Warning! Contains major spoilers for Apartment 7A.
This article contains mention of suicide.
Rosemary’s Baby’s prequel,Apartment 7A, retcons one classic horror movie character in such a way that they seemingly become even more villainous than they were originally portrayed. UnlikeRosemary’s Baby,Apartment 7Afollows an original story, expanding on the backstory of Terry Gionoffrio, a minor character from the original film. However, despite presenting a story that stands on its own,Apartment 7Aalso features subtle references toRosemary’s Babywhile drawing several narrative intersections with the parent movie.
Interestingly, while some of thesestory convergences betweenRosemary’s BabyandApartment 7Amake sense, others retcon character beats already established by the 1968 movie. One of these retcons comes almost midway throughApartment 7A’s runtime when it hints at an encounter between the two movies' female lead characters. Although these minor crisscrosses between the two movies' narratives are fun to watch, it is hard not to notice how they create inconsistencies in the overarching story, completely changing how one character is perceived.
Apartment 7A’s Twists Make Terry Praising Minnie & Roman To Rosemary Unforgivable
Apartment 7A Changes How One Perceives A Rosemary’s Baby Scene
Rosemary’s Babyfeatures a laundry room scene in which Terry and Rosemary meet in the central apartment building’s basement. During this scene, Terry praises Minnie and Roman Castevet for how they have treated her, which plays a crucial role in convincing Rosemary they are good people. After Terry’s death, Rosemary even tells Minnie how happy Terry seemed when she met her in the building’s basement and assures Minnie that Terry appreciates them. While there is nothing inherently wrong with these scenes,Apartment 7Aportrays them in a different light.
Apartment 7A Soundtrack Guide: Every Song & When They Play In The Rosemary’s Baby Prequel Movie
While walking through the backstory of a familiar Rosemary’s Baby character, Apartment 7A also features a diverse set of songs as background scores.
AlthoughApartment 7Adoes not feature a conversation between Terry and Rosemary in the Bramford building’s basement, it pinpoints the exact moment when the two characters first met there in the parent film. However, unlikeTerry fromRosemary’s Baby,the one inApartment 7Aalready seems suspicious about the Castevets and their motives. She is also pregnant with Anti-Christ by this time, which gives her terrifying visions of Satan and makes her question her sanity. She seems far more low-spirited and mentally distressed than her counterpart from the original film.
Terry’s Sacrifice Redeems Her Heroic Status (But She Should Have Warned Rosemary)
TowardApartment 7A’s ending, Terry initially seems to surrender to the coven by accepting that she will bring the Anti-Christ to the world for them. She even makes a deal with the Castevets in the film’s final arc, promising them she will let them raise her child if they help her rise to fame as a dancer. The fact that she figuratively sells her soul to the devil to see herself in the spotlightmakes her somewhat of an antagonist in the movie. However, inApartment 7A’s final scene, she finally redeems herself by sacrificing her life to prevent the Anti-Christ from ruling the world.
If Terry had opened up to Rosemary about her experiences in the building, Rosemary might have been able to save herself.
The prequel movie’s ending highlights that even though Terry was initially drawn to finding material success in exchange for losing her morality, she eventually realized that the award was not worth the price. However, even though she redeems herself, it seems strange she never warned Rosemary about the Castevets or the other residents. By the time the two characters were friends, Terry had a faint idea of what was happening. If Terry had opened up to Rosemary about her experiences in the building, Rosemary might have been able to save herself.
Terry & Rosemary’s Original Laundry Scene Makes No Sense After Apartment 7A
The Prequel Creates A Narrative Inconsistency
Terry’s contrasting behavior at the same moment in both films highlights howApartment 7A’s portrayal of the character is inconsistent withRosemary’s Baby’s. Owing to this, instead of seeing it as a direct prequel toRosemary’s Baby,it is hard not to perceiveApartment 7Aas more of a rebootthat borrows many story elements from the original film but avoids staying true to several established character beats. Many other similar plot variations further cement this.
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For instance,Rosemary’s Babyportrays Terry as a recovering drug addict. However, inApartment 7A, her drug addiction is barely addressed after she moves to the central building. Owing to these differences betweenRosemary’s Baby’s andApartment 7A’s stories, it would be fair to say thatApartment 7Aworks better as a standalone film and not as an extension of the original film’s lore.
Rosemary’s Baby
Directed by Roman Polanski and starring Mia Farrow, Rosemary’s Baby chronicles the chilling tale of Rosemary Woodhouse, the wife of an actor who, after finding out she is pregnant, begins to suspect that her unborn child is something far more sinister than a normal baby. John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, and Maurice Evans also star.
Apartment 7A
In this psychological thriller, a young woman is forced into a mysterious cult after moving into a seemingly ordinary apartment complex. As strange events occur there, she begins to question her sanity and the motives of her enigmatic neighbors.
