieter and more peaceful pace than many modern day horror tales, only to come around and unexpectantly bite you in the rear during the second half.

Rosemary, a typical housewife of the times, and her husband Guy Woodhouse, an aspiring actor waiting for his big break, make interesting characters the reader can relate to. The nosy neighbors are intrusive, but they're also not too different from many odd couples that live next door. All characters are explored in depth, giving us a sense of eerie reality, while the tale of horror is told only through the eyes of the main character. The pace of Rosemary's Baby is a bit slow but it doesn't deter from its purpose -- to horrify.

I recommend giving the book a try if you can get your hands on a copy, for while it is very similar to the film version, reading about darkness and deception instead of simply "viewing" it can implant powerful stories even further in our minds.

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Oh my. Where true horror stories began. Read the book, see the movie which is out on DVD now really cheap. Scary stuff for the times. ( )