It’s been a 12 months of horror prequels, with The First Omen and A Quiet Place: Day One renewing religion within the prequel’s capacity to seek out sudden, poignant story threads nonetheless left to discover, particularly with proficient voices driving them. That Condominium 7A, the prequel to Rosemary’s Child, stacks the expertise in entrance of and the behind the digital camera instills hope for the prequel’s continued sizzling streak. Sadly, a bland script and limiting story decisions bind this prequel so completely that it winds up a tedious retread of Rosemary’s Child.
Condominium 7A opts to discover the story of Terry Gionoffrio (Julia Garner), the pleasant dancer who befalls a grim destiny shortly earlier than Rosemary Woodhouse strikes into the Bramford. It introduces Terry simply as she’s about to hitch the stage for a dance quantity, which is abruptly reduce brief by a brutal snapping of Terry’s ankle, successfully crippling her profession. A sequence of setbacks and failed auditions ultimately leads her to Alan Marchand (Jim Sturgess), a present producer who additionally occurs to be a resident on the Bramford. In Terry’s bid to get into Marchand’s good graces, she finds herself taken in by the beneficiant, heat Castevets – Roman (Kevin McNally) and Minnie (Dianne Wiest). However Terry clearly will uncover her success comes with a steep price.
L-R Julia Garner as Terry Gionoffrio and Dianne Wiest as Minnie Castavet in Condominium 7A, streaming on Paramount+ 2024. Photograph Credit score: Gareth Gatrell/Paramount+.
Regardless of a powerful forged and manufacturing worth, the script by Natalie Erika James & Christian White, and Skylar James takes the most secure path doable to a detriment. Condominium 7A commits to following the identical actual path as Rosemary’s Child, discovering no new avenues to discover or prospers that will give this prequel a way of identification. It’s faithfully beholden to the unique story, with solely Terry’s career actually lending any persona. Like Rosemary, Terry is doted upon by the Castevets. They ply her with infinite presents and generosity, the identical they are going to give to Rosemary later, and machinate a Satanic being pregnant that entails the identical actual drug-induced ritual.
Terry appears like an amalgam of Man Woodhouse’s profession ambition and Rosemary’s people-pleasing heat. Garner brings depth, incomes simple rooting curiosity regardless of figuring out precisely the place her story is headed. Wiest steals the movie along with her spot-on mimicry of Ruth Gordon’s Minnie, infusing her with icy menace as soon as Terry begins rebelling. However neither efficiency, as sturdy as they might be, is sufficient to elevate the fabric. Or a number of the one-the-nose dialogue in moments that overexplain the horror.
Julia Garner as Terry Gionoffrio in Condominium 7A, streaming on Paramount+ 2024. Photograph Credit score: Gareth Gatrell/Paramount+.
As for the horror, effectively, there’s not a lot in the way in which of that. The one new addition to the acquainted, sparse scare ways is just a few peppered in photos of the satan, popping up in mirrors or nightmares to erode Terry’s sanity.
Director Natalie Erika James, who delivered a surprising, poignant debut in 2020’s Relic, feels trapped by this prequel. It hits each anticipated plot beat with rote effectivity, seamlessly matching the prequel’s ending to Terry’s destiny in Rosemary’s Child. With an absence of scares or any new narrative revelations, Condominium 7A brings nothing new for audiences to seize maintain of. That it bears lots in frequent with The First Omen doesn’t assist in any respect, both. Whereas it in the end can be extra welcoming to newcomers unfamiliar with Rosemary’s Child, those that are will possible discover this a handsomely made however overly acquainted slog.
Condominium 7A premiered at Fantasic Fest and debuts solely on Paramount+ on September 27, 2024.
