'60s Horror Movie I Just Saw for the First Time

Rosemary's Baby (four stars total) taught me that I want the main character in a movie to be smarter than me. It's okay if they're less educated or less experienced than me. It's okay if they make dumb mistakes. It's okay if the movie reveals things to the audience that the main character couldn't possibly know on their own. I don't think horror movies are scary when I find myself exclaiming, "don't go through that door," in a situation where I myself wouldn't go through that door. The main character should at least learn from their own mistakes. I think Rosemary is smarter than me - she taught me the word "undertaste." But she just keeps on trusting without realizing that trust is what got her into this mess in the first place. I like how the revelations in the last half of the movie are all things that the audience has probably suspected, but then they're used to reveal other things that the audience couldn't possibly know without additional information. I like how the whole story is based one of the most basic, natural, universal things (having a baby), with all its standard complaints (inattentive husbands, morning sickness, unsolicited advice) but taken to the Nth degree. I like the setting of a haunted apartment building. I like how little mysteries (a hidden closet, pierced ears on an old neighbor, a missing glove) kept me interested and also represent Rosemary's escape from domestic boredom. I like the dream sequences. The only thing I didn't like was the dialogue at the end, but I do appreciate the ending. For family conspiracy horror, I'd choose The Devil's Advocate (1997) and maybe even The Stepford Wives (1975) over Rosemary's Baby (1968), but it's still the scariest movie I've seen so far this month.