If “prequel to a classic movie about the birth of the Antichrist” sounds like something you’ve already encountered this year, you’re not possessed: back in April, The First Omen delivered a gruesomely creative exploration of events leading into The Omen . Apartment 7A endeavors to do the same for Rosemary’s Baby , and while its story offers fewer shocks than The First Omen, it’s still a thoughtfully considered prequel anchored by an intriguing point of view. Inspired by Ira Levin’s 1967 novel and Roman Polanski’s 1968 film, Apartment 7A was co-written and directed by Natalie Erika James, who also made 2020’s Relic —the tale of three generations of women grappling with a creepy presence in their family home.
Another sinister dwelling takes center stage in Apartment 7A , and Rosemary’s Baby fans know it well: the Bramford, a once-elegant New York City apartment building whose aging walls conceal a coven of equally aging Satanic witches. The new film’s production design pays close attention to detail, and while the setting feels authentic, it’s not aiming to exactly copy Polanski’s version. There are key elements that carry over, however, including those very thin partition walls that allow raised voices and the haunting piano notes of “Für Elise” to waft between units.
Into this towering pile of dark wood, yellow lighting, and birdcage elevators stumbles Terry Gionoffrio, a character who factors into the first 15 minutes of Rosemary’s Baby . .