Apartment 7A Review – The Rare Good Horror Prequel

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I was admittedly trepidatious going intoApartment 7A. Franchising horror is already a difficult thing to do well given that so much of what makes the genre work is fear of the unknown; but a horror prequel? When prequels so often fall into the trap of relying too much on preexisting knowledge? How could that possibly work?

Julia Garner as Terry Gionoffrio in Apartment 7A

Thankfully, my doubts proved to be pointless; asApartment 7Aturned out to be a genuinely great horror film that builds off the themes of gaslighting, trauma, and body horror from the originalRosemary’s Babywhile creating an original narrative and characters that can stand toe-to-toe with its best contemporaries.

What isApartment 7Aabout?

Our story centers on Terry Gionoffrio, played byJulia Garner; an aspiring Broadway performer whose dreams are upended by a sudden and dramatic onstage injury. Struggling to find work and a place to live, she is offered her own apartment rent free by an elderly couple played by Dianne Wiest and Kevin McNally.

Things even start to turn around for her when an influential producer, played by Jim Sturgess, offers her a second shot at Broadway stardom. But since this is a horror movie, all is not as it seems. Terry unexpectedly blacks out one night and, starting the next morning, starts seeing and experiencing strange and disturbing things that will eventually lead her to the dark truth behind her new home.

L-R Jim Sturgess as Alan Marchand and Julia Garner as Terry Gionoffrio in Apartment 7A

How isApartment 7A?

In much the same way thatRosemary’s Babylived and died on Mia Farrow’s legendary performance as Rosemary;Apartment 7Alives and dies on Julia Garner’s spectacular performance as Terry. The way she shifts from hope, joy, pain, trauma, terror, discovery, elation, despair, and everything in between is simply incredible. I won’t dare spoil the ending here, but her final scene alone might be one of the best performances I’ve seen all year.

The rest of the cast give admirable performances as well, Dianne Wiest in particular runs the gamut of caring and creepy as Minnie, but if there’s one reason to watchApartment 7A, it’s how good Julia Garner is in it. If there’s another reason to watch it, it’s the excellent costuming and set design.

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While modern lighting and HD cameras make it obvious thatApartment 7Ais a 2024 film, the rest of its aesthetic does an admirable job trying to hide it; with interior design, architecture, and costuming that all feel distinctly 1960s, though the period thankfully doesn’t overwhelm the story. The music could apply to this as well, but mostly just because of how much of the iconicRosemary’s Babyscore gets reused here.

Which brings me to my major point of criticism for the film. I’m not sure if this needed to be aRosemary’s Babyprequel. Early on,Apartment 7Amostly feels like a period piece version of Darren Aronofsky’sBlack Swanand I think combining that with a more original take on a demonic cult would’ve been more than enough.

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But then characters from the original start showing up and they start throwing out references to it and it all comes off as a bit much. This kind of nostalgia-driven fan service has already started to get tired in more fun blockbusters, so it feels especially weird to do it in a serious horror film that’s exploring serious themes.

And those themes are otherwise very well-handled. I love that it acknowledges the rejection and abuse faced by people working in show business, especially women. The things it has to say about religious trauma and sexual violation are powerful and deeply effecting. It’s just a shame that those feel ever so slightly undermined by the lingering thought that it wasn’t done in service to this story; but rather as a reference to a previous movie.

L-R Kevin McNally as Roman Castavet, Dianne Wiest as Minnie Castavet and Julia Garner as Terry Gionoffrio in Apartment 7A.

IsApartment 7Aworth watching?

I went intoApartment 7Awith very little expectations and came out of it pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere is genuinely tense, the set design and costumes are great, the themes are compelling, and it’s buoyed by a strong ensemble cast and a powerhouse lead performance by Julia Garner.

While its prequel elements do occasionally hamper the story and its hard to say if it works quite as well asRosemary’s Baby(though I would say its at least on par), its original narrative and the way its told makeApartment 7Amore than worth seeking out for any horror aficionado.

Apartment 7Ais streaming on Paramount+ September 27