Patty Duke And Tina Louise Starred In An Awful Sequel To A Legendary '60s Movie

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Most horror fanatics have seen Roman Polanski's 1968 horror classic "Rosemary's Baby." Based on the novel by Ira Levin, "Rosemary's Baby" stars Mia Farrow as an expectant mother whose pregnancy is fraught with unusual complications. Her husband (John Cassavetes) is distant, and her neighbors (represented by Ruth Gordon) are a little too nosy. The film is so well-known that it's no longer a spoiler to reveal that Rosemary may have been impregnated by Satan and possibly carries the Antichrist. 

That foreknowledge, in fact, is a requisite when watching the obscure TV movie sequel "Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby," which aired on ABC in 1976. The infamous "Rosemary's Baby" sequel is almost impossible to watch today, but resourceful internet sleuths can likely find it. 

"Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby" was directed by Sam O'Steen and stars Patty Duke as Rosemary, taking over for Mia Farrow. Philip Boyer plays her young son, Adrian Woodhouse, who is potentially an eight-year-old Antichrist, at least for the first act of the movie. The second and third acts catch up with Adrian when he is 20 years old and played by Stephen McHattie. "Gilligan's Island" star Tina Louise (the only "Gilligan" cast member still alive) also appears in the film as an itinerant sex worker named Marjean who helps Rosemary out of a bind, but who is later revealed to be a Satanic cultist.

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"Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby" is split into three acts. The first act, called "The Book of Rosemary," catches up with Rosemary Woodhouse eight years after the events of "Rosemary's Baby." It seems that Rosemary has been biding her time, waiting to make a move that would get her baby, Adrian, away from the planned rituals of the coven she's been living with. She hides out in a synagogue and reaches out to her husband, Guy (George Maharis, taking over for John Cassavetes). Also on their tail are the Castavets, who were played by Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer in the 1968 film. Gordon reprises her role, while her husband is now played by Ray Milland. 

While on the run, Rosemary and Adrian are taken in by the Tina Louise character, who, remember, is secretly in league with the Satanists. She puts Rosemary on a haunted bus (!) and kidnaps Adrian for herself. 

The second act of the movie, "The Book of Adrian," fast-forwards about 20 years, to when Adrian is an unhappy adult full of rage and violent impulses. Tina Louise owns a casino now, and the Satanists are all ready to perform the rituals they've been prepped for. Adrian undergoes a spell and is seemingly possessed by Satan. It's about here that one realizes that "Look What's Happened" is just as much a knockoff of "The Exorcist" and "The Omen" as it is a sequel to "Rosemary's Baby" ("The Omen" was released mere months before "Look What's Happened" aired on ABC). 

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The third act of the movie, "The Book of Andrew," catches up with Adrian after his violent rampage, when he is suffering from amnesia in a hospital. You may roll your eyes. It's an appropriate response. Adrian now thinks his name is Andrew, and he tells Ellen (Donna Mills), a nurse at the hospital, all about the Satanic cult. "Andrew" and Ellen escape the hospital and go on the run together. Ellen seduces "Andrew" and deliberately allows him to impregnate her; as you might have predicted, she's also part of the Satanic cult. 

The implication at the end of "Rosemary's Baby" was that a little demon child had been born. In "Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby," the implication is that Rosemary's baby was actually just one cog in a machine that will carry on a longer demonic line. 

There aren't many reviews of "Look What's Happened," so it doesn't have an official approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but other critics have reviewed the film here and there online, and critic Daniel Goodwin, writing for Scream Magazine, wasn't shy about lambasting the film. Goodwin pointed out that "Look What's Happened" was already retconned by Ira Levin's own 1997 follow-up novel, "Son of Rosemary," and the movie features some phenomenally bad supporting performances. He added that:

"'LWHTRB' withers into a limp and hackneyed trinket throughout the first half but bounces back into a colourful calamity that lacks the artistry and finesse of Polanski's original yet is far from a generic retread." 

That's measured praise at best. Be sure to read our review of "Apartment 7A," the 2024 "Rosemary's Baby" prequel that was frighteningly boring.