Directed By Natalie Erika James

Starring – Julia Garner, Dianne Wiest, Kevin McNally

The Plot – When a struggling, young dancer (Garner) suffers a devastating injury, she finds herself drawn in by dark forces when a peculiar, well-connected, older couple (Wiest, McNally) promises her a shot at fame.

Rated R for some violent content and drug use.

Apartment 7A | Official Trailer – YouTube

POSITIVES

My honest feelings about a ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ prequel were lukewarm when I initially heard about it, but there are some key integrities that prove some effort was given to longtime fans of the original movie, keeping it from joining the ranks of some of the worst prequels of all time that are purely desperate cash grabs. For starters, the direction from James proves her heart was involved in conjuring the same look of the 68′ original, all with additional dreamlike sequences that articulate some sizzling iconography in the depths of a drug-fueled paranoia. Between wardrobe choices and set decoration, the production has an uncanny like ability towards inspiring a likeness to its predecessor that seamlessly lines up, and though the cinematography doesn’t experiment with a grainy texture that would’ve worked wonders to this sentiment, it doesn’t exactly compromise the endearing visuals, which stimulated the single biggest satisfaction of the movie for me, and one that should help erase some of the prejudice associated with Paramount Plus’ history with accentuating value to their pictures. In addition to James, the film’s performances are a bit inconsistent, but beneficially work in the depths of Garner and Wiest, who seamlessly replicate the air and authenticity of their characters in ways that make it effortless to buy their portrayals. As Terry, Garner captures all of the likeability, wonderment and even fear about the character that we feel against her overwhelming vulnerability in a city where she barely knows anyone, and though Wiest has the remarkable task of emulating an original performance that could easily come across as distracting or over-the-top, she meets the feat halfway with a nuanced psychology towards personality that feels every bit believable as it does unnerving, giving her the ability to steal the attention of the audience, each and every time she invades the screen for our benefit. Lastly, as a prequel the film does leave plenty to be desired in entertainment value, but inoffensively lines up synthetically to the events of the previous film, all without doing too much damage to the integrity and legacy of that iconic original. Part of this can certainly contribute to the lack of chances that the script ever refuses to take, but I think the desire to halt progress on this film at the exact moment the original begins is something that goes a long way towards distinguishing a line in the sand between them that goes uncrossed, allowing this film to stand on its own, regardless of how you feel about it, all without using its predecessor as an unnecessary crutch to enhance its own appeal.

NEGATIVES

Much has been debated about if ‘Apartment 7A’ justifies its own existence, and this is mostly due to the claustrophobic screenplay that the movie continuously writes itself into a corner upon, while outlining a story that has no kind of curiosity factor to the things it uncovers in comparison to its original. Considering Terry is a character who doesn’t last very long in ‘Rosemary’s Baby’, telling her story feels like a complete waste of time, with only so many avenues of exploration to possibly take the story. If you learn anything about her in the successor, filling in the gaps of her story shouldn’t provide too taxing, especially in that her ‘Dare to dream’ kind of story has been emulated so frequently often over the past decade of cinema, appraising this highly predictable factor in her outcome that went exactly the way that I was expecting. When you inevitably compare these two films, you also come to realize how similar the outlines of Terry and the Woodhouse’s are in execution, robbing it of any kind of compelling originality that could’ve allowed the film to stand on its own two feet, instead of remaining attached at the hip to its predecessor, but the similarities become overwhelming by the movie’s second act, which only add to the aforementioned predictability factor for the film that continuously hinges on this overhanging deja vu feeling of us having experienced this already once before. On top of this, the script fails to ever attain any scares or even atmospheric dread or tension to its storytelling, which makes the first half of the movie before the materialized conflict feel as bogged down with boredom as humanly possible, especially in that the script takes its time putting the movements of the story together, in the same vein as its predecessor. The problem here is that it isn’t building any of the foreboding gloom or moving the narrative forward from the opening shot, so the pacing just kind of unceremoniously lingers until Terry comes across the people who will inevitably make her life a living hell, all with a complete lack of urgency that makes this 97 minute film feel every bit like two hours. In comparison to one of the scariest mainstream horror films that I’ve ever seen, this one is a continuous letdown that never surmised even a sprinkle of legitimate tension to feed towards Terry’s vulnerability, which comes so effortlessly from Garner’s performance, articulating none of the aura in essence that made ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ such a cult-like classic among fandom that have praised its capabilities, even nearly sixty years later. The performances also find instability among their ensemble, as the credible work of Garner and Wiest are matched by the heavy handed and embellishing Jim Sturgess and Andrew Buchan, who might as well be wearing signs around their necks that spell out EVIL PERSON to the audience and Terry alike. Considering neither of these characters are major enough to the integrity of the narrative, I can somewhat forgive the lack of subtlety that comes from their respective deliveries, but Sturgess would feel out of place even in a season of ‘American Horror Story’, which should speak volumes to you about the kind of quality and capabilities of his brandished registry on the demands of the film’s integrity. Finally, while ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ features an abundance of personality in the execution of its presentation, with sharp pans or the lens, and zoomed in close-ups involving big reveals, the technical capacities here feel phoned in with the kind of plainness and conventionalism that don’t provide a pulse for the production, leaving it lacking stimulation for sequences like the aforementioned dream scenes that could’ve emphasized an otherworldly quality to moments of vulnerability so vivid with lucidness. The 35mm film is missed tragically here, especially since ‘Apartment 7A’ features so many fantastically imaginative dance sequences that would’ve looked hypnotic with vintage film capabilities, but unfortunately it takes those qualities in capture for granted as so many scenes look and feel interchangeable with one another, resulting in another element to the film’s identity that added further to my diminishing interests in the perils of boredom, as it never captivated me with unique aspects that are exclusive to the horror genre.

OVERALL
‘Apartment 7A’ is far from the worst of horror prequels filmed decades after their predecessors, but adds little to the justification of its cause, both in the predictability of its script, and similarities to its original, which keep it from impressing on charms of its own. While Garner and Wiest bring these familiar characters to life with performances that capture your attention, the lack of artistic merit that drove the original is nowhere to be found, leaving this prequel evicted from the ambition of capturing even half of the magic as that iconic and unforgettable 1968 original.

My Grade: 4/10 or D