10 Hidden Meanings Behind Famous Horror Movies

On the surface a spine-chilling tale of satanic covens and devil babies, peel away the layers of Roman Polanski’s horror masterpiece Rosemary’s Baby and you’ll find a darkly subversive commentary on women’s health and bodily autonomy. It might be uncomfortable talking about Polanski and women’s rights in the same breath given that less than a decade later after the release of Rosemary’s Baby he would be arrested for the rape of a 13-year-old girl. Considering the treatment of the movie’s titular character, however, it’s hard not to deduce an underlying feminist message is at work.

Doe-eyed naïf Rosemary moves into a new apartment building with struggling actor husband Guy, but before too long wedded bliss turns sour when their creepy neighbours turn out to be a satanic cult. Unfortunately for Rosemary, her loving husband is all too willing to offer up his wife like a sacrificial lamb to the cult in exchange for fame and fortune. Passive, housewifely Rosemary’s future and bodily autonomy is sacrificed so her husband’s career can progress and she can bear a child.

If it weren’t for the fact this is horror movie territory and the baby in question is none other than the seed of the Devil himself, then it’s easy to see parallels between Rosemary’s plight and real-life women’s role in traditional marriages. Considering the climate in which the movie was made, a time during which rows still raged over women’s access to contraception and abortion was still prohibited in many states in America, Rosemary’s Baby offers a feminist warning against accepting traditional gender roles and failing to take control of your own body.

If that stills feels icky in association with Polanski’s name it’s good to know that perhaps its feminist message is best credited to Ira Levin, who wrote the book from which the film was faithfully adapted, rather than Polanski himself.