Apartment 7A is a new streaming exclusive prequel from Paramount, set one year before the events of Rosemary’s Baby. Julia Garner portrays Terry Gionoffrio, a minor character in the original film, and the Castevet’s former tenant. The expansion of Terry’s backstory and the gradual incorporation of Rosemary’s Baby plot was an excellent choice for the prequel narrative. Apartment 7A is set to hit the Paramount+ streaming service on September 27th and should be on the watchlist for any fans of the original.
Apartment 7A provides a brilliant tale of the sinister Bramford
Beautiful exteriors and interiors within The Bramford give the illusion of a nondescript building where various residents have lived seemingly, for decades. Home to a Satanic cult, hoping to raise the child of Lucifer himself, there’s more than meets the eye in this luxurious apartment building. Although the tenants have an outwardly friendly exterior and demeanor, their actual objectives are quite sinister yet well disguised. Thanks to this surface appearance it’s easy to dismiss the real dangers within.
The standouts are both Dianne Wiest as Margaux “Minnie” Castevet and Kevin McNally as Roman Castevet. Integral to Rosemary’s Baby, they also are at the forefront of this tale, using their wealth and friendliness to hide sinister machinations. Wiest is incredible throughout the film and McNally is calmly measured (and so eerily similar looking to Sidney Blackmer) in his deliveries to Garner’s Terry. Simply put, what could have been a disastrous casting selection was well executed and entirely paid off. I’d happily take a remake of the original if they got them both back for the roles of the Castevets.
One of the larger draws for me was to see and hear Jim Sturgess take on an antagonistic role, and I found it quite satisfying. Sturgess’ Alan Marchand is effective with every minute of screentime, playing strongly off of Garner’s meek demeanor as Terry. His character is never aggressive or forceful, but his clear intention makes each moment with him quite tense. Alan is a new addition, a producer on one of the productions that Terry auditions for, which opens up an opportunity for him to prey on her desperation and Nebraskan naïveté.
Julia Garner’s Terry Gionoffrio is a tragic and compelling character
Terry was instrumental in Rosemary’s Baby as the young lady that Rosemary (Mia Farrow in the original film) met in the laundry room and owner of the pendant filled with tannis root. Unbeknownst to the viewer at first, it was the tannis root that allowed the Castevets to control Rosemary for their devilry. At first glance, Terry is nothing more than an opioid addict who is trying to recover, and Apartment 7A sheds light on the path to it. Terry is a dancer who suffers an unfortunate stumble while performing a jeté during a live performance.
The misstep (pun intended) forces a surgery that jeopardizes Terry’s artistic goals and puts her on the path to ruin. This explanation for her eventual downfall sheds more light on her addiction and both the emotional and physical pains that she contends with. Garner sells the agony of failure and the fallout of that reminder when she auditions and faces multiple denials. Having not seen Julia Garner act before, this felt like a good opportunity to see her range before her rumored role as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer in the upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps. It’s apparent she’s an exceptional actress, and Apartment 7A was a fantastic chance to see how and why she’s a rising star.
Beyond the injury, it is Terry’s determination to get back on the stage that puts the events into motion. The first encounter with Marchand is what drives her to seek him out at the Bramford which crosses her path with the Castevets. Wanting to succeed on stage more than anything also pushes forward the vulnerability mentioned earlier, and positions her as a good victim for the cult to take advantage of her.
Naturally, this need to catapult herself back into performing puts her at odds with other dancers, especially Vera Clarke (Rosy McEwen) who is brilliant as a “mean girl”. Vera’s disposition against Terry’s method of sleeping her way into the production helps amplify Terry’s inner turmoil to even greater heights.
Is Apartment 7A the understudy to Rosemary’s Baby?
Apartment 7A’s tagline reads, “Rosemary was not the first.” The coven inside the Bramford had been conspiring for a while to accomplish their goal of introducing the Antichrist to the world. There are hints that even Terry was not the first woman they tried to attempt this with. Then there is the tease of Rosemary (Amy Leeson in a brief appearance in Apartment 7A) towards the film’s end. So while it may seem that it’s almost a retreading of the original story, it fleshes out a little more of the tale of Rosemary’s Baby.
With a couple of equally dazzling and disturbing sequences, some with music and others without, the psychological aspect of this horror film is quite strong. The demonic aura is powerful but not overwhelming, appearing when needed and dipping out so that it doesn’t take away from the thriller aspect of the film. The appearance of the beasts is also top-level, encompassing all the most recognizable traits of Satan as shown in media over the years. Perhaps the best part of Apartment 7A is reframing Terry’s fate, adding much-needed context five decades later.
Apartment 7A streams later this month exclusively on Paramount+ and is a must-watch for any fans of the following: Julia Garner, Rosemary’s Baby, or thrillers with supernatural elements. Garner is a star, I can’t wait to see her take on more roles in the future. It’s almost a shame this is going to be a streaming exclusive, but in this day and age, it might not have been made otherwise. This one is coming out just in time for the upcoming Halloween season, and might even convince you to give Rosemary’s Baby a watch to connect the dots or continue the story.
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