I chalk this up as another reason why it’s always best to go into a movie without knowing literally anything about it. It wasn’t until a little in that I started realizing that the movie has a very similar vibe to a classic movie. Ah, yes, Rosemary’s Baby! Sure enough, Apartment 7A is the prequel to the 1968 classic. Very cool indeed! There also seems to be a recent remake of Rosemary’s Baby turned mini-series. Not sure why that needed to be made? However, it has been almost six decades since the original, so I guess someone must have thought it justified? But a remake of Rosemary’s Baby, a movie in which it takes place mostly in an apartment (from what I can remember), will be more difficult to stand on its own unless they drastically change things up? I mean, sure, it will obviously look more modern; you’ll get a chance to get in a more diverse cast and whatnot, but overall, it’s hard for me to see how it will stand on its own. Apartment 7A, a prequel, is much more to my liking and feels much more needed than a remake after sixty years.

To be honest, Apartment 7A is a slightly above average movie, but it suffers from something I call “the same ol’ shit” syndrome. But could it have been any different, considering how it needed to set the stage for Rosemary’s Baby? The story revolves around Terry Gionoffrio, the previous occupant prior to Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse of the original movie. Other than changing a few things, it felt pretty much exactly like the original. But again, could it have been any different with the overall theme of getting an unsuspected woman to become host to the Antichrist? Themes of terror, hallucinations, dread and the final realization that shit ain’t normal are all there.

I think Julia Garner did a pretty good job playing as Terry. There was, however, that one part towards the end where she was with her friend Annie in the back alley that seemed a bit off to me. Her outburst of anger, paranoia and fear didn’t feel genuine to me. It was weird because it just came all of a sudden. We know she at that point suspects something is horribly wrong, and all that dread and anger of having to sacrifice so much to get her role in the play had been building up. But that scene where she finally let out all her pent-up frustration felt a bit weird and cringe to me.

You know what’s another surprise? Finding out that John Krasinski was a producer of the movie, as well as Michael Bay. John, I get it, but Michael friggin Bay? Apartment 7A? That was a surprise. Known more for directing classic action movies with tons of explosions, action sequences and whatnot, I had to really look it up to see if there was some other producer with the same name as him. But alas, no, it’s really that Michael Bay. 🤣 To sum things up, Apartment 7A, while I won’t go as far as calling it pointless, is worth a watch if only to pay some respect to the original movie. Six decades is a long time, and for them to finally make this prequel is enticing. Just temper your expectations. Like the original, it’s a slow burn, and true to the original, it tries to capture the same atmosphere of dread as well but without really setting itself apart. And yes, the end scene of Terry dancing around like a stripper is definitely cringeworthy.