#15. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

October is winding down, meaning one thing—HALLOWEEN. Halloween ranks a close second to Christmas.  I take my costume and candy selection VERY seriously. However, I’m not the best company when it comes to watching a horror flick.  I do not understand the appeal of spending 90 minutes in a constant state of terror followed by days of residual fear and panic.  It is scary enough being a Royals fan in the postseason – why ask for added stress?

Despite my apprehension and better judgment, I’m focusing this blog on a few horror films from my book of ‘must sees’. I’ve locked the doors and made peace with my Maker. Wish me luck!

My spooktacular movie marathon begins with Roman Polanski’s 1968 classic, Rosemary’s Baby. As mentioned, scary movies are not my thing so the genre is largely missing from my famed film library. Therefore, watching Rosemary’s Baby was circling way out of my comfort zone.  For those of you with a passion for fright, this film’s got you covered with satanic rituals, secret doorways and eccentric witches. If you are like me and watch a majority of the movie peeking through hand-covered eyes, don’t let yourself miss the film’s backdrop of a magnificent New York City apartment, as well as a leading lady with a wardrobe that is truly on fleek!

That hat. Those boots.

#1. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

I had never seen The Purple Rose of Cairo before, but it turns out that I couldn’t have picked a more perfect choice to start this blog, as the film is centered around the tangled worlds of film and reality. Schneider states in his book, that the message of this film is that, “Fiction can save our lives,” and I have to agree with him. 

Mia Farrow and Jeff Daniels are cast as the film’s leading roles. Farrow plays Cecilia, a woman who is stuck in an unhappy, abusive marriage and uses the movies as a means to escape her life. Jeff Daniels provides a great performance, playing actor, Gil Shepherd, and Shepherd’s in-movie character, Tom Baxter. The film takes off when Tom jumps out of the movie screen and into the real world to be with Cecilia. The film takes place during The Great Depression, but rather than focusing on the Depression, Allen focuses on how things of fantasy can provide an escape for people.

I have quite a soft spot for Jeff Daniels and thought that he did a great job. His portrayal of naive, screen character, Tom Baxter, is the comedic center-point of the film. It’s hard not to laugh as he tries to adjust to life in the real world, as he finds himself caught up in many interesting situations.

The biggest thing that I think all us 20-somethings should take away from this film is that although life can be confusing for a lot of us right now (or is it just me?), a little dose of fantasy every once in a while is healthy, so embrace it.

WINNING LINE:  “I just met a wonderful new man. He’s fictional but you can’t have everything.”

(Whether it’s a book, a movie, or a television show, haven’t we all thought this at least once?? Or if you’re like me thousands of times…)

My Rating:   ★★★★★

Trailer: