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It’s been a year of horror prequels, with The First Omen and A Quiet Place: Day One renewing faith in the prequel’s ability to find unexpected, poignant story threads still left to explore, especially with talented voices driving them. That Apartment 7A, the prequel to Rosemary’s Baby, stacks the talent in front of and the behind the camera instills hope for the prequel’s continued hot streak. Unfortunately, a bland script and limiting story choices bind this prequel so thoroughly that it winds up a tedious retread of Rosemary’s Baby.
Apartment 7A opts to explore the story of Terry Gionoffrio (Julia Garner), the friendly dancer who befalls a grim fate shortly before Rosemary Woodhouse moves into the Bramford. It introduces Terry just as she’s about to join the stage for a dance number, which is abruptly cut short by a brutal snapping of Terry’s ankle, effectively crippling her career. A series of setbacks and failed auditions eventually leads her to Alan Marchand (Jim Sturgess), a show producer who also happens to be a resident at the Bramford. In Terry’s bid to get into Marchand’s good graces, she finds herself taken in by the generous, warm Castevets – Roman (Kevin McNally) and Minnie (Dianne Wiest). But Terry obviously will discover her good fortune comes with a steep cost.
L-R Julia Garner as Terry Gionoffrio and Dianne Wiest as Minnie Castavet in Apartment 7A, streaming on Paramount+ 2024. Photo Credit: Gareth Gatrell/Paramount+.
Despite a strong cast and production value, the script by Natalie Erika James & Christian White, and Skylar James takes the safest path possible to a detriment. Apartment 7A commits to following the same exact path as Rosemary’s Baby, finding no new avenues to explore or flourishes that would give this prequel a sense of identity. It’s faithfully beholden to the original story, with only Terry’s profession really lending any personality. Like Rosemary, Terry is doted upon by the Castevets. They ply her with endless gifts and generosity, the same they will give to Rosemary later, and machinate a Satanic pregnancy that entails the same exact drug-induced ritual.
Terry feels like an amalgam of Guy Woodhouse’s career ambition and Rosemary’s people-pleasing warmth. Garner brings depth, earning easy rooting interest despite knowing exactly where her story is headed. Wiest steals the film with her spot-on mimicry of Ruth Gordon’s Minnie, infusing her with icy menace once Terry starts rebelling. But neither performance, as strong as they may be, is enough to elevate the material. Or some of the one-the-nose dialogue in moments that overexplain the horror.
Julia Garner as Terry Gionoffrio in Apartment 7A, streaming on Paramount+ 2024. Photo Credit: Gareth Gatrell/Paramount+.
As for the horror, well, there’s not much in the way of that. The only new addition to the familiar, sparse scare tactics is a few peppered in images of the devil, popping up in mirrors or nightmares to erode Terry’s sanity.
Director Natalie Erika James, who delivered a stunning, poignant debut in 2020’s Relic, feels trapped by this prequel. It hits every expected plot beat with rote efficiency, seamlessly matching the prequel’s ending to Terry’s fate in Rosemary’s Baby. With a lack of scares or any new narrative revelations, Apartment 7A brings nothing new for audiences to grab hold of. That it bears a lot in common with The First Omen doesn’t help at all, either. While it ultimately will be more welcoming to newcomers unfamiliar with Rosemary’s Baby, those who are will likely find this a handsomely made but overly familiar slog.
Apartment 7A premiered at Fantasic Fest and debuts exclusively on Paramount+ on September 27, 2024.