Rosemary, Reproductive Systems and Witchcraft

Initially, Rosemary’s Baby presents itself as more of a drama than a horror film, however I’ve come to realize that Roman Polanski’s 1968 film simply revisions horror without all of the blood and gore.  Instead of relying on special effects to attack the viewers, Polanski depends on his originality and ingenuity in order to create a premise that will terrify its audience.  The concept of cults, witch covens and secret societies that exist right under our noses is not an unrealistic idea.  Especially when we consider the fact that the coven of witches in Rosemary’s Baby is comprised not by our stereotypical witch image, but rather by a group of “friendly” neighbors.  This only intensifies the horror of the film, causing viewers to believe that if such horrific things could happen to a sweet traditional Catholic girl like Rosemary, then they could happen to anybody, even them.

This calls into question, how well do we really know our neighbors? Or our husbands for that matter?  Rosemary’s Baby addresses some very real and terrifying issues that women like Rosemary face all the time.  Guy Woodhouse plays an interesting role – the definition of a husband from hell.  Not only does he join a coven of witches and sacrifice his wife’s body without her consent in order to further his career, but he is also consistently undermining, overly controlling, misogynistic and blatantly rude towards Rosemary.  Guy represents the stereotypical self-centered Hollywood celebrity asshole that we see appear with a direct correlation to the accrual of fame and wealth.

The female body and the female reproductive system in particular is a huge topic of controversy that is pointed to throughout the film.  Again, we see a woman defined by her sexuality and female organs.  In Rosemary’s case, her value is determined completely based upon her body and her reproductive capabilities rather than the value of her life as a human being.  In her work The Monstrous-Feminine, Barbara Creed writes, “the witch’s supernatural powers are linked to the female reproductive system”, a concept that rings true throughout the film (77).  In Rosemary’s Baby, it is believed by the coven of witches that the most powerful blood to use in their rituals is baby’s blood.  Hence, the coven manipulates Rosemary in order to carry out their plot in which she is drugged, raped and impregnated with the baby of Satan.

The issue of women’s reproductive rights was certainly quite controversial in the sixties, and it was actually radical of Polanski to expose and critique the male dominance and control of the female reproductive system in his film.  Also, I think it is important to acknowledge the polar beliefs of spirituality versus the practice of medicine that are expressed through the different people who advise Rosemary throughout her pregnancy.  There is clearly some altercation regarding what kind of wellness plan is best for the pregnant body.

The witches and Doctor Sapirstein use a system of spiritual beliefs and “natural” remedies on Rosemary, while Doctor Hill represents new medicine.  Toward the end of the film, Rosemary exclaims, “I want vitamins and pills like everyone else” (Rosemary’s Baby).  This statement demonstrates the naiveté and instinctual conformity of Rosemary and the American public in general.  Not to mention, the entire film critques the ignorance of our society and the lack of awareness with respect to conspiracies, coverups and corruption.

Finally, I would like to point out that we see once again in this film (as we have with Cat People and others) the questioning of the mental sanity of a woman.  Rosemary is constantly at battle between what her instincts tell her and what argument Guy counteracts with.  Because she is a woman (and a pregnant hormonal one at that), Rosemary is assumed to be emotional, unstable and made to seem insane.  As it turns out, she is not the crazy monstrous-feminine afterall.