rosemary's baby (1968). roman polanski.

the plot to Rosemary's Baby is pretty simple and straight forward. basically the basics to a horror mystery drama. naive girl is being manipulated and used by not so nice people ending up in the tragic discovery. based on Ira Levin's book, what you've got here is innocent happy-go-silly Rosemary Woodhouse who has just married Guy, an upcoming actor. they next move to Bradford, a building with a disturbing history of witchcraft n mysterious deaths, which they cleverly choose to ignore. once settled they are being cornered by the old weirdo couple, the Castavets. absurd as they might seem Guy just can't get enough of them. following this, Guy seems to get better and better roles and now wants to get a child with Rosemary. he does so (?) while Rosemary is drugged n having a weird dream slash hallucination. suddenly the attention of the Castavets becomes exhausting. Rosemary's pregnancy is turning into a nightmare of pain n suffering. her friend who tries to warn her ends up suddenly ill and dead. after his funeral, the completely cut off rosemary discovers that Guy and the Castavets and her doctor, everyone around her is part of a coven of witches n she s trapped right in the middle. when she gives birth she faces the fact that her baby is the Antichrist.
but what makes Rosemary's Baby one of the scariest films of all time?
first of all n obviously so it is Polanski's incredibly capable directing. every scene has been shot n reshot endless times to an insane perfectionist director, who knows how to convey the sense of entrapment, of a spider web being woven around one, never revealing too much n yet building up tension scene after scene, also aided by the amazing photography of Fraker. another key element in the haunting atmosphere of decay n claustrophobia is the original score by Krzysztof Komeda that is constituting one of the most haunting pieces written for a film; mia farrow's lullaby sounds pretty much like an all-knowing narrator of the film. the cast, of course, it is to my belief that not one of the characters could have been played by an other actor. Mia Farrow's devotion n playfulness can uniquely mirror Rosemary's childish nature, Ruth Gordon is becoming the creepiest  nice old lady in film history, needless to mention the speculations on who plays Satan during the famous ceremonial rape scene.
and last, it is the mystery and the symbolism surrounding the film itself that makes it what it is. the history of the Dakota, which is renamed into Bradford was well known to the audience of the time, as it was actually connected to the occult and to dark magic, and became also the building in front of which John Lennon was shot years later. Polanski's involvement with The Church of Satan has also caused plenty of discussion. yet, that is not all i am referring to. what creeps the hell out of audiences in 1968 n of audiences in 2011 remains the same. it is the lack of blood and the lack of gore, that makes it more possible to actually happen. it is the evil witches substituted by the kind and caring neighbours, doctors, friends, n even husband. it is the fact that Rosemary smilingly embraces the fact that she has given birth to a monster, which she intends to bring up as a loving mother. it is how the rooftops of new york embrace all this evil that will remain hidden n growing. it is Rosemary's summing up realization during the breeding ceremony: "This is no dream! This is really happening!".
What Rosemary represents is the innocence and hope of the 50s and the 60s. she is the modern society of the time the film was shot and the modern society of today. n all we fear is encrypted into this film, which is why it is so good n so terrifyingly haunting in principle. Rosemary is unsuspecting, naive and obedient (to experts, husband, friends, neighbours, doctors, hairdressers etc). also obediently consuming, she sees stuff in magazines or on television, she wears a different outfit to every scene. n all this, all her good faith n attempts to fit in that could promise her happiness do nothing but deliver her to the Devil. as Rosemary is ending up more n more confused n loosing her sense of identity guided by all these experts that surround her n command her (notice the mirror symbol appearing in the film in 3 stages), as she is rendered powerless n helpless n lost, the viewer can only share her agony since the power structures of modern society seek to deprive him/her of any kind of control over all actions and desires and forces to the birth of an atrocity, to Rosemary's Baby, which needs to and will be embraced anyhow.
and this is why i rate this one to be one of the top films ever made, that can function perfect even out of the context of the late 60s, much as it is expected from all classic works of art. 
(footnote: n ofc i am a Polanksi lover and a Mia Farrow addict, n if this makes it a kinda slightly biased review, so be it.)