How well do you actually know Rosemary's Baby?

By: Torrance Grey
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
How well do you actually know Rosemary's Baby?
Image: The Movie DB

About This Quiz

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the obstetrician... along came this thriller about a naive young woman tricked into bearing the spawn of Satan himself! Test your knowledge of this 1968 thriller with our quiz!
Who wrote Rosemary's Baby, the novel?
Ambrose Bierce
Ira Levin
Levin's book is both horror and social satire. It parodies organized religion by portraying the Satanists as graying, bickering senior citizens -- just like the parishioners of mainstream Protestant churches in the late 20th century.
Henry James
Peter Straub

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Who directed Rosemary's Baby?
John Cassavetes
John Landis
Roman Polanski
Polanski was very faithful to the novel. He even asked novelist Levin which issue of the New Yorker ran the advertisement that Rosemary's husband referred to. Levin explained that detail was simply made up.
Peter Bogdanoivch

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What is Rosemary's and Guy's last name?
Ghilarducci
Thorne
St. James
Woodhouse
In the book, it's explained that Guy is of mixed Protestant and Jewish descent. Rosemary is a lapsed Catholic, estranged from her parents for marrying outside her religion.

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What is the name of the apartment building the Woodhouses move into?
the Bramford
The Bramford has a disturbing history, the Woodhouses' friend, Hutch, explains. This includes occupancy by a famous devil worshiper, Adrian Marcato.
the Dakota
the Savoy
the Hartford

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The Bramford was also home to the Trench sisters, who committed what crime?
cannibalism
child murder
arson
both #1 and #2
The two witches killed children -- "including a niece" -- and ate them. Again, this cheerful news comes first from Hutch.

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What line of work is Guy Woodhouse in?
acting
In the early part of the movie, Rosemary explains to several people that Guy has been in two plays and does a lot of TV and radio commercial work. She says it nearly the same way every time -- a tipoff that she's answered the question "What have I seen him in?" over and over until it's become pat.
jazz music
clothing design
set design

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What line of work is Rosemary in?
also acting
schoolteaching
secretarial work
none, apparently
If Rosemary has a college degree or ever plans to work outside the home, this isn't mentioned. It's hard to see how the Woodhouses pay for their sizable, elegant apartment at the Bramford.

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What is the name of the old couple next door?
the Castevets
The Castevets seem like an innocent old couple, in the beginning. Guy's concern, at first, is that if the Woodhouses befriend them, "We'll never get rid of them." Of course, he's soon thick as thieves with the pair.
the Pulaskis
the Crowleys
the Pierces

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What is Mrs. Castevet's first name?
Luna
Karen
Minnie
While Roman Castevet has a worldly, unusual name (and there's a reason for that!), his wife is just Minnie. It goes with her persona as a nosy, brassy hausfrau -- not at all what you'd expect of a witch.
Sarah

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In what year is Rosemary's baby born?
1966
Rosemary's Baby was released in 1968. But in the film, a New Year's party shows the Bramford residents celebrating the coming of the year 1966. The baby is born in June (6-66).
1968
1969
1971

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Where does Rosemary meet Terry Ginoffrio?
in the hallway outside the Castevets' place
in the lobby downstairs
in the laundry
Rosemary and Terry only have one conversation. But through it, Rosemary learns that Terry was taken in by the Castevets after living on the streets as a drug addict, and that she only has one brother, who's in the Navy. Rosemary also notices Terry's charm necklace and its odd smell.
at a nearby bodega

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How does Terry Ginoffrio kill herself?
drinks poison
jumps from the window
Terry has just learned the truth about the Castevets' plan for her. The audience doesn't piece it together until a bit later, since Terry described the Castevets as a generous old couple who took her in off the streets.
shoots herself
hangs herself

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In what food item does Minnie put the sedative?
chocolate mousse
Rosemary thinks the mousse has a chalky undertaste and only eats a few spoonfuls. For this reason, she's semiconscious, not unconscious, during what follows.
a health smoothie
mashed potatoes
a vodka blush cocktail

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Just before her rape, Rosemary hallucinates being in what setting?
a costume party
a hot-air balloon
a church service
a yacht in a harbor
This is altered somewhat from the book. In the novel, Rosemary imagines being on a cruise with her husband and the late president, John F. Kennedy. She thinks, "The president had recovered nicely from his assassination" -- a clever rendering of the weird logic of dreams.

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Minnie Castevet gives Rosemary a charm filled with Devil's Pepper, otherwise known as what?
rosemary
mugwort
witchwort
tannis root
Rosemary only learns that tannis root is Devil's Pepper later, in a book on witchcraft. Until then, she believes it's a good-luck agent -- even though Terry wore the charm first and it wasn't very lucky.

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What is the name of Minnie's close friend?
Amy
Ginny
Laura-Louise
Minnie brings Laura-Louise over to meet Rosemary fairly early in the film. In typical nosy-old-lady style, they invite themselves in, sit down, and actually start knitting.
Margaret

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What is the name of the doctor the Castevets refer Rosemary to?
Dr. Hill
Dr. Tanner
Dr. Sapirstein
Though the movie is mainly occupied with Christian ideas of God and Satan, there's a subtle commentary about Christian-Jewish relations as well. Dr. Sapirstein is untrustworthy as seen in contrast with the clean-cut WASP-y Dr. Hill. Meanwhile, the character of Minnie Castevet is written a lot like a stereotype of a Jewish mother-in-law.
Dr. Dee

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Who played Rosemary's original obstetrician, Dr. Hill?
James Caan
Charles Grodin
Grodin has a straight role here. Dr. Hill seems decent enough, and Rosemary seeks refuge in his office late in the film. Unfortunately, her wild story about a coven controlling her pregnancy and wanting her child leads him to believe that she's delusional.
Gene Wilder
Dennis Quaid

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What happens to the actor Donald Baumgart?
he goes blind
Guy wins his role after Baumgart loses his sight. We can see where that might make it hard to hit one's marks.
he's hit by a bus
he gets cancer
he becomes mute

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What does the coven need to cast a spell on someone?
a personal item
Guy gets Baumgart's necktie one day, when he has drinks with him. Baumgart tells Rosemary it wasn't stolen -- they swapped ties. How Guy got Baumgart to go along with this odd idea is never explained.
a photo of the person
some of their hair
some of their blood

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What personal item does Guy take from Hutch?
his driver's license
a glove
Gloves get lost a lot, as people in cold climates take them on and off many times a day. If Hutch knew the consequences, though, he probably would have kept both gloves in sight!
a ring
a scarf

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What happens to Hutch after the coven casts its spell?
he falls into a coma
Hutch dies three months later. Somewhat callously, Rosemary has apparently not spared a thought for him during this time, which she regrets when learning of his death.
he has a heart attack
he has a stroke
he too goes blind

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What is the title of the book Hutch leaves for Rosemary?
"All of Them Witches"
Hutch also says, "The name is an anagram." Rosemary spends some time with Scrabble tiles, trying to work out the title's other meaning.
"A Guide to WItchcraft and Wizardry"
"Malleus Maleficarium"
"Bell, Book and Candle"

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Which is NOT a phrase Rosemary makes of the book's title?
"Elf Shot Lame Witch"
"Comes With The Fall"
"How Is Hell Fact Me"
"Tell Me Which Fatso"
"Tell Me Which Fatso" was in the novel. Perhaps Polanski left it out because it's a comic moment and he wanted to keep the tension high.

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Rosemary realizes it's not the book title which is the anagram. What is, instead?
the name of the Bramford
Roman Castevet's name
Roman Castevet is Steven Marcato. He's the son of the Satanist who was attacked by an angry mob just outside the Bramford.
Minnie Castevet's name
the Trench sisters' names

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Which of the following did NOT get product placement in Rosemary's Baby?
Coca-Cola
Vidal Sassoon actually did Mia Farrow's pixie cut, and he's mentioned by name as Rosemary's stylist in the film -- twice. Fortunately, Polanski's script tempers the love-fest a bit by having Guy call the haircut "ridiculous" and "a mistake."
Pall Mall
Vidal Sassoon
Yamaha

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How was Yamaha included in the film?
Guy makes a commercial for them
In the commercial, Guy is invited to be a part of "the swinging world of Yamaha!" Director Polanski and co-star Cassavetes received Yamaha scooters as thanks, so, for a while, they too enjoyed "the swinging world of Yamaha."
Rosemary rides a Yamaha scooter
Terry rides a Yamaha motorcycle
there's a huge billboard outside the Woodhouses' window

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How does Rosemary realize that Dr. Sapirstein is part of the coven?
he steals a personal item from her
he sometimes smells of tannis root
It's Dr. Sapirstein's receptionist who tells Rosemary that the doctor sometimes smells bad, in the same way that Rosemary did for a while. This was because Rosemary was wearing Minnie's charm necklace, which she later threw away.
he is seen walking with the Castevets
he has a book on witchcraft in his office

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In Sapirstein's office, Rosemary picks up a now-famous issue of which magazine?
Life
Time
The timing worked out really nicely for Polanski. The "Is God Dead?" issue ran in April 1966, meaning it was very likely that a back issue would still be in a doctor's office, where Rosemary -- suffering through her own theological crisis -- could find it.
Newsweek
Women's Wear Daily

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How does Rosemary get to the Castevets' apartment undetected?
they forgot to lock the front door
she has a spare key they gave to Guy
there's a secret passage in the closet
The closet piques the audience's interest early on. The previous tenant blocked it with a secretary (a tall dresser), suggesting there's more to the closet than the vacuum cleaner and towels found inside.
she creeps along the window ledge and in through a window

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What name does Roman give the baby, and what name did Rosemary want instead?
Adrian/Andy
Adrian Marcato was Roman's father. Rosemary had intended to name a boy Andrew or a girl Jenny. These were fairly popular baby names of the '70s.
Lucifer/Joseph
Gabriel/Christian
Crowley/Christopher

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Who was rumored to play the Devil in the rape scene?
Anton LaVey
LaVey is not widely known now, but his Church of Satan was big in the 1960s, probably fueling this baseless rumor. The Devil was actually played by a mild-mannered character actor, Clay Tanner.
Alice Cooper
Ozzy Osbourne
Jack Nicholson

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Who won an Oscar for Rosemary's Baby?
Mia Farrow, Best Actress
Roman Polanski, Best DIrector
Ruth Gordon, Best Supporting Actress
Ruth Gordon played Minnie Castevet. A Paramount executive had told Farrow that the Rosemary role would win her an Oscar, but sadly, that didn't happen.
Roman Polanski, Best Adapted Screenplay

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Who starred as Rosemary in a TV-miniseries remake?
Abbie Cornish
Grace Park
Zoe Saldana
Rosemary's Baby hasn't spawned (excuse the term) as many sequels as similar religious thrillers like The Omen or The Exorcist. There was a second movie, Look What Happened to Rosemary's Baby, and Ira Levin wrote a second book, Son of Rosemary. Both were badly received by critics.
Katee Sackhoff

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Mia Farrow, who hadn't had a high-profile movie role prior to this film, still was well-known to the public for what reason?
she was married to Woody Allen
she was married to Frank Sinatra
To be clear, Farrow didn't have an affair with Polanski at all. The other three are all true, but her marriage to Allen and her philanthropic work came after Rosemary's Baby. Farrow and Sinatra married when she was 21 and he was 50. They divorced two years later but remained close friends.
she did prominent humanitarian work
she was having an affair with Polanksi

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The Movie DB