Rosemary's Baby

infobox Book |
name = Rosemary's Baby
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Cover of 1967 first edition
author = Ira Levin
cover_artist =
country = United States flagicon|USA
language = English
series =
genre = Horror novel
publisher = Random House
release_date = 1967
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback) & Audio book
pages =
isbn =
preceded_by =
followed_by = Son of Rosemary (1997)

"Rosemary's Baby" is a 1967 best-selling horror novel by Ira Levin, his second published book.

Plot summary

The book centers on Rosemary Woodhouse, a young woman who has just moved into the Bramford, a New York apartment building, with her husband Guy, a struggling actor. Rosemary is initially warned that the Bramford has a disturbing history, but she and Guy simply laugh over the information, choosing to dismiss it. Soon, Rosemary and Guy are befriended by Minnie and Roman Castavet, an eccentric elderly couple whose apartment backs up to their own. Rosemary finds them meddlesome and absurd, so she is a little disturbed when Guy begins paying them frequent visits. Guy and Rosemary decide to conceive their first child. On the night they plan to try to conceive, Minnie Castavet stops by with a special treat - chocolate mousse. Although Rosemary eats only a fraction of her portion, she soon begins feeling woozy and dreams that she is being raped by something not human, while her elderly neighbors watch. The next morning, Guy tells her that she just had a bad dream.

Soon after, she discovers she is pregnant; at the same time, Guy's acting career suddenly begins to thrive. The pregnancy is very difficult at first; Rosemary endures terrible, continuous pain. As the months wear on, the pains ease but Rosemary begins to suspect her elderly neighbors are not the kindly souls they appear to be. After receiving a warning from a friend, she discovers her neighbors are the leaders of a coven of witches, and she suspects they are after her child to use it as a sacrifice. However, she is unable to convince anyone to believe her. Eventually, she finds out the horrible truth, that Guy allowed the devil to impregnate her in exchange for a successful career. She is informed that she is the mother of the long-awaited anti-christ born in June 1966 (6/66).

In 1968, the novel was turned into an acclaimed film adaptation starring Mia Farrow, with John Cassavetes as Guy. Ruth Gordon, who played Minnie Castavet, won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Roman Polanski, who wrote and directed the film, was nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

Other actors in the movie include: Ralph Bellamy, Elisha Cook Jr. and Charles Grodin.

The movie was filmed partially on location at The Dakota, off Central Park West in New York City.

Levin published a sequel to the novel, titled "Son of Rosemary" in 1997. Levin dedicated it to Mia Farrow. The TV movie, "Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby" was made in 1976, but was not connected to the novel.

Editions

* ISBN 1-56849-065-8 (library binding, 1991)
* ISBN 1-56865-470-7 (hardcover, 1997)
* ISBN 0-451-19400-4 (mass market paperback, 1997)
* ISBN 0-451-21051-4 (paperback, 2003)
* ISBN 3-926048-30-1 (hardcover)

External links

* [http://www.mansionbooks.com/BookDetail.php?bk=238 Photos of the first edition of Rosemary's Baby]