Another work that has haunted the psyche of many a new mother is Rosemary’s Baby, whose central theme is the horror a woman feels at the unknown entity she is carrying within her womb.
The book first written in 1967 by Ira Levin and later adapted into a film by the same name in 1968, remains a landmark in the horror genre, and one of the most devastating portrayals of motherhood being turned on its head.
It tells the story of Rosemary Woodhouse, a newlywed who moves into the Bramford, a gothic revival building in New York City with her husband, Guy, a struggling actor.
They are warned that the place possesses a disturbing history involving witchcraft and murder, but admonishing it as nonsense, decide to ignore it. Rosemary is desperate to start a family, but Guy is hoping to wait a bit ‘til he feels he is more established.
The young couple is warmly welcomed by the quirky Minnie and Roman Castevat, their neighbors in Bramford. While Rosemary finds herself with little patience for the erstwhile couple, Guy is taken by them, and he begins to visit them frequently.
After a potent rival in the theater mysteriously goes blind, Guy is given an important stage role, and immediately afterwards agrees with Rosemary that it is time for them to start a family.
While initially delighted by this development, Rosemary begins to suspect that something is amiss. However, she is unable to pinpoint the exact nature of the problem ‘til her friend warns her that she discovered their neighbors are leaders of a Satanic coven.
Frightened to her core, Rosemary begins to feel that they might want to steal her child to sacrifice it to the devil.
Bewildered and frantic, Rosemary embarks on a quest to find someone – anyone – who will believe her and help. But no one is convinced, and she realizes that she is out on her own in this battle, her husband being the worst villain of all.
The day Rosemary gives birth to her baby is one that will live on in pop culture infamy. The scream, “His eyes! His eyes!” remains absolutely blood-curdling, as she realizes that her neighbors don’t want to sacrifice her child to the devil, but rather, she has given birth to the devil.
Touching on perhaps every unspoken fear a new mother might have regarding the alien-like being sprouting from her womb, Rosemary’s Baby is one of the most terrifying works of psychological horror, ever.
