10 Movie Conspiracy Theories You Won't Believe Exist

Roman Polanski’s 1968 film Rosemary’s Baby has gone down in cinema history as one of the best horror movies of all time. But thanks to the tragic murder of Polanski’s wife Sharon Tate and their unborn child at the hands of the Manson Family a year after its release, the horror has also attracted the attention of conspiracy nuts who think the movie and Tate’s murder are undeniably linked.

Conspiracists point to the apparent similarities between the movie’s plot and Polanski’s life. In Rosemary’s Baby, struggling actor Guy and his young wife Rosemary move into a New York City apartment building and are quickly befriended by their creepy neighbours the Castevets, who just so happen to be part of a satanic cult. Before long, the Castevets offer Guy a deal he can’t refuse – stardom in exchange for the small favour of having Rosemary bear Satan’s child.

Meanwhile in real life, although Polanski was already making a name for himself with films like his feature debut Knife in the Water and psychological horror Repulsion, his career was still largely confined to Europe. That is until producer and rumoured Hollywood Satanist Robert Evans plucked Polanski from relative obscurity and lured him to America with a deal to direct Rosemary’s Baby for Paramount. But international fame and critical acclaim don’t come cheap, so according to the conspiracists Polanski struck a deal with Hollywood’s satanic elite to sacrifice his wife and future child to Lucifer in return for stardom. Pretty similar to the plot of Rosemary’s Baby, eh?

Exactly why Polanski would direct a film that would mimic his later ritual offering is unclear, as firm details often are when it comes to conspiracy theories. Neither does this theory take into account that Rosemary’s Baby was actually adapted from author Ira Levin’s novel, who as far as we know hasn’t partaken in any satanic killings.

But add some spooky coincidences into the mix – Rosemary’s Baby was filmed at The Dakota which was also the location of John Lennon’s murder, and Charles Manson reportedly heard secret messages within Beatles songs – and it’s enough to keep the conspiracy pot stirred for years.