Like this year’s The First Omen , Apartment 7A is a prequel to an iconic horror movie – in this case, Satanic classic Rosemary’s Baby (1968) – that fleshes out, to some degree, the world of its predecessor-slash-successor. Here, Julia Garner plays Terry Gionoffrio (a name fans of the '68 film will recall), a would-be dancer who suffers a career-threatening injury. Her luck changes, however, when she meets Roman (Kevin McNally) and Margaux (Dianne Wiest), an elderly couple who live in the Bramford – the very same New York apartment building that’s home to Mia Farrow’s Rosemary in Roman Polanski’s original.
Offering her a place to stay, this kindly pair seem to be the answer to Terry’s prayers; she also grows close to Alan (Jim Sturgess), a fellow resident and influential Broadway producer. But after a night she can’t quite fathom, Terry finds herself pregnant, and beset by nightmares and hallucinations. Or as she puts it: "I’m seeing things that aren’t there.
.. there’s something wrong with the baby or me.
" Director/co-writer Natalie Erika James (2020’s critically lauded Relic) is a dab hand at eerie flourishes (the sight of Terry’s belly growing is a standout). Garner (Ozark, the upcoming The Fantastic Four : First Steps) convinces as the potential demonic patsy, though she’s surpassed by Wiest, who revels in her supremely unsettling role (one peephole shot of her staring intently truly chills). But for all that, there are times when Apartment 7.