Customer Reviews

Bad Seed, the

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I first came across this movie on you tube i had never heard of it before and to be honest i wasnt expecting much, but as the movie unfolded i became engrossed in it, one hell of a supprise ending (iam not saying how it ends) give this movie a chance, i admit by todays standards re special effects etc its a bit corny but never the less a gripping story,(you want to just grab the kid and put her across your knees and spank her) as a matter of fact right at the end of the movie as the stars are being introduced the mother of the child does do that she grabs the kid and drags her to the couch puts her over her knee and spanks her, not to worry there all laughing.

Christine Penmark has a loving husband and a picture-perfect daughter named Rhoda. Christine knows that Rhoda can be stubborn and greedy and a bit of a kiss-up, but that's not all that worries her after a classmate dies at a school picnic...the boy had just won a medal that Rhoda wanted. A lot.

This movie was considered quite shocking when it was made in 1956; it was unheard of to suggest that a child could be a murderer and that her evil was inherited from her mother. The cast came direct from the Broadway show and were comfortable in their roles. Nancy Kelly goes from contented housewife to hysterical lunatic and is believable all the way. Patty McCormack is perfect as the angelic little devil in crinolines and braids. She's tough gutsy and holds her own with the talented adults. Henry Jones, as the handy man, is really creepy and terrific.

While the actors are all great, the director chose to make a filmed play and it doesn't always work. The dialogue is all shouted and the actors politely take turns speaking, there's no overlap or hesitation; everything sounds too rehearsed. The action is mostly confined to a living room set where the actors do a LOT of talking with little action; they stand still and stare at whoever is speaking; this probably worked a lot better on stage.

The Extras include film commentary and a memories short with Patty McCormack and these are great fun. Despite it's staginess, the movie is exciting and intense and very enjoyable.

The movie was great. I seen it first about 30 years ago on T.V. It's a movie that anyone could enjoy. The female roles were just great, but the male roles could have been a bit more dramatic, except for the janitor, which I thought should have won an oscar along with the LITTLE SPOILED BRAT for their perfomances. The ending seemed in my my mind there would of been a sequel, but I guess not. The quality of the black and white picture was excellent. When I seen this movie available at Amazon I was stuned that a movie of this age would be available on DVD. It's a movie that you'll enjoy over the years to watch.

Still a chilling film, even a half century removed. While not entirely scientific in its analysis of the mind of a "sociopath", this film convincingly touches upon one possible manifestation of the types of behavior displayed by those individuals possessing minds without a conscience - that is, the cold-blooded murderer. The twist, of course, is that this calculating evil emanates from a beautiful blond child.

Credible performances all around. Don't miss it!

I have seen this movie so many times, and it just keeps getting better as time goes by. Little Patty Mcormick is execlent as Rhoda Penmark and the chemistry she has with Nancy Kelley and Henery Jones is beyoned words. I get chills when I see the scene where she confronts Leroy about giving back her shoes!!!
Its about time this classic is comming out to DVD

Over the years, there have been so many female villains, it's easy to lose track. Anne Baxter(ALL ABOUT EVE), Ann Blyth(MILDRED PIERCE), Joan Bennett(SCARLET STREET), Bette Davis(THE LITTLE FOXES to name one of many), Gene Tierney(LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN), the list goes on. But I think they all would have been more a little unnerved to get in the way of Rhoda Penmark. This movie is one that is so impish in it's own delight, it's impossible not to smile & go along for the ride. Originally a play, the film does tend to lose it's strength with all the psychobabble & it does occasionally get caught up in it's own pretentiousness, but fear not. For any & every minute that Rhoda(played to the absolute hilt by Patty McCormack)is on the screen, you BAD SEED virgins out there will wonder how this film is unknown to you.
Nancy Kelly delivers what would have to be one of the most over-the-top performances in the history of cinema as Rhoda's unsuspecting mother & Evelyn Varden's overbearing landlady, Monica, chews enough scenery to last a lifetime. But it's all about Rhoda. Evil, ruthless, determined, selfish, sweet, & yes, at times, loving. The sheer joy of watching this film is being secure in the knowledge that no matter how sweet this girl is to those around her, unlike us, & eventually her Mother, she's got them fooled.
Nancy Kelly was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her work here & both Miss McCormack & Eileen Eckhart(as the mother of one of Rhoda's victims)scored Supporting nods. Nobody makes films like this anymore..and why? Nobody could.......

The stage version of "The Bad Seed" was brilliant with an equally brilliant ending.
The movie is much too stagey, a bit too Broadwayesque in its presentation, that is, practically filming a stage show with all its limitations, including the stage-acting..a tad pompous. Except for Patty McCormack, the other characters should have been re-cast.

I've seen this movie many times and how such a lovely little girl could be so nasty is amazing. The acting is wonderful to say the least.
My only advice to other reviewers: Please, please don't tell too much and give the whole plot away. No one will want to see these movies. Movies like this one are real classics!

This film holds a special place for me: Scenery-chewing acting at every turn. A perfect little girl who kills as easily as she skips rope. A loud and intrusive landlady (whom most of us secretly hope the kid will "off" sooner than later!). A creepy janitor who has a terrific scene in which he tries to scare the child as he talks about little blue electric chairs for little boys and little pink electric chairs for little girls. It just goes on. First a terrific novel by the under-rated William March (check out his "Company K" if you want to read a powerful anti-war book), then a stage adaptation, and, finally, the film. With stage cast pretty much intact, the film had to "clean up" the pessimism of the ending, and that is the single biggest flaw, in my opinion. In fact, the film shows the last lines of the book but then adds the happier ending, followed by a "curtain call" (not always seen in previous VHS editions)in which the cast reappears as if on stage in order to further distance the audience from the horror of this tale of a murderous little girl. Despite all the 1950s white-washing, the film still has Patty McCormack (Rhoda), Henry Jones (LeRoy) and Eileen Heckart (Mrs. Daigle), who deliver the goods and then some. The rest of the cast is okay, but these three give the entire film its punch. I sometimes think it was reading the book and seeing this film when I was young that made me forego having children. Maybe "The Bad Seed" is cinema's ultimate answer to birth control.

Based on the famous Broadway play, "The Bad Seed" should be just fine on DVD. This chiller about the "perfect" Rhoda Penmark with her long blonde braids and cold, cold heart stars most of the play's cast---Patty McCormack as Rhoda, Nancy Kelly as her mother, Henry Jones as Leroy the apartment handyman and Eileen Heckart as the mother of one of Rhoda's schoolmates. While her pilot husband is away, Mrs.Penmark begins to suspect there's something wrong with her perfect little girl. You bet there is, she's a cold-blooded killer! As Rhoda's list of victims grows, so does her mother's terror as she begins piecing together the clues and facts. The film, shot in stark black & white, appears stagy but this works fine because it's all about the performances. They're brilliant. Mervyn LeRoy allows the characters to remain like they were on stage for maximum impact. The only complaint, Hollywood tacked on a dumb second ending to allow the characters their bows and to say "See? This was only a movie!" because in 1956 the subject matter (and original climax and ending) was quite shocking. But the film is still a classic of it's kind and very much a must see for those who havn't seen it. Watch for it.