House 7A’s Director Explains That Out-of-Continuity Rosemary’s Child Second

Apartment 7A hit Paramount+ final week—learn io9’s review right here—and should you’re a keen-eyed fan of Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Child, you’ll have observed a scene halfway by Natalie Erika James’ prequel that appears to be organising a second of direct overlap between the 2 movies. Till… it doesn’t. In a brand new interview, James defined the behind-the-scenes the explanation why that occurred.

Simply in case you have been saving House 7A to your October film record:

The scene in House 7A begins off because the mirror picture of a scene in Rosemary’s Child. It’s when Rosemary (Mia Farrow) and Terry (Victoria Vetri in Rosemary’s Child; Julia Garner in House 7A) share a nice chat within the laundry room. Rosemary and her husband have simply moved in, and he or she’s happy to fulfill one other younger lady residing within the Bramford. Terry explains she was helped out of a foul state of affairs by aged couple Roman and Minnie Castevet—Rosemary’s new neighbors—they usually’ve given her a spot to reside as a result of they’re simply the kindest folks ever.

Rosemary and her new good friend conform to do their laundry collectively once more as a result of the basement is creepy as hell. Tragically, nevertheless, their subsequent encounter can also be their final: Rosemary and Man simply occur to be strolling previous when Terry falls to her dying from the Castevets’ house.

In House 7A, nevertheless, the laundry room scene comes too early within the film for Rosemary even be on the Bramford; the earlier tenant, Mrs. Gardenia, continues to be residing in Rosemary’s future house. (In James’ movie, we be taught much more about that plant-loving girl, and the sinister motive she departs the constructing.) Additionally, the dialog doesn’t occur; Terry sees a blonde lady with pigtails (Rosemary earlier than her well-known pixie reduce) doing her washing, however they don’t work together.

On the finish of House 7A, Terry nonetheless meets her dying in the identical method, and Rosemary and Man are as soon as once more horrified witnesses—however she is a complete stranger to them.

Chatting with the Hollywood Reporter, James mentioned the fragile line she needed to stroll, drawing inspiration first from Ira Levin’s novel, but in addition, inevitably, Polanski’s movie too.

“One of many large issues was ensuring that there was a separation between [Apartment 7A] and the unique movie’s creators not being concerned on this one,” James instructed the commerce. “So we had these discussions previous to beginning a redraft of the script. We additionally tried to reference Ira Levin’s unique e-book as a lot as we probably may and use that as supply materials. However, on the similar time, as a result of the unique movie is so iconic, it’s form of an unavoidable comparability.”

As for that particular scene, “I used to be at all times actually acutely aware of the very fact that there have been already so many parallels to the unique movie, and we have been making these actually acutely aware selections about utilizing the Bramford and preserving sure design options very constant,” James mentioned. “However I actually shied away from wanting to indicate Rosemary’s face or any form of interplay. It felt, unusually, like a step too far to only recast Mia Farrow, regardless that Minnie and Roman are reimagined of their method.”

She agreed with the THR interviewer who identified the scene happens too early within the film for the girl depicted to really be Rosemary. Initially, the director mentioned, the laundry room go to was slated to happen later within the movie, which means the timelines would have lined up extra precisely—however an modifying alternative was made to bump it up. “So that you’re proper concerning the lack of continuity from the unique with Mrs. Gardenia nonetheless being round. Within the edit course of, there’s at all times issues that must be shifted to greatest inform the story, so, sadly, that was one of many sacrifices.”

See the scene and picture a re-re-edited model for your self: House 7A is now streaming on Paramount+.

Need extra io9 information? Take a look at when to anticipate the newest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every little thing you want to learn about the way forward for Doctor Who.