Summary
The most obvious problem with the upcomingRosemary’s BabyprequelApartment 7Ais that audiences already know how the story ends – but that could be the movie’s greatest strength. Set to be released on Paramount+ on June 02, 2025,Apartment 7Awill fill in the backstory of Terry Gionoffrio. InRosemary’s Baby, Terry is a recovering addict that Rosemary and Guy’s neighbors, Minnie and Roman Castevet, have taken into their home, seemingly to help get her back on her feet. However, it turns out that Terry is the initial target chosen to bear the Antichrist before Rosemary.
Apartment 7Ahas terrific talent working both in front of and behind the camera. It’s being directed by Natalie Erika James, who previously helmed the psychological thriller gemRelicin 2020, andit featuresOzark’s breakout star Julia Garner in the role of Terry. Dianne Wiest and Kevin McNally have been cast as the Castevets andA Quiet Placemastermind John Krasinski is on board as a producer. The issue with makinga prequel toRosemary’s Babyis obvious –the Roman Polanski-directed classic already revealed Terry’s grim fate– but that apparent weakness could end up being the film’s greatest strength.
The Biggest Hurdle For The Rosemary’s Baby Prequel Is That Audiences Already Know How Terry Gionoffrio’s Story Ends
Terry’s dark fate was already revealed in Rosemary’s Baby
The most glaring issue with making aRosemary’s Babyprequel about Terry is that audiences already know how her story ends. InRosemary’s Baby, Terry is shown through Rosemary’s eyes. Rosemary initially meets Terry in the basement laundry room of the Bramford Building. She learns that the Castevets have taken in Terry and she’s staying in their seventh-floor apartment while they’re seemingly helping her recover from her drug addiction. However, shortly thereafter, Rosemary and Guy come home to find Terry dead from an apparent suicide, having jumped from the Castevets’ apartment and fallen to her death.
Apartment 7Awill essentially retell this story from Terry’s perspective.It’s unclear exactly why Terry died; it’s possible that Terry took her own life after learning what the Castevets’ true intentions were; she may have jumped from the building because she didn’t want to take part in their Satanic ritual. Alternatively, if Terry’s womb was too damaged from her drug use to bear the Antichrist, the Castevets might have orchestrated her death to cut her out of the picture. Either way, her ending is determined, and anyone who’s seenRosemary’s Babyknows that going intoApartment 7A.
The Best Horror Prequels Use The Inevitability Of Fate To Create Tension
Pearl and The First Omen both use Apartment 7A’s biggest weakness as a strength
Allthe best prequel movies use the inevitability of fate as a dramatic tool. George Lucas introduced Anakin Skywalker, the kid destined to become Darth Vader, as an adorable little boy who wouldn’t harm a fly inStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould used the fact thatBetter Call Saul’s two most lovable characters, Kim and Nacho, were absent fromBreaking Badto keep audiences on the edge of their seats, worried about their fate. Knowing where the characters are going to end up isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it can enrich the narrative.
Horror prequels, in particular, can use the inevitability of the characters’ fate to create a feeling of dreadin the audience. Ti West’sXprequelPearlis a deeply unsettling movie, because the audience knows that, at some point, this starry-eyed farmhand who dreams of becoming a Hollywood star is going to become a cold-blooded murderer. Arkasha Stevenson’sOmenprequelThe First Omenuses the inevitability of Damien’s birth to create tension in Margaret’s attempts to uncover the church conspiracy before it’s too late.Apartment 7Acan similarly use the fact that Terry is doomed to keep the audience engaged.
Why Now Is The Perfect Time For A Rosemary’s Baby Prequel
The horror genre is having a great year
ARosemary’s Babyreboot has been in development in different shapes and forms since 2008, and it’s taken more than a decade and a half to finally come together. But everything happens for a reason, becauseApartment 7Ais about to arrive in the perfect form at the perfect time. For starters, the horror genre is having a really great year.Under Parisbecame a global sensation on Netflix,In a Violent Natureperformed well enough for a sequel to be greenlit, andA Quiet Place: Day Onehas been a blockbuster hit at the box office.
And on top of that, it’s the ideal time for aRosemary’s Babyprequel in particular.Immaculate,False Positive,American Horror Story: Delicate, and the aforementionedThe First Omenhave all contributed toa recent trend in pregnancy-based horror stories.Apartment 7Awill be the latest pregnancy-themed horror film to arrive, and it has ties to the most iconic pregnancy-themed horror film ever made.
Apartment 7A
Cast
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.
